Gender

The term gender refers to social gender in contrast to physical gender (‘sex’) that is assigned to a person at birth. Gender therefore means the socially, culturally, or societally constructed gender roles and prevalent notions of femininity and masculinity. This emphasizes the fact that our understanding of gender is not something natural, or determined by biology, but rather it is based on historical developments, which manifest in cultural traditions and social conventions, but is also subject to constant flux and change. Physical gender, or sex, is also connected to cultural notions that are by no means set in stone, as our understanding of the body continues to evolve.

Important terms concerning gender and sex:

• AFAB and AMAB are both acronyms and indicate which of the binary sexes assigned a person was assigned at birth. AFAB stands for ‘assigned female at birth’. AMAB stands for ‘assigned male at birth’ (cf. AFAB and AMAB in the Queer Lexikon).
• Trans* is an umbrella term referring to various people who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth (cf. Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency).
• Cis is the opposite of trans, and defines a person who feels that they belong to the gender identity they were assigned at birth (cf. Queer Lexikon).
• Intersexual or inter* people have features of both male and female bodies. Their appearance may often be perceived as a mixture of genders. The term intersexual may, however, also refer to a person’s gender identity. The term inter* is used as an umbrella term that is intended to include the diverse range of intersexual realities and physical traits (cf. Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency).
• A binary gender system is based on the premise that there are only two genders: male and female. Other gender identities, physical traits or intermediate stages are denied and scorned in spite of scientific findings to the contrary (cf. Büro zur Umsetzung von Gleichbehandlung; Queer Lexikon). From a legal perspective, Germany recognizes three gender options. As well as male and female, people can choose to have diverse entered as their gender on their ID card.
• Non-binary is a gender identity used by people who locate themselves to outside, between or in both of the binary categories ‘woman’ and ‘man’. The term non-binary is also used to refer to agender or gender fluid people (cf. Queer Lexikon).
• The wording “read as [female, trans, male, queer,…] can be used to differentiate that Person A ascribes person B to a certain gender in their own perception, but does not claim to know which gender identity Person B identifies with. This wording often prevents misgendering.
• Agender is a self-designation used by people who do not feel as if they belong to any gender, cannot relate to the concept of gender, or have no gender (cf. Queer Lexikon).
• Gender fluid is a term people use to refer to themselves if their gender identity changes over a certain period of time or in different situations. Their gender may change within binary categories, or for example from male to non-binary to agender (cf. Queer Lexikon)
• Queer is an umbrella term for gender identities or sexual orientations that do not correlate with society’s heteronormative and binary standards.

Sources: IDA-NRW; Amadeu Antonio Foundation; Queer Lexikon