in the Workplace
What is Gender Identity?
Do you remember when you knew you were a boy or a girl?
Think about it, though people rarely do. It might have been
when your baby sister or brother was born and you noticed
obvious differences from your body. It might have been when
people said you were a beautiful girl or a handsome boy or
that you should play with dolls or with trucks. You were probably aware of your gender before you were five years old.
The same goes for many transgender individuals. Most
knew very early in life that they were male or female, but they
were identified by others as the opposite because of their
physical characteristics. For transgender people, gender identity or expression differs from conventional expectations of
“male” or “female.” Gender identity is an internal sense of
maleness, femaleness, or a self-concept outside of or between
traditional notions of gender construction. Transgender individuals often grow up knowing that their gender identities
differ from their biological assignments.
Gender Transition
Gender transition refers to the period during which some
transgender persons begin to change their appearances and
bodies to match their internal gender identities. People in
transition literally must “out” themselves to their families,
friends, and colleagues. While in transition, they are usually
extremely vulnerable to discrimination and are in dire need
of support.
Gender Identities Across Cultures and Nations
Though the transgender-related definitions we offer are
commonly used in the United States, in many non-Western
societies transgender identities are defined with unique terminology related to cultural norms. In these contexts, gender
identity and sexual orientation are presented more as intersecting identities. These perspectives run counter to the
influence of Western medical and psychiatric traditions that
“I transitioned from female to male in 1990, a decade prior
to joining UCLA. I had been living a mainstream life as a
straight man and had no intention of sharing my situation
with co-workers. I was new and did not want to detract
from my credibility with some colleagues whom I felt
would be distracted by this knowledge as I sought to establish myself.”
Know the Right Term
Differences across generations, race
and ethnicity, nationality, class,
disabilities, and geography all help
account for rapidly evolving terminology. Senior student affairs officers
(SSAOs) should remember the power
of self-naming. Talk with transgender
staff and communities about what
they wish to be called and the terminology they prefer.
The term transgender may serve as an umbrella for a broad
range of gender identities. Some transgender individuals
describe themselves with words more related to “male” or
“female” gender identity and expression. A sample of these
terms includes transsexual, male to female (MTF), female to
male (FTM), and cross dresser. The term transsexual is most
often used to describe individuals who change appearance
through dress and gender-related surgery to express a gender
that differs from biological sex assignment. MTF or FTM
denote the direction of the gender transition, which may or
may not include gender-related surgery.
Cross dressers are often heterosexual people, usually birth-assigned biological males, who occasionally dress as members
of a different gender. Other transgender persons describe their
identities as being between or outside conventional “male” or
“female” norms and use terms such as genderqueer, gender-bender, or androgynous. To varying degrees, these individuals
blur and combine male and female identities, sometimes alternating identities, or even express identities outside binary
“male” or “female” gender standards.
Andrew Resnick, director of marketing,
UCLA Anderson School of Management
segment sexual orientation and gender identity into distinctive
categories. As an example, the term two-spirit, emerging from
Native American nations, describes culturally-based identities
reflecting unique combinations of sexual orientations, gender
identities, and related roles. In addition, the phrase third
gender describes cultural constructions where individuals are
considered to be neither women nor men in societies that
recognize three or more genders.
Genderism and Systemic Oppression
As the student affairs profession is called on to address issues
related to institutionalized oppression, the terms genderism
and cisgender should be defined. Do you remember a time as a
child when you were told to “act like a man” or reprimanded
for not “acting lady-like?”
Genderism may be described as an oppression system rooted
in the belief or assumption that there are two—and only
two—genders, and that gender identity is based on biological
sex assignment at birth. Those who fail to conform to this
binary gender system are labeled deviant and often experience
harassment, discrimination, and violence. Many of us have
been “reprimanded” for failing to meet gender expectations
