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A word cloud of how transmasculine people described their vaginas in the Ragosta et al. study (2021).
Part of a series on
Transgender topics
     
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Health care practices
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Society and culture
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  Category

Transgender people use a variety of terms to refer to their genitals and other sexually dimorphic body parts. While some may use the standard clinical and colloquial terms (e.g. penis, dick; vagina, pussy), others follow neologistic approaches. These serve as alternatives to existing names that are more associated with genders they do not identify as, which may trigger gender dysphoria. In medical contexts, providers may use traditional clinical terms, or may use alternate terms such as internal genitals and external gonads.

Common approaches include using terms associated with analogous body parts (e.g. penis for a clitoris [a] or vice versa), modifying conventional terms to mark for gender (e.g. girldick or boy cunt), and novel terms that do not relate to existing terminology (e.g. front hole for a vagina). Some words are humorous, like hen for a transfeminine penis (contrast cock) or chesticles for a transmasculine breast.

The naming of body parts is an important component of transgender sexuality. Trans people may pick different words for different contexts. In both colloquial and medical contexts, experts emphasize deferring to individual preference.

Context

One way many of us show our bodies love is by rewriting the language we use to describe them. Many of us have body parts that feel gendered in ways that do not match our sense of self. This can make it difficult for some of us to hear these body parts called by their standard names.

Trans Bodies, Trans Selves [1]

Prior to the 2010s, there was little research on the social aspects of transgender bodies. [2] Elijah Adiv Edelman and Lal Zimman's article "Boycunts and Bonus Holes: Trans Men's Bodies, Neoliberalism, and the Sexual Productivity of Genitals" reconsidered the matter in the context of transgender men. They observed that while scholarly literature often cast trans men as "female-bodied", [3] trans men—including those non-operative with respect to bottom surgery—had increasingly come to see themselves as male-bodied. [4] Edelman and Zimman associate this shift with trans men's willingness to refer to their genitals with both male and female terms, sometimes at the same time. [5] Often, from this perspective, the difference between a cisgender man's penis and a non-operative transgender man's clitoris is merely one of size, not of kind. [6]

So-called "replacement words" for body parts vary widely, and almost none approaches the currency of the word it replaces: In a 2021 study of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people, only two replacement words (chest for breasts and cum for sperm) were used by more than 50% of respondents, while 23% of the replacement words and phrases provided were unique. [7]

Terms also exist to differentiate cisgender body parts without othering transgender parts, for instance factory-direct dick to refer to a cisgender man's penis. [8]

Colloquial terminology

A cock and hen. Hen is used as wordplay to refer to transfeminine penises, extending from the use of cock to refer to men's penises.

Many trans people refer to body parts with words for comparable cross-sex body parts based on adequation (the finding of "sufficient similarity") with those body parts. [8] For instance, some transfeminine people choose to refer to their anuses as a vagina, pussy, or cunt. Some transmasculine people refer to their clitorises as a dick or cock. [9] Hybrid terms also exist, such as dicklet (also dicklit or dic-clit), although this term has waned in popularity. [10]

More colorful terms include bussy for the anus; clit, strapless (contrast strapon), or hen (contrast cock) for the transfeminine penis; front hole, man cave or bonus hole for the transmasculine vagina; and chesticles for the transmasculine breast. [9] Generic euphemistic terms are also used, such as down there, peepee, and schlong for transmasculine genitals and lady bits for transfeminine. [11]

Some trans people are less uncomfortable with their body or do not associate their sexually dimorphic body parts with their gender assigned at birth. [12] For instance, in contrast to a cisnormative definition of vagina as belonging to a woman, a transmasculine person might use the term to refer simply to that structure without gendered connotations, either on its own or in constructions such as boy cunt or (somewhat humorously) mangina. [13] Similarly, a transfeminine person might refer to a girldick. [14]

Trans people use such terms as part of expressing their sexuality. Replacement words can serve as a micro-affirmation of a partner's identity during sex, as this can be an environment of heightened gender dysphoria. [15] The wellness guide Trans Bodies, Trans Selves advises, "Find language that makes you feel good, use it, share it with [sex] partners, and have fun." [16]

Attested replacement words [b]
Anus back hole, [17] bussy, [17] cunt, [17] man hole, [17] pussy, [17] vagina [9]
Breast and chest [c] breasts or chest, [17] chesticles [17]
Clitoris cock, [18] dangle, [19] dick, [19] dicklet (also dicklit or dic-clit), [10] package, [19] peepee, [19] penis, [19] prick, [19] schlong, [19] the little guy, [19] weenie [19]
Inguinal canals cunts [20]
Menstruation bleeding, [21] shark week [21]
Penis clit or clitoris, [22] girlcock, [23] girldick, [14] hen, [17] junk, [17] lady bits, [14] shenis, [14] strapless, [17] strapoff [17]
(See also Thesaurus:trans woman's penis on Wiktionary.)
Vagina bonus hole, [17] boy cunt, [24] boy pussy, [13] boy snatch, [13] front hole, [25] genitals, [21] mangina, [13] man cave, [17] man cunt [13]
(See also Thesaurus:trans man's vagina on Wiktionary.)
Uterus duderus [21]

This list encompasses only those terms that differ from those used by cisgender people. In Ragosta et al.'s 2021 study, the majority of respondents sometimes or always used the clinical term, and many used slang synonyms, such as using cunt instead of vagina. [21]

Medical terminology

Although some medical authorities recommend mirroring the terminology transgender people use to describe their own genitals, this can seem unfittingly intimate, as many transgender people use different terms in medical contexts than they would in personal settings. [26] [27] Style guides such as the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association and AMA Manual of Style recommend using gender-neutral language and distinguishing between gender and biological sex, but do not give guidance on specific anatomical terminology. However, some specialist style guides such as that of the International Lactation Consultant Association do give recommendations in this respect. [28]

While mirroring patients' preferred terms can be effective, patients may be uncomfortable if their preferred terms come from sexual contexts, while also being uncomfortable with anatomical terms they perceive as gendered. [27] Specialists recommend using, or being open to using, sex-neutral terms for organs, such as external genitals or lateral folds for the labia, internal reproductive organs for the uterus and ovaries, and chest for the breasts. Others recommend terminology that can be used to refer to genitals regardless of sex, such as erectile tissue for either the penis or clitoris and gonads for either the ovaries or testes, as well as using unlabeled anatomical charts. [29]

Medical terminology
Breasts [c] upper body, [30] chest [31]
Vagina internal genitals [30] genitals [30]
Penis erogenous tissue, [30] erectile tissue, [32] glans (specifically for the head of the penis) [33] external genitals or external genitalia [34]
Clitoris
Labia lateral folds [33]
Vulva external genital area, [30] external pelvic area, [35] external pelvic region [35]
Vaginal introitus canal, [33] introitus, [33] opening, [33] opening of the genitals [30]
Uterus internal reproductive organs [36]
Ovaries internal gonads [32] gonads [33]
Testicles external gonads [32]
Scrotum pouch covering gonads, [33] skin covering gonads [33]
Breastfeeding chestfeeding [30]
Breast milk human milk, [37] parent's milk, [37] chest milk [37]
Biological mother gestational parent, [37] birthing parent [37]
Menstruation monthly bleeding [30]
Erection physical arousal, [30] hardening of erectile tissues [30]
Male pattern baldness hair loss [30]

Notes

  1. ^ For the sake of clarity, this article uses clinical terminology to refer to all body parts, drawing a use–mention distinction from the colloquial terminology it describes. As documented in this article, many transgender people describe their bodies in the same way.
  2. ^ Not all of these terms have the same level of currency, or may have become dated since their usage was documented. Some may be considered offensive in some or most contexts.
  3. ^ a b Clinically speaking, both males and females have both a breast and a chest. In colloquial English, however, the former term is more associated with women's breasts and the latter with men's chests.

References

Citations

  1. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 355.
  2. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 676.
  3. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 680, referencing Cromwell 1999.
  4. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 680, citing Zimman 2014.
  5. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 682. Quoting, by way of example, a Craigslist personal ad: "[I]f you're wondering what this transman has to offer ... / You get to play with a trannie cock ... / Testosterone tightened up my cunt a little, which provides a cozy ride" (pp. 684–685).
  6. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 682.
  7. ^ Ragosta et al. 2021, p. 709.
  8. ^ a b Zimman 2014, p. 16.
  9. ^ a b c Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, pp. 355–356. Fielding 2021, p. 96.
  10. ^ a b Zimman 2014, pp. 14–15. Fielding 2021, p. 96.
  11. ^ Zimman 2014, p. 15. Duck-Chong 2023.
  12. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 356. Zimman 2014, p. 17.
  13. ^ a b c d e Zimman 2014, p. 17.
  14. ^ a b c d Duck-Chong 2023.
  15. ^ Pulice-Farrow, Bravo & Galupo 2019, pp. 53, 58.
  16. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 356.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Fielding 2021, p. 96.
  18. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 356. Zimman 2014, pp. 14–15
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i Zimman 2014, pp. 14–15.
  20. ^ Fielding 2021, pp. 94, 96, citing Bellwether 2013, pp. 15–25, regarding muffing.
  21. ^ a b c d e Ragosta et al. 2021, p. 712.
  22. ^ Zimman 2014, pp. 14–15. Steinbock 2017, p. 31. Fielding 2021, p. 96. Duck-Chong 2023.
  23. ^ Steinbock 2017, p. 31.
  24. ^ Zimman 2014, p. 17. Fielding 2021, p. 96.
  25. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, pp. 355–356. Zimman 2014, pp. 14–15. Fielding 2021, p. 96. Ragosta et al. 2021, p. 712.
  26. ^ Variously:
    • Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 356. "For others, using clinical language is most comfortable because we feel it describes the body part that we have, not the gender we are. ... Whatever we want to call our body parts is up to us. You might want to use different words in different contexts. Talking to medical providers and talking to lovers may call for different communication styles."
    • Ragosta et al. 2021, pp. 712–713. "[F]ive TGE respondents noted that the term 'vagina' was either 'too clinical' or that they would only use 'vagina' in a medical context. ... For 'period', [one] wrote, 'I use both; "period" to doctors that don’t understand transgender, or use "shark week"'."
  27. ^ a b Edwards 2021, pp. 165–166.
  28. ^ Dinour 2019, pp. 5–9.
  29. ^ Edwards 2021, pp. 165–167. Rider et al. 2022, p. 4.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trans Care BC n.d.
  31. ^ Dinour 2019, pp. 5–8. Rider et al. 2022, p. 4.
  32. ^ a b c Trans Care BC n.d. Edwards 2021, pp. 165–167.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h Edwards 2021, pp. 165–167.
  34. ^ Trans Care BC n.d. Edwards 2021, pp. 165–167. Rider et al. 2022, p. 4.
  35. ^ a b Rider et al. 2022, p. 4.
  36. ^ Trans Care BC n.d.. Rider et al. 2022, p. 4
  37. ^ a b c d e Dinour 2019, pp. 5–8.

Sources

Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Terminology_of_transgender_anatomy&oldid=1238476145"
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A word cloud of how transmasculine people described their vaginas in the Ragosta et al. study (2021).
Part of a series on
Transgender topics
     
Gender identities
Health care practices
Rights and legal status
Society and culture
Events and awareness
Culture
Theory and concepts
By country
Rights
History
See also
  Category

Transgender people use a variety of terms to refer to their genitals and other sexually dimorphic body parts. While some may use the standard clinical and colloquial terms (e.g. penis, dick; vagina, pussy), others follow neologistic approaches. These serve as alternatives to existing names that are more associated with genders they do not identify as, which may trigger gender dysphoria. In medical contexts, providers may use traditional clinical terms, or may use alternate terms such as internal genitals and external gonads.

Common approaches include using terms associated with analogous body parts (e.g. penis for a clitoris [a] or vice versa), modifying conventional terms to mark for gender (e.g. girldick or boy cunt), and novel terms that do not relate to existing terminology (e.g. front hole for a vagina). Some words are humorous, like hen for a transfeminine penis (contrast cock) or chesticles for a transmasculine breast.

The naming of body parts is an important component of transgender sexuality. Trans people may pick different words for different contexts. In both colloquial and medical contexts, experts emphasize deferring to individual preference.

Context

One way many of us show our bodies love is by rewriting the language we use to describe them. Many of us have body parts that feel gendered in ways that do not match our sense of self. This can make it difficult for some of us to hear these body parts called by their standard names.

Trans Bodies, Trans Selves [1]

Prior to the 2010s, there was little research on the social aspects of transgender bodies. [2] Elijah Adiv Edelman and Lal Zimman's article "Boycunts and Bonus Holes: Trans Men's Bodies, Neoliberalism, and the Sexual Productivity of Genitals" reconsidered the matter in the context of transgender men. They observed that while scholarly literature often cast trans men as "female-bodied", [3] trans men—including those non-operative with respect to bottom surgery—had increasingly come to see themselves as male-bodied. [4] Edelman and Zimman associate this shift with trans men's willingness to refer to their genitals with both male and female terms, sometimes at the same time. [5] Often, from this perspective, the difference between a cisgender man's penis and a non-operative transgender man's clitoris is merely one of size, not of kind. [6]

So-called "replacement words" for body parts vary widely, and almost none approaches the currency of the word it replaces: In a 2021 study of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people, only two replacement words (chest for breasts and cum for sperm) were used by more than 50% of respondents, while 23% of the replacement words and phrases provided were unique. [7]

Terms also exist to differentiate cisgender body parts without othering transgender parts, for instance factory-direct dick to refer to a cisgender man's penis. [8]

Colloquial terminology

A cock and hen. Hen is used as wordplay to refer to transfeminine penises, extending from the use of cock to refer to men's penises.

Many trans people refer to body parts with words for comparable cross-sex body parts based on adequation (the finding of "sufficient similarity") with those body parts. [8] For instance, some transfeminine people choose to refer to their anuses as a vagina, pussy, or cunt. Some transmasculine people refer to their clitorises as a dick or cock. [9] Hybrid terms also exist, such as dicklet (also dicklit or dic-clit), although this term has waned in popularity. [10]

More colorful terms include bussy for the anus; clit, strapless (contrast strapon), or hen (contrast cock) for the transfeminine penis; front hole, man cave or bonus hole for the transmasculine vagina; and chesticles for the transmasculine breast. [9] Generic euphemistic terms are also used, such as down there, peepee, and schlong for transmasculine genitals and lady bits for transfeminine. [11]

Some trans people are less uncomfortable with their body or do not associate their sexually dimorphic body parts with their gender assigned at birth. [12] For instance, in contrast to a cisnormative definition of vagina as belonging to a woman, a transmasculine person might use the term to refer simply to that structure without gendered connotations, either on its own or in constructions such as boy cunt or (somewhat humorously) mangina. [13] Similarly, a transfeminine person might refer to a girldick. [14]

Trans people use such terms as part of expressing their sexuality. Replacement words can serve as a micro-affirmation of a partner's identity during sex, as this can be an environment of heightened gender dysphoria. [15] The wellness guide Trans Bodies, Trans Selves advises, "Find language that makes you feel good, use it, share it with [sex] partners, and have fun." [16]

Attested replacement words [b]
Anus back hole, [17] bussy, [17] cunt, [17] man hole, [17] pussy, [17] vagina [9]
Breast and chest [c] breasts or chest, [17] chesticles [17]
Clitoris cock, [18] dangle, [19] dick, [19] dicklet (also dicklit or dic-clit), [10] package, [19] peepee, [19] penis, [19] prick, [19] schlong, [19] the little guy, [19] weenie [19]
Inguinal canals cunts [20]
Menstruation bleeding, [21] shark week [21]
Penis clit or clitoris, [22] girlcock, [23] girldick, [14] hen, [17] junk, [17] lady bits, [14] shenis, [14] strapless, [17] strapoff [17]
(See also Thesaurus:trans woman's penis on Wiktionary.)
Vagina bonus hole, [17] boy cunt, [24] boy pussy, [13] boy snatch, [13] front hole, [25] genitals, [21] mangina, [13] man cave, [17] man cunt [13]
(See also Thesaurus:trans man's vagina on Wiktionary.)
Uterus duderus [21]

This list encompasses only those terms that differ from those used by cisgender people. In Ragosta et al.'s 2021 study, the majority of respondents sometimes or always used the clinical term, and many used slang synonyms, such as using cunt instead of vagina. [21]

Medical terminology

Although some medical authorities recommend mirroring the terminology transgender people use to describe their own genitals, this can seem unfittingly intimate, as many transgender people use different terms in medical contexts than they would in personal settings. [26] [27] Style guides such as the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association and AMA Manual of Style recommend using gender-neutral language and distinguishing between gender and biological sex, but do not give guidance on specific anatomical terminology. However, some specialist style guides such as that of the International Lactation Consultant Association do give recommendations in this respect. [28]

While mirroring patients' preferred terms can be effective, patients may be uncomfortable if their preferred terms come from sexual contexts, while also being uncomfortable with anatomical terms they perceive as gendered. [27] Specialists recommend using, or being open to using, sex-neutral terms for organs, such as external genitals or lateral folds for the labia, internal reproductive organs for the uterus and ovaries, and chest for the breasts. Others recommend terminology that can be used to refer to genitals regardless of sex, such as erectile tissue for either the penis or clitoris and gonads for either the ovaries or testes, as well as using unlabeled anatomical charts. [29]

Medical terminology
Breasts [c] upper body, [30] chest [31]
Vagina internal genitals [30] genitals [30]
Penis erogenous tissue, [30] erectile tissue, [32] glans (specifically for the head of the penis) [33] external genitals or external genitalia [34]
Clitoris
Labia lateral folds [33]
Vulva external genital area, [30] external pelvic area, [35] external pelvic region [35]
Vaginal introitus canal, [33] introitus, [33] opening, [33] opening of the genitals [30]
Uterus internal reproductive organs [36]
Ovaries internal gonads [32] gonads [33]
Testicles external gonads [32]
Scrotum pouch covering gonads, [33] skin covering gonads [33]
Breastfeeding chestfeeding [30]
Breast milk human milk, [37] parent's milk, [37] chest milk [37]
Biological mother gestational parent, [37] birthing parent [37]
Menstruation monthly bleeding [30]
Erection physical arousal, [30] hardening of erectile tissues [30]
Male pattern baldness hair loss [30]

Notes

  1. ^ For the sake of clarity, this article uses clinical terminology to refer to all body parts, drawing a use–mention distinction from the colloquial terminology it describes. As documented in this article, many transgender people describe their bodies in the same way.
  2. ^ Not all of these terms have the same level of currency, or may have become dated since their usage was documented. Some may be considered offensive in some or most contexts.
  3. ^ a b Clinically speaking, both males and females have both a breast and a chest. In colloquial English, however, the former term is more associated with women's breasts and the latter with men's chests.

References

Citations

  1. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 355.
  2. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 676.
  3. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 680, referencing Cromwell 1999.
  4. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 680, citing Zimman 2014.
  5. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 682. Quoting, by way of example, a Craigslist personal ad: "[I]f you're wondering what this transman has to offer ... / You get to play with a trannie cock ... / Testosterone tightened up my cunt a little, which provides a cozy ride" (pp. 684–685).
  6. ^ Edelman & Zimman 2014, p. 682.
  7. ^ Ragosta et al. 2021, p. 709.
  8. ^ a b Zimman 2014, p. 16.
  9. ^ a b c Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, pp. 355–356. Fielding 2021, p. 96.
  10. ^ a b Zimman 2014, pp. 14–15. Fielding 2021, p. 96.
  11. ^ Zimman 2014, p. 15. Duck-Chong 2023.
  12. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 356. Zimman 2014, p. 17.
  13. ^ a b c d e Zimman 2014, p. 17.
  14. ^ a b c d Duck-Chong 2023.
  15. ^ Pulice-Farrow, Bravo & Galupo 2019, pp. 53, 58.
  16. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 356.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Fielding 2021, p. 96.
  18. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 356. Zimman 2014, pp. 14–15
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i Zimman 2014, pp. 14–15.
  20. ^ Fielding 2021, pp. 94, 96, citing Bellwether 2013, pp. 15–25, regarding muffing.
  21. ^ a b c d e Ragosta et al. 2021, p. 712.
  22. ^ Zimman 2014, pp. 14–15. Steinbock 2017, p. 31. Fielding 2021, p. 96. Duck-Chong 2023.
  23. ^ Steinbock 2017, p. 31.
  24. ^ Zimman 2014, p. 17. Fielding 2021, p. 96.
  25. ^ Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, pp. 355–356. Zimman 2014, pp. 14–15. Fielding 2021, p. 96. Ragosta et al. 2021, p. 712.
  26. ^ Variously:
    • Hill-Meyer & Scarborough 2014, p. 356. "For others, using clinical language is most comfortable because we feel it describes the body part that we have, not the gender we are. ... Whatever we want to call our body parts is up to us. You might want to use different words in different contexts. Talking to medical providers and talking to lovers may call for different communication styles."
    • Ragosta et al. 2021, pp. 712–713. "[F]ive TGE respondents noted that the term 'vagina' was either 'too clinical' or that they would only use 'vagina' in a medical context. ... For 'period', [one] wrote, 'I use both; "period" to doctors that don’t understand transgender, or use "shark week"'."
  27. ^ a b Edwards 2021, pp. 165–166.
  28. ^ Dinour 2019, pp. 5–9.
  29. ^ Edwards 2021, pp. 165–167. Rider et al. 2022, p. 4.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trans Care BC n.d.
  31. ^ Dinour 2019, pp. 5–8. Rider et al. 2022, p. 4.
  32. ^ a b c Trans Care BC n.d. Edwards 2021, pp. 165–167.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h Edwards 2021, pp. 165–167.
  34. ^ Trans Care BC n.d. Edwards 2021, pp. 165–167. Rider et al. 2022, p. 4.
  35. ^ a b Rider et al. 2022, p. 4.
  36. ^ Trans Care BC n.d.. Rider et al. 2022, p. 4
  37. ^ a b c d e Dinour 2019, pp. 5–8.

Sources

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