"When we talk about our identities, we can use plenty of words. If you're trans, nonbinary, or exploring your gender identity, you also get to decide which words feel like the best fit to describe you.

If you're a cisgender person learning how to support trans and nonbinary people, using the language that people share with you is key to showing respect.

Why are there so many words? Language is always changing. Describing identity can be complex. For many people, language can be exciting and freeing. For others, terms and labels might feel confusing or overwhelming. If you haven't given much thought to gender and gender terms, you might wonder 'why are there so many different ways to describe a person's gender?' Some words might not be familiar to you, even though trans and nonbinary communities have used them for a long time. Other words are newer."