This glossary covers a wide range of terms and abbreviations used by or when talking about folks in the Trans* community. Some of these words are outdated terms and others are very new. We are constantly creating new language to describe our life experiences and as such, there may be some terms missing from this glossary. If you would like to add a word to our glossary, please email equity@sa.ucsb.edu.
Womxn (aka: Womyn, Wombyn)
Some people spell this word with an “x” or a “y” as a form of empowerment to move away from the “men” in the traditional spelling of women. This term recognizes that in the past, the history of feminism has included racism, transphobia, and has adhered to the gender binary. Unfortunately, some people use these terms in ways that exclude or invalidate trans people. Some feel that using “womxn” to refer to trans women implies that they aren’t actually women. Similar alterations of the word such as “wombyn” are used to intentionally alienate trans women by implying that all women must have “wombs”. Additionally, using “womxn” to refer to nonbinary people conflates nonbinary identities with womanhood and ignores large groups of nonbinary people who are AMAB or who do not associate with womanhood. While it has some genuine applications, womxn is often a meaningless gesture when used without a call to action. Always check in with someone about their preferred language practices before using this term. (Source: UCI “Why Womxn with a ‘X’)
WPATH
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is a non-profit organization intended to establish professional education and health standards for the treatment of transgender individuals. Their intention is to gather professionally educated and socially understanding individuals to establish a high standard for the quality of care that transgender and non-binary individuals receive worldwide. (https://www.wpath.org/).