Dear Mia,

Thanks for reaching out and asking such an important question. Over time, language used within and by transgender and non-binary communities changes to meet the current and growing needs of those communities. With gender being a spectrum with infinite possibilities, transgender or trans, which is shorthand for transgender, is often used interchangeably as an umbrella term for transgender, trans, trans*, non-binary, gender diverse, and gender-nonconforming identities. With this being said, not every person who identifies as a gender that is included or listed under the trans umbrella self-identifies as trans. It’s very important to be mindful of this and not make any assumptions. It’s always good to ask a person who identifies as transgender or non-binary what it means to them as it varies from person to person. For more information on specific terminology, a good resource to refer to is The Trevor Project’s “Coming Out As You – The Guide” at http://www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/the-guide. Please know we are here if you have any questions in the future.

~Ally