{"id":16444,"date":"2023-07-10T12:23:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-10T10:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.zdv.uni-mainz.de\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet\/2023\/07\/10\/trans-inter-non-binary-definition-of-terms-and-diversity-sensitive-approach\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T10:22:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T08:22:46","slug":"trans-inter-non-binary-definition-of-terms-and-diversity-sensitive-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/2023\/07\/10\/trans-inter-non-binary-definition-of-terms-and-diversity-sensitive-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"trans, inter, non-binary – definition of terms and diversity-sensitive approach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/jgu-base-pageheader>\n
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In the tip “trans. inter*. non-binary.” <\/a> the brochure \u201ctrans. inter. non-binary. Designing gender-reflective teaching and learning spaces at higher education institutions\u201d was<\/a> presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following article, which was written by a student, deals with the topic in order to inform teachers about terminology and to provide instructions for a diversity-sensitive approach to trans, inter* and non-binary students.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/jgu-base-heading>\n\n\n\n

Biological sex<\/strong> (eng: \u201csex\u201d): The sex assigned at birth, based on physical characteristics (eng: \u201cassigned at birth\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social gender\/gender identity<\/strong> (\u201cgender\u201d): The gender to which a person feels they belong, with which they identify; may or may not correspond to their biological sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cis, cisgender<\/strong>: people whose gender identity corresponds to the biological sex assigned to them at birth (opposite of trans).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trans, transgender, transident<\/strong>: People whose gender identity does not correspond to the biological sex assigned to them at birth. Their gender identity may be exclusively male or female, but it may also fall outside the binary system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-binary<\/strong> (also known as \u201cabinary\u201d): People whose gender identity lies outside the binary gender order. In other words, they identify as neither female nor male. The term non-binary covers many different gender identities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inter*, intersex<\/strong>: people whose biological sex does not correspond to the normative concepts of male and female. However, this is not a clearly definable \u201cthird gender\u201d, as the realities and experiences of inter* people are very diverse. The gender identity of these people can also be inter*, but it can also be any other identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pronouns<\/strong> (also called personal pronouns): In the German language, 3rd person singular pronouns clearly indicate a person’s gender. However, it is not always possible to tell which pronouns a person uses by their appearance, which is why pronouns are increasingly being asked for in introductions and similar situations. There are also people who prefer gender-neutral pronouns (i.e. pronouns other than \u201cshe\/her\u201d and \u201che\/him\u201d). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misgendering: <\/strong>Misgendering means either intentionally or unintentionally assigning a person to the wrong gender. This can be done by using the wrong form of address or the wrong pronouns. Unintentional misgendering can happen. If you are made aware of this, you should apologize briefly and simply correct it. If you notice that someone else is misgendering a person, you should also point this out. This also applies if the person is not present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unwanted outing: <\/strong>Outing is the disclosure of one’s own gender identity or sexual orientation. An unwanted outing is an outing by others and against one’s will. This can be intentional or unintentional and can have negative consequences for the person concerned, such as discriminatory hostility or violent attacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1<\/sup>Terms relating to gender identity and sexual orientation are constantly changing and expanding. Words (such as transsexual, transvestia or intersexual) that were common a few years ago are now sometimes perceived as problematic or discriminatory and are hardly used any more. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<\/jgu-base-heading>\n\n\n\n

There are several problems that trans students encounter in everyday university life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the one hand, many of them are enrolled at the university under their birth name, which does not correspond to their actual, self-chosen name. As a result, the wrong first name appears, for example, on their student ID and also on official attendance lists. This can lead to affected students having to constantly explain their situation and thus being forced to come out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(It is possible for trans students to apply for the dgti supplementary ID card. This allows them to change their first name and gender entry at the university, even if they are not yet allowed to do so on official documents. (Contact: Queer division of the General Students’ Committee<\/a>). You can find more information on the exact procedure at Student Services on the following page: Core data change<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, non-binary students have the problem that there are only two gender options on many documents and it is also not possible to specify no gender. This leads to them being incorrectly addressed as \u201cMs. XYZ\u201d or \u201cMr. XYZ\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/jgu-base-heading>\n\n\n\n

If attendance is checked in a course, it can be helpful to call up only the surnames. This prevents the wrong first name being given. In the case of trans people, this can be a name of the wrong gender and they could be outed. In many cases, trans students also inform their professors in advance about such situations. If there is still confusion or mix-ups (for example, if two students have the same last name), you can also fall back on the student ID number. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In smaller events where students actively participate or do group work, it is possible to ask for pronouns in a round of introductions. This can help to avoid misgendering. If you are unsure about a person’s pronouns, you can also use their first name instead or ask respectfully. It could also be advantageous to use the so-called \u201cHamburger Sie\u201d. This means addressing students by their first name, even though you are still on first-name terms. This prevents people from being addressed with the wrong formal form of address. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Important: Accept re-registration, engage in conversations on the topic and inform yourself. If you are unsure as a teacher, you are welcome to seek advice from advice centers such as the Coordination Office for Diversity or the General Students’ Committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \n<\/jgu-base-singlefooter><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In the tip “trans. inter*. non-binary.” the brochure \u201ctrans. inter. non-binary. Designing gender-reflective teaching and learning spaces at higher education institutions\u201d was presented. The following article, which was written by a student, deals with the topic in order to inform teachers about terminology and to provide instructions for a diversity-sensitive approach to trans, inter* and … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":979,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[219],"tags":[295,231,225],"class_list":["post-16444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tip-for-university-teaching-staff","tag-sensitization","tag-teaching","tag-tip-for-university-teaching-staff"],"primary_category":{"id":219,"name":"Tip for university teaching staff","slug":"tip-for-university-teaching-staff","parent":0,"breadcrumb":"Tip for university teaching staff"},"media":{},"image":{"url":false,"credit":false},"index":"Sensitization","assigned_date":"","external_link":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/979"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16444"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19529,"href":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16444\/revisions\/19529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gleichstellung-und-diversitaet.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}