Guest Post: Inclusive Descriptions for Gender-Diverse Groups

The following was originally posted to Twitter in a thread by Tea Berry-Blue (she/they). I have adapted and reposted it here, with their permission, so that it can be preserved as a resource for writers! You can find her on Twitter @TeaBerryBlue. Any changes from the original thread are approved by both parties and based on feedback from the mentioned communities.

A lot of people are asking questions about inclusive descriptions for gender-diverse groups that will let people know who is welcome without misgendering anyone. The following is a guide:

If you want to include:	Then use:
Any woman (trans or cis)	“Women” Note: this does not include nonbinary/genderqueer people unless they also identify as women.
Only trans women	“Trans women” Note: this does not include nonbinary/genderqueer people unless they also identify as trans women.
Only cis women	“Cis women” Note 1: You had better be doing something like a pharmaceutical trial or psych survey or this looks very dubious. Note 2: This does not include nonbinary/genderqueer people unless they also ID as cis women, which is very uncommon.
Only people for whom the doctor said, “It’s a girl!” when they were born	“Anyone who was assigned female at birth” Note: this includes trans men and some but not all nonbinary people and intersex people.
Only people for whom the doctor said, “It’s a boy!” when they were born	“Anyone who was assigned male at birth” Note: this includes trans women and some, but not all, nonbinary people and intersex people.
Only people who menstruate	“People who menstruate” or “people with periods” Note: this does not include people of any gender who do not menstruate for any reason (age, health, surgery, medication, etc.).
Trans women, cis women, and nonbinary people who are not women but feel that they would benefit from inclusion in a woman-centric space	“Women: this space is nonbinary-inclusive”
Trans men, cis men, and nonbinary people who are not men but feel that they would benefit from inclusion in a man-centric space	“Men: this space is nonbinary-inclusive”
Only trans people	“Trans people” Note: some nonbinary people identify as trans. Some do not. If you want to include any nonbinary people who feel they would benefit from inclusion in a trans-centric space, instead use “trans people: this space is nonbinary-inclusive”
Anyone who is not cis	“Trans, nonbinary, two-spirit, genderqueer, agender, and otherwise gender-divergent” Note: Yes, it’s a mouthful, but gender is complicated and different people have different ways of relating to it.
Anyone who is not a cisgender man (i.e. women, transgender men, and nonbinary people of all genders)	“People of marginalized gender experiences” Note: “Marginalized genders” includes nonbinary people who may read as cis men to you, so please vocally encourage your group to be radically inclusive.

A general reminder that when you are trying to create inclusive spaces, being vocal about your inclusion is best. Lots of trans people will assume a space is not for them unless it’s clearly stated.

It’s also important to be careful of gatekeeping events. It’s extremely upsetting and even traumatic for a trans or nonbinary person to be excluded because they don’t read as the “right” gender to you. This happens to AMAB (assigned male at birth) people a lot in supposedly inclusive spaces.

Another tip is to normalize pronoun tags even in single-gender spaces. There are increasingly more people who don’t use traditionally-gendered pronouns even if they identify with a traditional binary gender.

Please feel free to ask questions if you have them!

Note: At the end of their thread, Tea Berry-Blue puts out a call for readers to donate to Trans Lifeline. This is “a grassroots hotline and microgrants 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.” If you are able, you can donate directly on the Trans Lifeline website.