What does misgendering mean?

What does misgendering mean? Verb: misgendering (present participle) 1. refer to (someone, especially a transgender person) using a word, especially a pronoun or form of address, that does not reflect their gender identity.

A person misgenders another when they interact with them in a way that does not respect their gender identity. This can include using the wrong pronouns and gendered language to refer to someone in a way that doesn’t align with their gender identify.

Being misgendered can affect a person’s feeling of belonging, which can be upsetting and painful. It can put trans people in a difficult position of having to correct others, which although may not sound like much as a one-off, can be emotionally draining if they must do this repeatedly. 

Challenging misgendering is an important part of being a trans ally. 

If you misgender someone: 

• apologise briefly and succinctly – a long apology can draw unwanted attention and prevent you both from moving on with what you were doing.
• correct yourself if you used incorrectly gendered language and restate your sentence with the correct language.
• educate – understand how to use pronouns that you are less familiar with and utilise self-education resources to better understand trans people and their experiences. This LGBT+ History Month, take the time to learn more about pronouns and misgendering to support your colleagues and patients. And read our In profile feature where Shannon Pinnington talks about the impact of being misgendered.