Genderbread Person

by Anne Lodge

On October 28, 2016, I had the opportunity to attend a conference on Understanding Gender Identity: Working with Transgender/Trans* & Non-Binary Youth. The speaker, Sidney M. Trantham, Ph.D., was excellent. Dr. Thantham maintains a private counseling practice and is an Associate Professor of Counseling and Psychology at Lesley University. He provided an overview of transgender identities including trans*, gender non-conforming, gender queer and gender fluid identities. Trans* is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide range and variation of gender identity, gender expression and those with fluid gender boundaries.

Gender identity is how a person thinks about themselves. It is not binary, but exists along a continuum, much like gender expression, biological sex, and sexual and romantic attraction. One particular graphic that Dr. Thantham shared of the Genderbread Person is helpful in depicting the wide range of ways that a person may self-identify. There is a lot to consider and this graphic provides a good jumping off point for better understanding gender. For even more information, I would recommend exploring www.itspronouncedmetrosexual.com as a good starting point.

Retrieved October 31, 2016 from: http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2015/03/the-genderbread-person-v3/