As we know, language is ever evolving, and similar to how new phrases get incorporated into our daily speech, people create new language to honor their parts and experiences. For trans folks who haven’t had surgeries, they may call their parts by names a doctor would not. To support a trans loved one, always ask what language they like to use when referring to their chest or genitals (only if relevant to the conversation where you are going to be referring to those body parts!!)    

In the blog post, Our Favorite Vibrators for Trans Folks, we used the phrase “front hole.” For some folks born with vaginas, it might not feel great to use the v word/it might prompt some dysphoria (distress from the difference between someone’s sex assigned at birth and their gender identity). For that reason, we use “front hole” to distinguish where a toy might be used, as opposed to the “back hole” (or booty hole). This language can be helpful when referring to any person who has both front and back holes (whether they were born with the front hole or if it was surgically created). 

For some folks born with penises, it also might not feel affirming to use the p word, hence why we said “larger external genitalia.” (For clarification, we all have both internal and external genitalia, since the penis and clitoris are external and the vagina and prostate are internal.) For trans folks who are on testosterone and/or have a surgery that increases the size of their external parts, some toys designed for “larger external genitalia” may also work for them!   

Here is some other language that might be helpful to define: 

Transgender (or trans) (adj): an umbrella term used to describe a person whose gender identity is different from the sex assigned to them at birth. Folks who identify as non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, non-conforming, etc. may or may not identify as trans.

Sex Assigned at Birth: The assignment and classification of people as male, female, intersex, or another sex based on a combination of anatomy, hormones, chromosomes. AFAB=Assigned Female At Birth, AMAB = Assigned Male At Birth

Gender Identity: One’s internal sense of being male, female, neither of these, both, or another gender(s). For transgender people, the sex they were assigned at birth and their internal sense of gender do not match, regardless of how they present themselves to the world.