Content Warning: This section discusses anti-trans and anti-gay violence.

In many contemporary societies, people are assigned a sex (male or female) when they are born, based on the appearance of their genitalia. Each sex has a gender role attached to it (man or woman), and people in each sex/gender category are expected to conform to that socially constructed role. Many people feel that their inner sense of self aligns with their assigned gender role; these people are known as “cisgender.” The term “transgender” (or “trans”) refers to individuals whose inner sense of self does not align with their assigned gender role or sex. For instance, someone who was assigned male at birth might prefer feminine clothing and might feel that they fit better into a woman’s gender role, or vice versa. Some trans people change their names, use different pronouns, and pursue medical and social transition so that their gender expression better aligns with their sense of self.

Not all trans people fit neatly into a binary gender category (“man” or “woman”). Many people have gender identities that fall outside the binary, including Leslie Feinberg. Today, these identities are often called “non-binary,” though that term does not appear in Transgender Warriors.