Social Transition

Social transitioning refers to the changes a person makes in order to live socially in a way that matches their internal gender experience. Social transition is often, but not necessarily, the first step a trans person takes toward aligning their life experiences with their internal gender experience. This may take many forms, including but not limited to using a different name, using different pronouns, adjusting their physical appearance through the use of cosmetics and different clothing, using bathrooms that better match their gender, and legally changing their registered name and/or sex/gender on official documents. A person may decide to make one, some, or all of these changes during their social transition. Factors that may affect a person’s decision to engage in social transitioning include but ...