Lale FassoneA recent Nature publication by Florence Ashley emphasized the need for new terms in gender research beyond cisgender and transgender. Ashley is an assistant professor in the faculty of law at the University of Alberta and an adjunct member of the John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre.
Gender modality, according to Ashley’s article, “refers to how a person’s gender identity relates to the gender they were assigned at birth.” Ashely first coined the term in 2019. They explained that it serves as an umbrella term, assisting in the ability to speak about gender experiences. The term “sexual orientation,” serves a similar function, Ashley said.
“[Historically] there used to be a time where everybody was straight [or] gay. With time, terminology evolved [as well as] our understanding of sexuality. The umbrella term ‘sexual orientation’ partly facilitated this. Gender modality serves a similar role, but for things like cisgender and transgender,” Ashley said.
Gender modality “opens up an option,” Ashley says
Experiences that don’t fall within the boundaries of cisgender or transgender needed a term, according to Ashley. They gave the example of discrimination against transgender women.
“[This] is discrimination on the basis of gender identity. If a transgender woman gets discriminated against for being transgender, the gender identity ‘woman’ is not what’s really the focal point. [But rather] that she’s transgender. We don’t really have a word for that,” Ashley said.
Gender modality “opens up an option” for Two-Spirit people, non-binary individuals, and youth who have grown up neutral or people who have detransitioned, Ashley said.
According to Ashley, there is pressure to “figure yourself out.” A term like gender modality gives people more terminological options. This helps those in the process of finding a “better fit for themselves,” they said.
“Continued evolution [of language] is actually a really good thing,” Ashley says
According to Ashley the coinage of the term not only assists the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but is also beneficial for conducting gender research.
“[Language] is a system of representation and communication. If you have the wrong terminology, then you’re going to get confused answers. Language helps us get helpful data,” Ashley said.
“[Language] also helps us get people to stay in studies. People [can tell] the quality of a study and whether they want to participate based on the language that they see. If you have language that they see as insufficiently respectful, then the completion rate and follow-up rate is going to drop,” they added.
Ashley and their team received feedback from different sources. There has been positive interest in the term within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. However, Ashley said there has also been negative feedback.
“I understand the frustration of constantly having to relearn and the frustration with people getting offended by outdated language. In the grand scheme of things, I think that continued evolution [of language] is actually a really good thing,” Ashley said.
Gender wikis and sites like Planned Parenthood are now utilizing the term. There is also an increased use of the term on social media and online spaces, Ashley said.
“[Online spaces are] where people get to explore these kinds of micro-identities and micro-cultures in a way that we don’t necessarily get to do a lot of in daily life. The identities people have and get to explore in these safer spaces aren’t necessarily those that they’re sharing when they’re at work,” Ashley said.
According to Ashley, this term may help gender research discussions. Ashley thinks that the community will help determine the term’s success if they use it broadly.
“I coined it, but it’s a gift. Not a property of mine. They’re using a term I created, but one that belongs to everybody.”
