gender-affirming surgery
noun
gen·der-af·firm·ing surgery
ˈjen-dər-ə-ˈfər-miŋ- 
variants
or gender affirmation surgery
plural gender-affirming surgeries or gender affirmation surgeries
: any of several surgical procedures that a transgender or nonbinary (see nonbinary sense c) person may choose to undergo in order to obtain physical characteristics that align with their gender identity : gender confirmation surgery
Hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery are crucial parts of transition for many trans adults. Alleviating gender dysphoria and aligning gender expression with identity through these treatments can lower stress, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and significantly lessen suicidal ideation.—
Orion Rummler
Orion RummlerSome people also identify as both nonbinary and trans. They may take hormones or undergo gender-affirming surgery, but this doesn't take away from their nonbinary identity.—Suzannah Weiss
Suzannah WeissMany transgender individuals choose to undergo fertility preservation before their gender affirmation surgery if having biological children is part of their long-term goals.—Romy Smith and Ro Bowman
—abbreviation GAS
Romy Smith and Ro BowmanExamples of gender-affirming surgery in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Alabama: On January 11, 2024, a court ruled that enforcement of a ban on gender-affirming surgery could begin while challenges move through the court.
—Danielle Marie Holland, Parents, 19 Apr. 2024
By Chad de Guzman April 3, 2024 7:15 AM EDT
Hong Kong no longer requires transgender people to undergo full gender-affirming surgery to change their legal gender markers in their IDs, more than a year after the Chinese enclave’s top court called the requirement unconstitutional.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
From 2016 to 2020, roughly 48,000 trans people in the U.S. received gender-affirming surgeries.
—Bashar Hassan, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2024
Taking puberty blockers could also prevent the need for future gender-affirming surgeries, Forcier said — such as if a child assigned female at birth takes blockers, preventing the growth of breasts.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024
The filing says that Doe received inconsistent access to hormone replacement therapy and was denied gender-affirming surgery despite recommendations from two psychiatrists to treat gender dysphoria.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024
California became the first state to establish policies on gender-affirming medical care in prisons, providing gender-affirming surgery starting in 2017.
—Moe K. Clark, The Denver Post, 2 Feb. 2024
But her doctor told her that the VA excludes gender-affirming surgery from its benefits.
—Jo Yurcaba, NBC News, 25 Jan. 2024
Evidence suggests that less than 1% of transgender people who undergo gender-affirming surgery report regret.
—Bashar Hassan, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2024
Danielle Marie Holland, Parents, 19 Apr. 2024
By Chad de Guzman April 3, 2024 7:15 AM EDT
Hong Kong no longer requires transgender people to undergo full gender-affirming surgery to change their legal gender markers in their IDs, more than a year after the Chinese enclave’s top court called the requirement unconstitutional.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
From 2016 to 2020, roughly 48,000 trans people in the U.S. received gender-affirming surgeries.
—Bashar Hassan, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2024
Taking puberty blockers could also prevent the need for future gender-affirming surgeries, Forcier said — such as if a child assigned female at birth takes blockers, preventing the growth of breasts.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024
The filing says that Doe received inconsistent access to hormone replacement therapy and was denied gender-affirming surgery despite recommendations from two psychiatrists to treat gender dysphoria.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024
California became the first state to establish policies on gender-affirming medical care in prisons, providing gender-affirming surgery starting in 2017.
—Moe K. Clark, The Denver Post, 2 Feb. 2024
But her doctor told her that the VA excludes gender-affirming surgery from its benefits.
—Jo Yurcaba, NBC News, 25 Jan. 2024
Evidence suggests that less than 1% of transgender people who undergo gender-affirming surgery report regret.
—Bashar Hassan, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gender-affirming surgery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Gender-affirming surgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender-affirming%20surgery. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
gender-affirming surgery
noun
variants
or gender affirmation surgery
plural gender-affirming surgeries or gender affirmation surgeries
: any of several surgical procedures that a transgender or nonbinary person may choose to undergo in order to obtain physical characteristics that match their gender identity : gender confirmation surgery
In addition to … hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery … aims to surgically align physical characteristics with one's identity. These surgical interventions target sex-specific physical characteristics such as genitals (e.g., vaginoplasty), chest (e.g., mastectomy), face, gonads, voice, and Adam's apple.—Tim C. van de Grif et al., Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy
Tim C. van de Grif et al., Journal of Sex & Marital TherapyGender affirmation surgeries … include a variety of surgical procedures intended to support transgender individuals experiencing gender dysphoria, which can help align their physical sexual characteristics to their desired gender expression.—Omar Hassan et al., New Imaging Techniques
Omar Hassan et al., New Imaging Techniques- — abbreviation GAS
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