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

Some 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

Many 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

Examples of gender-affirming surgery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The law bans health-care providers from performing gender-affirming surgeries on minors or prescribing hormones or puberty blockers to minors. —Kim Jarrett | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 19 Oct. 2024

But the entire exchange contained no mention of gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth of any age. —Nate Trela, USA TODAY, 30 May 2024

Signed into law in March 2023 by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, the ban, Senate Bill 1, barred medical providers from prescribing puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to or performing gender-affirming surgeries on trans people under the age of 18. —Quispe López, Them, 18 Oct. 2024

The documentary includes discussions of hate crimes, taboo questions, and the politics of gender-affirming surgery as the pair met various people during their travels. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2011, in the meaning defined above

Medical 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 align with 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

Gender 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

• — abbreviation GAS