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
The titular role is a star-making turn for Karla Sofía Gascón, who shares the screen with Zoe Saldaña (as an attorney forced to help Gascón's character into hiding and get gender-affirming surgery to become Emilia Pérez) and Selena Gomez in a role unlike any she's played before.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
In trans teens ages 15 to 17, the rate of gender-affirming surgery was 2.1 per 100,000, the study found -- a majority of which were chest surgeries.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2024
In a pivotal scene when the audience first sees Emilia post-transition following her many gender-affirming surgeries, the filmmaker captures her in a quiet moment of complete vulnerability.
—Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
The Trump campaign, in fact, could not come up with any evidence of a school granting a child access to gender-affirming surgery without parental consent after CNN pressed them on the issue Monday.
—James Factora, Them, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gender-affirming surgery 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
In trans teens ages 15 to 17, the rate of gender-affirming surgery was 2.1 per 100,000, the study found -- a majority of which were chest surgeries.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2024
In a pivotal scene when the audience first sees Emilia post-transition following her many gender-affirming surgeries, the filmmaker captures her in a quiet moment of complete vulnerability.
—Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
The Trump campaign, in fact, could not come up with any evidence of a school granting a child access to gender-affirming surgery without parental consent after CNN pressed them on the issue Monday.
—James Factora, Them, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gender-affirming surgery
Articles Related to gender-affirming surgery
Dictionary Entries Near gender-affirming surgery
Cite this Entry
“Gender-affirming surgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender-affirming%20surgery. Accessed 26 Nov. 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 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
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share