AFAB, AMAB, AGAB: What Do They Mean?
📝 Do you often struggle to find the right terminology? Want to be concise while still being sensitive?
Then you have come to the right place 😎 Today, we are talking about AMAB, AFAB and AGAB.
Contents
Why these abbreviations?
“We already understand that the term ‘biological sex’ is far from perfect. But saying ‘the sex someone had at birth’ every time is unbearably long-winded! Nobody talks like that!”
A perfectly reasonable point! That is why English-speaking trans and intersex communities have long used abbreviations that have also spread beyond those communities: AGAB, AFAB, AMAB.
But what do they mean?! It is very simple!
AGAB — Assigned Gender At Birth
The gender (sex) assigned to someone at birth.
AFAB — Assigned Female At Birth
This abbreviation is used for people who were assigned a female gender marker at birth.
AMAB — Assigned Male At Birth
This abbreviation is used for people who were assigned a male gender marker at birth.
Remember
These abbreviations let us convey the necessary information in a short term, without lengthy constructions and without denying someone else’s identity.
- AGAB is not an identity.
- AGAB is not a “biological reality”.
- AGAB is simply a way to communicate information sensitively and accurately.