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In the context of gender, '''passing''' refers to a person's ability to be regarded at a glance to be either a [[cisgender]] [[man]] or a cisgender [[woman]].<ref name=serano>Julia Serano. ''Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity'', Seal Press, 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-58005-154-5}}, {{ISBN|1-58005-154-5}}</ref> Typically, passing involves a mixture of physical gender cues (for example, hair style or clothing) as well as certain behavioral attributes that tend to be culturally associated with a particular gender. Irrespective of a person's presentation, many experienced crossdressers assert that confidence is far more important for passing than the physical aspects of appearance.<ref name=polare63.7>[http://www.gendercentre.org.au/63article7.htm Polare 63: A Crossdressing Perspective]</ref> Groups of people whose members may be concerned with passing are [[crossdresser]]s, [[drag queen]]s and [[Drag King|drag kings]], [[trans men]], [[trans women]] and those who [[gender identity|identify]] as a [[third gender|third]], non-[[Gender binary|binary]], or [[genderqueer]] identity.

==Related terminology==

===Gender attribution===
Gender attribution is the process by which an observer decides which gender they believe another person to be.<ref>[http://www.symposion.com/ijt/gilbert/kessler.htm IJ TRANSGENDER - Special Issue on What is TransGender? - Who put the "Trans" in Transgender?] {{wayback|url=http://www.symposion.com/ijt/gilbert/kessler.htm |date=20070927183856 }}</ref> Once an observer makes an attribution of the gender of a person, it can be difficult to make them change their mind and see the person as another gender.<ref name=stevens>Jennifer Anne Stevens. ''From Masculine to Feminine and All Points in Between'', Different Path Press, 1990. {{ISBN|0-9626262-0-1}}</ref>

This is sometimes referred to as simply "gendering", not to be confused with sexing animals.

===Passing/not passing===
In black culture, the failure to ''pass'' as the desired gender is referred to as being ''read''.<ref name=cornbury>[http://www.cornbury.org/?q=node/4 A CD glossary | The Cornbury Society]</ref> In this context, "read" is used as a verb. The event of ''being read'' is known as ''"a read"''. In this context, read is used as a noun. It can also be called "being clocked."<ref name=geekbabe>[http://geekbabe.com/annie/feature/gloss.html Glossary]{{wayback|url=http://geekbabe.com/annie/feature/gloss.html |date=20070930142020 }}</ref>

A person is far more likely to be able to read someone of their own race but less likely to read someone of a different race. It is generally accepted that this is because gender cues within one's own race are more readily recognized than gender cues of other races. Some people opt to leave their country of origin, because gender cues can vary greatly between countries. Vocal range, physical build, hairline shape, facial structure, demeanor and clothing styles are just some of the reasons cited.<ref name=boyce>Griffin S. Boyce. ''Implications of Location on Gender Perception'', Ladies and Gentlemen, 2007.</ref>

Passing is much more than physical appearance, there is a spectrum of difference in the same gender, height, bone structure, appearance of having or lack of having an Adam's apple, so the mind does not just rely on the looks alone. Mannerisms and vocabulary are even more important. The mind picks up these inconsistencies or supporting traits, in so supporting a person's appearance (passing) or not (being read). How a person is dressed, or clothing that is out of place for the surroundings, will draw attention. A mini skirt, mink coat and knee high boots even on a cis woman in a supermarket will focus one's attention on her, leaving her open to observation for other tell-tale traits.

Depending on a person's presentation, anyone may be able to ''read'' them. What is more important than whether a person is read or not is how others react if they do read that person. It is suggested by some researchers that many trans people who believe that they are passing are in fact being read by many observers, but the observers do nothing confrontational and hence the trans person is not even aware that they were read.<ref name=stevens />

It is also notable that "reading" and "being read" have the alternate meaning of insulting and being insulted in the context of [[Ball culture]].<ref name="ParisDorianVenus">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW1eXirdF1o Youtube clip] from the movie [[Paris Is Burning (film)]] in which this is explained.</ref> Very often the subject of the read is a flaw that would result in not passing. The term used for passing in Ball culture is "realness".<ref name="ParisDorianRealness">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emcWrytDRgo Youtube Video from Paris is Burning on realness.] {{wayback|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emcWrytDRgo |date=20140130084002 }}</ref>

===Stealth===
The term ''stealth'' is used to refer to a person who passes as their desired gender at all times, and who has broken contact with everybody who knew their gender history. Thus, everybody around them is unaware that they were not always presenting as the current gender, and they are effectively invisible within the population of their current gender. In order to ''live in stealth'',<ref name="geekbabe" /> an individual has to be extremely passable. People may also choose to be stealth in some parts of their lives and not other, disconnected parts (for instance, being stealth at work, but openly transgender amongst friends).

==See also==
*[[Methods of passing as male]]
*[[Methods of passing as female]]
*[[Sexism]]

==Notes==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.gendercentre.org.au/resources/polare-archive/archived-articles/i-did-but-see-her-passing-by.htm I Did But See Her Passing By]{{Wikipedia|Passing (gender)}}{{TransWiki}}

[[Category:Transgender Concepts]]
[[Category:Terminology]]

Passing - Revision history

imported>HelenDaMelon at 16:28, 23 November 2025