Title: GENDER AND LANGUAGE: EXAMINING THE USE OF DIAGNOSTIC LANGUAGE IN THE DISCUSSION OF GENDER VARIANCE
Abstract: Gender is considered to be one of the major organizing principles in an individual’s life; however, a unified understanding of what gender is and how gender identity is developed continues to spark debate and discussion for practitioners and academics. This literature review examines literature that discusses gender identity and development in order to explore the words, language, and terminology currently being used to discuss gender. Although the literature search generated articles which discussed a wide variety of issues relating to gender and gender identity development, a common theme throughout the literature was an absence of language that allows individuals to describe themselves outside heteronormative, binary ideals of gender without resorting to the use of the diagnostic categories and language to describe and explain gender variance.