gender confirmation surgery

noun

variants or less commonly gender-confirming surgery

ˈjen-dər-kən-ˈfər-miŋ- 

plural gender confirmation surgeries also gender-confirming 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-affirming surgery

A new study has confirmed what others before it have found: Gender confirmation surgery improves the quality of life of most who choose to undergo it.

—Jeff Taylor

Gender confirmation surgeries for trans men and trans women, respectively, differ in scope and kind, giving patients a range of medical options to define transitioning on their own terms.

—Lydia Dishman

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) does not require gender-confirming surgery or legal recognition of a player's transitioned sex in order for transgender athletes to participate on a team that matches their identity …

—Lauren Giaella

—abbreviation GCS

Examples of gender confirmation surgery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Alicia Vikander, 'The Danish Girl' (2016) Eddie Redmayne has the showier role as 19th-century trans pioneer Lili Elbe, the first person known to receive gender confirmation surgery. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025

The Ninth Circuit opinion relied on the urologist’s claim that gender confirmation surgery was necessarily limiting. —Natalie Shibley / Made By History, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025

Transgender critics were especially offended by a musical number about medical procedures involved in gender confirmation surgery. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025

This powerful drug lord, who’s already been taking hormone treatments for two years, wants to have gender confirmation surgery. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 May 2024

Trans representation on television has come a long way since Rebecca Romijn played Alexis Meade, the scheming sister of Mode magazine Editor in Chief Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) who faked her own death to undergo gender confirmation surgery on Ugly Betty. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 6 July 2023

And in 2022, Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, introduced legislation to bar doctors from performing gender confirmation surgery for anyone under 18. —Nathaniel Rosenberg, Journal Sentinel, 12 June 2023

As fans may remember, Romijn's character was the sister of Mode magazine Editor in Chief Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) who eventually faked her own death to receive gender confirmation surgery. —Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 6 July 2023

Allen declined to comment on the Dane County resolution but said his desire to ban gender confirmation surgery for minors is an effort to protect youth. —Nathaniel Rosenberg, Journal Sentinel, 12 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gender confirmation surgery

• cryosurgery
• microsurgery
• neurosurgery
• psychosurgery
• perjury
• radiosurgery

Medical Definition

gender confirmation surgery

noun

variants also gender-confirming surgery

plural gender confirmation surgeries also gender-confirming 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-affirming surgery

The overarching goal of gender confirmation surgery is to treat the incongruence of the biologic phenotype and the individual's perceived gender identity.

—Jens U. Berli et al., International Journal of Transgenderism

• — abbreviation GCS