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

Some 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

Many 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

Examples of gender-affirming surgery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Remember last month when Daniel Payne and I wrote about the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ new position statement about gender-affirming surgery for young people? —Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 27 Mar. 2026

In February, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons changed its stance and recommended that gender-affirming surgeries be delayed until patients turn 19, CNN reported. —Sarah Volpenhein, jsonline.com, 23 Mar. 2026

Davidson began hormone treatments in Davidson's early 20s in 2015 and in 2021 underwent gender-affirming surgery, which was required under the LPGA’s previous gender policy. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026

In addition to the current legislation, the president has also demanded that lawmakers add a ban on all mail-in ballots, along with unrelated provisions to ban transgender athletes from participating in women's sports and bar gender-affirming surgeries for minors. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2011, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gender-affirming surgery

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

Medical 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

Gender 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

• — abbreviation GAS