Coming to "terms" with terms

I like to comment on myself to clarify things (for all two of you reading me, ha ha). I guess I SHOULD learn the correct terms for transgendered/cisgendered/et al people in order to not look like the quasi-redneck I am while getting more involved in prostitution decriminalization political activities. Though bear with me, folks, I still think this stuff often sounds like gobbledygook that the layman (including me) doesn't understand, and I strongly believe that we need to frame this debate in terms that the laymen/women DO understand in order to convince them that this cause is to THEIR best interests -- as VOTERS who have the power to change our laws -- and not just the academically sealed, class-struggle debate of a fringe group of people who speak the foreign language of "activist speak."

Blame this on my journalism training, where I was taught to write stories in clear, concise language understandable to "Joe Six-Pack." Sometimes you truly have to break down complex ideas into terminology that "Joe" can understand, lest they remain some kind of hermetic mystery that leaves people scratching their heads at what they would undoubtedly see as some sort of "PC" nonsense.