passing

dating to the 18th century, "passing" originally described someone of mixed racial heritage acting as if they were, for example, white. The term expanded to include identities such as sexual orientation, gender identity, and even class. Avoid using the judgmental "passing" unless it is used in quotation marks or is otherwise defensible. Drag queens, bisexual people, transgender people, and others generally do not try to pass as anything but who they are. See also bisexual, cross-dresser, drag queen/drag king, LGBTQIA, race, transgender (adj.)