Non-op refers to those who do not wish to have gender confirmation surgery. Some non-op may wish to socially transition and/or take hormones, while others may not wish to transition at all.
Some discussions of transgender people attempt to divide the community into pre-op and post-op, which ignores the fact that some do not wish to have surgery at all. Non-op people may have difficulty changing their legal gender, as in some places bottom surgery is a prerequisite to this. This is a form of gatekeeping.
Potential reasons for being non-op:
- Not significant enough gender dysphoria
- The cost of gender confirmation surgery
- Medical reasons