Transgender is the preferred word to use today to identify Transsexuality. Transsexuality is often used as a catch-all word that defines any level of gender and/or physical identity. Medicine has advanced so much in the past hundred years that if you have Gender Dysphoria, you can pursue medical assistance. Meaning that if you are born as a male but you identify as female, you can have your body aligned to female to match your identity.
Trans, and any of its derivatives such as Transgender, Transsexual, Tranny, and others, all mean that you are breaking the gender roles. If you are born male and you identify as female, you are Trans. If you are born female and identify as male, you are Trans.
•Transsexual – A person who is born in one sex but identifies as another and has gender reassignment.
•Transgender – Same as transsexual. However, most prefer to use Transgender as opposed to Transsexual.
The terminology depends on the point of view of the individual. There’s a lot of controversy on the proper use of the terms and how interchangeable they are. Medically speaking, it’s Transsexual before you have an operation. Which brings in the word Transitioning: they are transitioning from one physical sex to another.
Ron Langevin proposed the use of Androphilia and Gynephilia in the 1980s. Psychiatrist, Anil Aggrawal explains why it’s useful to use these terms:
Androphilia – The romantic and/or sexual attraction to adult males. The term, along with gynephilia, is needed to overcome immense difficulties in characterizing the sexual orientation of transmen and transwomen. For instance, it is difficult to decide whether a transman erotically attracted to males is a heterosexual female or a homosexual male; or a transwoman erotically attracted to females is a heterosexual male or a lesbian female. Any attempt to classify them may not only cause confusion but arouse offense among the affected subjects. In such cases, while defining sexual attraction, it is best to focus on the object of their attraction rather than on the sex or gender of the subject.1
Transvestite typically means dressing and acting in the other gender. Most women who dress in pants and a shirt are not Transvestites. Fashion is fashion. However, society deems a man who dresses in a skirt to be a Transvestite.
Cross-dressers are by definition heterosexual men who dress as women for erotic purposes. It’s a fetish. Why are women the only ones that get to wear nylons?
Don’t confuse Drag Queen with Transgender, Transsexuals, or even Transvestites. Drag Queens are men who dress in exaggerated gowns, extreme makeup and exude over the top mannerisms in order to entertain. Think of it as the Gay Geisha of the 20th Century.
In today’s society and with many definitions and labels, the word Transgender is the preferred and most acceptable description used for any variations of Transsexuality.
Share with us your definition or if you have a different meaning. We want to know what you think.
Footnote
1. Definition of Transsexual – Wikipedia
