Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerrie
I was reading some of the threads tonight and came up with a question.
What is the difference between transgender and transsexual?
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Over time the definitions have changed, but ultimately the "difference" is based on how a person identifies. I just think it's always best to just go with how a person identifies.
Often the definition of transsexual used is someone who either wants or pursues HRT and/or surgery of some kind. But then there are plenty of people who are on hormones and/or have had surgery who identify as trans or transgender, but not transsexual (and the other way around, of course). For example, I've had top surgery but identify just as trans (instead of transgender or transsexual). I don't really like the word transsexual because of the history/origins of the word and its attachment to the psychiatric/medical community. I'm more apt to use transgender if people don't understand "trans," but still don't use transgender as a term that really defines me because of misconceptions of what "gender" means in relation to a trans person (as in the belief that a transguy is a "man" but his sex is "female,' whereas I see my sex as male regardless of what I was assigned at birth. Basically, I couldn't care less about my "gender," but my sex is male as far as I'm concerned no matter what choices I've made about my body).
Sounds complicated, but it's less complicated when you just go with how people identify
