Many terms are used to describe members of the transgendered community. To different people, the terms below may mean different things. Therefore, this page can only possibly be written as the opinion of various people and should be used only as a guide.
A transsexual is a person who is born with the physical characteristics of one sex but the gender (or mind) of the opposite sex. The physical sex is often used to categorise somebody as male or female but the mental sex often remains hidden behind an internal barrier of guilt if not discovered before a child knows about guilt and innocence. Giving a boy child "traditional" male toys or a girl "traditional" female toys will not help to change the gender in any direction. At a young age children will play with any toys that are placed before them. It's only as they get older and they develop more of a self identity that minute signs begin to manifest themselves. A boy playing with dolls may not necessarily show future transsexual tendencies for example. There is no cure for transsexualim. There is only surgery and a transsexual must make that decision for themselves when they are informed enough to make the choice as to whether they can live like that. Transsexualism is nothing to do with sexuality. A transsexual person could be at any place on the sexuality spectrum as in any other part of society. So Just because a person is attracted to the opposite sex doesn't mean they are heterosexual if their gender identity is still hidden and somebody attracted to the same sex may not be homosexual if gender identity is undiscovered.
A Transgenderist is another kind of transsexual. Sometimes a transsexual may not be able, for one reason or another, to go through with surgery. It may be family reasons, or medical reasons or just plain old fear. Many may choose to transition, i.e. live in the opposite role to that which they physically present. Sexuality can appear confused as in transsexuals above, but again if somebody presents as female and is attracted to male they are straight and if they are attracted to female they are lesbian. Somebody presenting as male attracted to females is heterosexual and if attracted to men is homosexual. N.B. Transgendered may also be used to describe the whole community of peoples listed on this page collectively.
Also known as trannies. A transvestite is a person who cross-dresses but has no desire to change their physical sex. They may sometimes fantasise about being a member of the opposite sex but which to remain their birth sex. Rarely a transvestite transitions to live as a member of the opposite biological sex but have no desire to become a member of that sex. Some transvestites are fetishistic in nature in that they only like to wear certain items belonging to the opposite sex such as underwear or shoes. Others like to wear all items belonging to the opposite sex. Transvestism is seen as more common amongst men but women wear trousers so often it is hard to tell if a woman is in fact a transvestite. Transvestites are largely heterosexual but may cross all parts of the sexuality spectrum.
Term usually used when referring to a child or teenager. Gender variant can mean not conforming to the expected behaviour of a boy or a girl, either in choice of games, playmates, clothing, body language, etc., or it can mean the child or teenager stating that they feel they should be the opposite gender to that into which they were born. A gender variant child will not necessarily be transgendered in any way as an adult. Some may be, but it is likely that they will eventually identify as homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual.
Term commonly used to describe someone who wears the clothes of the opposite gender. Usually refers to a biological male who wears women's clothes.
Drag Queens (not ot be confused with Drag Artiste's) are a particular form of male transvestite. They are usually overtly homosexual and portray an over the top appearance of femininity. Some may have body modifications such as breast implants but do not wish to have genital surgery as they wish to attract other homosexual men. Sometimes known as she-males.
Drag Kings are very similar to Drag Queens in that they are Female and present as men but with the intention of finding a female partner. They may display facial hair and some physical modification but they prefer lesbian partners.
An androgyne is a rare form of transsexuality. It describes a person who needs to be male and female at the same time but does not want to be male or female. It can lead to a biological female to have her breasts and womb removed for example, but not wishing to be male or female - only presenting as both. Their appearance is often confusing to people. N.B. Not to be confused with other transsexuals who may live in an androgynous state prior to transition.
Intersexuality is probably the most difficult thing to explain in a short space like this. It can cover many things. A Transsexual person is at one extreme of intersexuality but further along the spectrum are other types of intersexuality. Some of the different aspects of intersexuality may combine and a person may have two problems to deal with. A person may be born with an unusual array of sex chromosomes. A genetic male is XY and a genetic female is XX but in some forms of intersexuality a person may be born XXY or XXXY for example. Some people with an unusual chromosome make-up may also be transsexual because their physical appearance is one sex or the other and they are often assigned to their physical sex. There are also people born with what is termed "Indeterminite Genitalia". They may be born with genitalia that appears to be that of the opposite chromosomal sex. For example, a genetic male may have undescended testes which make the appearance look feminine or a genetic female may have an enlarged clitoris giving them the appearance of male. Under no circumstances should a child be reassigned to make them appear one way or the other until they are old enough to make an informed decision for themselves. Gender can not be changed and the only person who can know what gender they are is the individual themself. Many people have been corected shortly after birth or during early childhood and have had to seek further surgery during adulthood again because doctors and parents made the wrong choice.
Homosexuality is a sexuality and not a gender identity. People who are homosexual wish to have partners of the same biological sex and do not require to change sex. Some homosexual men and women do cross-dress but their intention is to seek a same sex partner.