Sexuality Stack Exchange Archive

What do the different “trans” words mean?

• posted by: lindes on 2015-08-05
• tagged: terminology, transgender, gender-identity
• score: 3

There are references out there to a variety of words that begin with “trans”, frequently related to gender or sexual identity or such. Transexual, transgendered, transvestite… Trans man, trans woman… and increasingly even just “trans*”. What do each of these terms mean?

Answer 295

• posted by: lindes on 2015-08-05
• score: 4

This variety of terms reflects a variety of (more or less related) meanings, and there are a number of other terms as well.

Some have more specific meanings than others, and different words come into and out of favor in different communities, for a variety of reasons. Even definitions will vary somewhat by community. Here are a few basic definitions, and notes about how these different words get used.

• Transgender - This typically refers to the condition of a person having an internal gender experience that differs from the sex they had designated at birth, i.e. the sex they were perceived (or in some cases, assigned, including surgical interventions) to be when they were born.
• Transsexual - Sometimes this is synonymous with transgender, and other times it's more specifically referring to someone who is attempting to live a life in which they are perceived as being of the gender they internally experience themselves.
• Genderqueer - Generally refers to someone who doesn't necessarily identify perfectly with either masculine or feminine genders. This may mean they consider themselves somewhere in between the two, or that they reject the idea of a gender binary, or other variations.
• Trans</em>* - With the asterisk, this term is specifically used as an umbrella term for all of the above and more.</li>
• Transvestite - While sometimes frowned upon, especially when used to refer to someone who considers themselves transexual, the specific meaning of this term is someone who wears clothing (from the latin vestitus) typical of a gender other than their own. When this is done by people without a transgender experience, it is likely the most accurate specific term.
• Cisgender - Finally, as a compliment to transgender, it's worth adding that a cisgender person is generally considered to be someone whose gender experiences and their designated sex align. I.e. someone that's not within the trans* realm.
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Those are some basics. Following the links to the various terms can provide more information about each of these, as well as references to other related terms.

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