transgender vs transsexual

[mowdan6]

Just feeling a need to post this.  I have been criticized many times because of my transsexual status.  Yea, I am one of those that have always known since the day I could have a thought, that I am male.  And I find myself being within a minority, (transsexual) within a minority (transgender).  Does anyone else feel ...understand this difference?  Or am I just splitting hairs?  I want to be a support for all, but I do have a hard time understanding alot of the transgender issues, being a transsexual man. 

[Ann Onymous]

I cannot relate to the F2M component, but I can tell you that you are not alone in choosing to use transsexual instead of transgender...but I do not know that I can expound further on my rationale without running afoul of the rules.

[crazyandro]

I always thought that they meant the same thing, except transsexual implied you had surgery to deal with the gender dysphoria.

[Stephanie2664]

I realize this is the FTM forum and I am a MTF, but this topic is one I have always been interested in.  As with most things in life I have strong opinions about things, but also understand that there are opposing opinions.  I am always interested in knowing what fuels these opinions, and at times it has influenced my thinking in dramatic ways.

I am a transgender woman.  I admit that it was when I found out about transsexualism that I began to understand what was going on with me.   Since then I have shied away from transsexual and embraced transgender.  For me, transsexual implies something sexual while transgender deals only with the actual gender issue that I have.  Being asexual I relate far better with the gender aspects of my whole identity situation.  I also realize that sex and gender are interchangeable in many aspects of daily life.  But again, I relate far better to the gender aspects of my situation.

That being said, I am always curious about how, and/or why others either fell like I do, or have an opposing opinion.

Have a great day.

[sascraps]

I agree with her. I also thought that they meant the same thing, but I've been preferring the term transgender because with the word 'sexual' in there, people on the outside tend to think only in terms of sex and probably see it as some weird sexual perversion. And what I'm doing with myself in presenting myself as a man has nothing to do with sex or being some kind of creeper, it's just me being me, no different than a biological male. I'm rather asexual in my old age here anyway and couldn't care less. I'm not out to perv on anybody at all. 

[cynthialee]

I am not transgender. My gender is female and I do not wish to become a man.
My sex is curently in transition from male to female. That means I am transsexual.

Yes the word sex makes some people uncomfortable but that is just too bad. People have a sex. It is just a fact of existance. If you have to transition from one sex to the other then the term transgender is not fitting.

Now as to the political transgender umbrela that is a diferant thing.
Many do not agree with it. (I do.) It is in the disagreement as to weather transsexuals belong under that umbrela that alot of ink has been spilled and lots of egos harmed on many sides of the argument.

This is a can of worms topic that can get inflamitory fast.
Please respect eachother.

[quinn]

I think it would make more sense if those of us who are transitioning from one gender to another were "transgender" and if people who cross-dress or are self-identified "gender-benders" or whatever they prefer to call themselves were referred to as something other than "transgender." I have nothing against people who cross-dress, etc., I just think it would be easier when explaining to people that I'm a transman if the term was "transgender" rather than "transsexual," so they wouldn't be confused and think it has something to do with my sexual orientation. It seems like a lot of people think it's about sexual orientation, merely because there's the word "sexual" in the term "transsexual." I once told someone I'm a transsexual, and her first question was "So does that mean you're a lesbian?" That's the kind of reaction I wish I could avoid.

[Arch]

Transsexual vs transgender...well, people use these terms differently. I know some people who are transsexual by the usual definition--that is, they identify as male but were designated female at birth, and they have started transition and live as men--but they prefer to call themselves transgender. They may have concerns that are very similar to yours, but they use a different label for themselves.

For years, I used "transgender" as a way of distancing myself from my transsexuality. I'm sure that other people do this.

Yes, it's hard being in the transsexual minority, and some consider us lunatic extremists because we change our bodies. But public perceptions are slowly changing. I think that if you do more reading on several forums here and if you do more reading generally, you will start understanding better. Give yourself some time. Or not--maybe you don't need to understand, as long as you support other people's right to self-definition.

[Sharky]

My understanding is that transgender is an umbrella term that includes transsexuals, as well as people outside the gender binary. A transsexual is someone who identifies as male or female and wishes to have surgery to align their physical sex to match their gender.

[Gabby]

My understanding is that transgender is an umbrella term that includes transsexuals, as well as people outside the gender binary. A transsexual is someone who identifies as male or female and wishes to have surgery to align their physical sex to match their gender.

Gender has nothing to do with sex drive though.  For example there's people identify as male gender who have srs to have female genitalia and the reverse too.  Young children have no sex drive but they sure do have a gender.

The two terms are interlinked as we are talking about a single person, but someone can be one without the other.  For me transgendered, that I was in some way both genders. that we actually create our gender identity for ourselves came first at about 8 years old,  then the first realisation of being transsexual was at about 12.  But there's no time stipulation, doesn't have to happen when someone is young, as like I said gender is created by us as individuals.  Sex drive can be influenced by being transgendered, I think this in theory because I function sexually as a female.  Also my gender identity is female with male, just because there's a correlation between gender identity and sexual identity doesn't mean they have to match, gender and sex drive are completely seperate.

And it is wholy possible to be transgender or transsexual, both or neither.  For an example of one but not the other would be the first example I gave, for an example of neither take a CD they don't have to be transsexual and gender is something we create ourself so it would be up to the individual.  I don't pass as a female looking, I certainly do emtionally and with my interactions with the world.  But it's my definition of female end of the day that's the bottom line, I could say I pass looking as a female who is to say otherwise?

[Nygeel]

Gender has nothing to do with sex drive though.  For example there's people identify as male gender who have srs to have female genitalia and the reverse too.  Young children have no sex drive but they sure do have a gender.

The previous poster didn't mention sex drive, just physical sex.

I think that there are a few various things. There's sex assigned at birth, sex identity, gender assigned at birth, and gender identity. Typically a transsexual would have at some point in their life a miss match between their sex identity and sex identified at birth (usually gender, too). Transgender is typically a person whose gender assigned at birth does not meet their gender identity. Both groups could have body dysphoria related to their sex (either secondary or primary sex characteristics).

[Gabby]

The previous poster didn't mention sex drive, just physical sex.

That's very true very good point.  Being Transgendered can require srs.

[Nygeel]

That's very true very good point.  Being Transgendered can require srs.

I never said anything about srs.

[Janet_Girl]

My understanding is that transgender is an umbrella term that includes transsexuals, as well as people outside the gender binary. A transsexual is someone who identifies as male or female and wishes to have surgery to align their physical sex to match their gender.

Sharky is correct.  Transgender is an umbrella term which includes Transsexuals, Cross Dressers, Gender Queer and many others.

So Yes MowDan being Transsexual is a minority within a minority.

[xAndrewx]

Mowdan-I guess that means I'm transexual because like you I've basically always known but I use the term transgender because in my experiences people tend to group transsexual with homosexual whereas they don't with transgender

[MaxAloysius]

I once had it explained to me as someone who is transgender can be anywhere in the spectrum, but is usually someone with a less defined sex. I know one person who describes themself as neither gender, because they don't believe they are wholely male or wholely female, and from what I was told that person is 'transgender'.

I refer to myself as transgender because like mentioned above I've found that saying transexual seems to make people think that it's something to do with sexual orientation.

[Handy]

Im a man
Im not a transexual
Transexual is a clinical diagnosis that gave me rights to medical treatmentss (in my contry).
I was assigned female at birth.
Any medical steps i take is moving my body closer to who i am, its not a gender or sex transition, but a help to live my life with a GID. Beging assigned female at birth will leave its marks on my mind and my body forever. Just like any lifelong condition, the medical help is there to help me and live a better life as a man being born that way.
Thats why i dont id as transexual or transgender. I can see the term fit me on the paper. I would tell me doctor im transexual, but in my lived life i dont see the use for using the term about myself. But everybody needs to find their own ways of how to define themselves. Choose whatever makes u the most happy and comfortable.

[Ryan]

The way I see it is that transsexualism is a medical condition; a diagnosis and nothing more, whereas ->-bleeped-<- is an identity. Like others said, it's also an umbrella term that covers a selection of other binary-defying identities. One can be transsexual and identify as transgender or identify as transgender without being transsexual.

[Gabby]

I never said anything about srs.

I find it hard to understand what you're saying sorry :/.   You said physical sex, and a problem with physical sex can make someone feel the need for srs, that is up to the individual.

Sharky is correct.  Transgender is an umbrella term which includes Transsexuals, Cross Dressers, Gender Queer and many others.

So Yes MowDan being Transsexual is a minority within a minority.

Janet, sex and gender are not the same.  Which is exactly why I'm concerned about some Transgendered people thinking they need srs, the thought of someone having surgery because they think they need to have their sex match their gender.  Things change how we work sexually changes I'll say it again this is theoretical to me I've tried having sex as a man, I do not work that way.

To me srs is the primary thing, I have a female sex drive and I need the right equipment.


What about the CD ->-bleeped-<- who wears female clothing but identifies wholly as male?  He's still a he, like someone born with the wrong sexual characteristics needing to change them, they were never the sex they were born into.

[Ryan]

What about the CD ->-bleeped-<- who wears female clothing but identifies wholly as male?  He's still a he, like someone born with the wrong sexual characteristics needing to change them, they were never the sex they were born into.

I think you misunderstood what Janet was saying.

A cross dresser who still identifies as their birth sex would be part of the transgender umbrella, but not transsexual.