Transgender Terminology

[EchelonHunt]

Disclaimer: These terms are optional and based on personal preference/identity. There is no gender police here - everyone experiences and describes their gender identity in many different ways.

Transsexual- Transsexual people identify as a member of the sex opposite to that assigned at birth, and desire to live and be accepted as such. They may undergo gender transition, the process of aligning one's gender expression or presentation with their internal gender identity. This may include but not restricted to hormones and various kinds of surgery.

Transvestite - A transvestite is a person who cross-dresses, or dresses in clothes of the opposite sex.

Genderqueer - Genderqueer is a catch-all category for gender identities other than man and woman, thus outside of the gender binary and cisnormativity. (See Non-Binary Terminology)

Androgyne - An androgyne is a person who cannot be classified as male or female; androgyny is independent of sexual orientation. Androgynes may identify as beyond gender, between genders, moving across genders, entirely genderless, or any or all of these, exhibiting a variety of masculine, feminine and/or gender neutral traits or expression.

Bigender - A bigender (sometimes rendered as bi-gender, dual gender, or bi+gender) individual is one who moves between masculine and feminine gender.

Drag Kings & Queens - Drag is a term applied to clothing and make-up worn on special occasions for performing or entertaining, unlike those who are transgender or who cross-dress for other reasons.

(Source: Wikipedia and modified to remove the implications that gender = gender roles.)

[Laura J]

It seems like terms like Transvestite and most Drag is only male to female, since women wearing male clothes and styles has become common place.? Every woman has jeans, t-shirts, sneakers and boots in they're closet, some women dressing androgynous 24/7 is accepted totally as a part of personality and style choice, where men are still heavily stigmatized and treated negatively for atemting a feminine looking similar style.?

It just seems so unfair and hypocritical the way society views clothes vs. Genders...

[Anato]

I agree Mark. Also I wanna add that for some people Transvestite is specific to people who are turned on by their crossdressing. So personally I usually hear crossdresser and transvestite as separate from eachother. Its like in the U.S. Transvestite is seen as a negative term referring only to the fetishized form of crossdressing, and in the U.K. Transvestite just means crossdresser.

Labels are just a pain in the butt.

[Edge]

Can we not say that androgyne and bi-gender genders are about gender roles? What about androgyne and bi-gender people whose gender(s) are as real as anyone else's?

[EchelonHunt]

Ah sorry, it has been modified. Please let me know if there are better wordings as I am unsure if I have written it correctly.

[timelessexplorer]

Nov 28, 2014 19:03:52 GMT 8 Laura J said:

It seems like terms like Transvestite and most Drag is only male to female, since women wearing male clothes and styles has become common place.? Every woman has jeans, t-shirts, sneakers and boots in they're closet, some women dressing androgynous 24/7 is accepted totally as a part of personality and style choice, where men are still heavily stigmatized and treated negatively for atemting a feminine looking similar style.?

It just seems so unfair and hypocritical the way society views clothes vs. Genders... 

I agree Laura J. The negative stigma of a man wearing feminine clothing or jewelry is well established because femininity is not as valued by our society. As a boy, the PE teacher would call the boys, girls as an insult. If anyone shows emotions in a business meeting, it is a sign of weakness. I am always loved my feminine side. I embrace my femininity as I feel I can but not without feelings of being judged as less than. We should not diminish the struggle of women, bigender or cis. We should see that when the power and strength of the feminine ignored it reduces us all.

[Becky]

May 7, 2018 10:43:07 GMT 8 timelessexplorer said:

Nov 28, 2014 19:03:52 GMT 8 Laura J said:

It seems like terms like Transvestite and most Drag is only male to female, since women wearing male clothes and styles has become common place.? Every woman has jeans, t-shirts, sneakers and boots in they're closet, some women dressing androgynous 24/7 is accepted totally as a part of personality and style choice, where men are still heavily stigmatized and treated negatively for atemting a feminine looking similar style.?

It just seems so unfair and hypocritical the way society views clothes vs. Genders... 

I agree Laura J. The negative stigma of a man wearing feminine clothing or jewelry is well established because femininity is not as valued by our society. As a boy, the PE teacher would call the boys, girls as an insult. If anyone shows emotions in a business meeting, it is a sign of weakness. I am always loved my feminine side. I embrace my femininity as I feel I can but not without feelings of being judged as less than. We should not diminish the struggle of women, bigender or cis. We should see that when the power and strength of the feminine ignored it reduces us all.

I love that you re-activated this post, Timeless Explorer!  I'm just about to write a blog article pretty much about this very thing.

I've always said "If women can wear pants, then men should be allowed to wear dresses!"  Then, of course, comes the realization that this would be a HUGE paradigm shift in our culture.  Especially in the current climate, a man in a dress is quite likely to be bullied or beaten.

What I really want (stay tuned for my blog) is for everyone in society to acknowledge and value the existence of both feminine and masculine in EVERY PERSON.  The ratio would be different for everyone, but then society could gradually lose its hangups about emotional guys or assertive gals.

Or even better (I'm really dreaming here) we lose the terms "man" and "woman" altogether...

[timelessexplorer]

May 7, 2018 21:33:17 GMT 8 Becky said:

May 7, 2018 10:43:07 GMT 8 timelessexplorer said:

I agree Laura J. The negative stigma of a man wearing feminine clothing or jewelry is well established because femininity is not as valued by our society. As a boy, the PE teacher would call the boys, girls as an insult. If anyone shows emotions in a business meeting, it is a sign of weakness. I am always loved my feminine side. I embrace my femininity as I feel I can but not without feelings of being judged as less than. We should not diminish the struggle of women, bigender or cis. We should see that when the power and strength of the feminine ignored it reduces us all.

I love that you re-activated this post, Timeless Explorer!  I'm just about to write a blog article pretty much about this very thing.

I've always said "If women can wear pants, then men should be allowed to wear dresses!"  Then, of course, comes the realization that this would be a HUGE paradigm shift in our culture.  Especially in the current climate, a man in a dress is quite likely to be bullied or beaten.

What I really want (stay tuned for my blog) is for everyone in society to acknowledge and value the existence of both feminine and masculine in EVERY PERSON.  The ratio would be different for everyone, but then society could gradually lose its hangups about emotional guys or assertive gals.

Or even better (I'm really dreaming here) we lose the terms "man" and "woman" altogether...


Laura J, I understand your dream of a genderless world, but humans love labels. Labels simplify thinking, which like all things is a two edge sword. It makes it easier for us to quantify things but at the same time we loose track of the real complexity within the categories.

My blend of masculine and feminine changes moment to moment, often making it impossible to tell where my feelings or perception lie on the gender continuum. I would love to be free of the concern about my gender expression, but we live with others who want things more structured and defined.

For me, real freedom would be to be able to dress, act and love in any fashion that did not harm others without fear of repercussions. As far as I know, that has never happened in human history. As an older genderqueer, I feel the added pressure to conform to other's ideas of what an older person should do or even care about.
What could we do to be more accepting of people's differences?

[Becky]

I love the name Laura, but feel free to call me Becky.

[Trinity]

May 8, 2018 22:36:39 GMT 8 timelessexplorer said:

May 7, 2018 21:33:17 GMT 8 Becky said:

I love that you re-activated this post, Timeless Explorer!  I'm just about to write a blog article pretty much about this very thing.

I've always said "If women can wear pants, then men should be allowed to wear dresses!"  Then, of course, comes the realization that this would be a HUGE paradigm shift in our culture.  Especially in the current climate, a man in a dress is quite likely to be bullied or beaten.

What I really want (stay tuned for my blog) is for everyone in society to acknowledge and value the existence of both feminine and masculine in EVERY PERSON.  The ratio would be different for everyone, but then society could gradually lose its hangups about emotional guys or assertive gals.

Or even better (I'm really dreaming here) we lose the terms "man" and "woman" altogether...


Laura J, I understand your dream of a genderless world, but humans love labels. Labels simplify thinking, which like all things is a two edge sword. It makes it easier for us to quantify things but at the same time we loose track of the real complexity within the categories.

My blend of masculine and feminine changes moment to moment, often making it impossible to tell where my feelings or perception lie on the gender continuum. I would love to be free of the concern about my gender expression, but we live with others who want things more structured and defined.

For me, real freedom would be to be able to dress, act and love in any fashion that did not harm others without fear of repercussions. As far as I know, that has never happened in human history. As an older genderqueer, I feel the added pressure to conform to other's ideas of what an older person should do or even care about.
What could we do to be more accepting of people's differences?

I think I will call you TE.  

Living your truth, without harming others....
Moment to moment on a continuum.... our experience is this is nonlinear, a blending, not points on a line but rather a constant of complete gender mix.  At some times, there is more expression than at others.

But in aging, and I am 60, I think there is much more freedom to just not give a darn.

Genderqueer as a presentation is a bit more difficult than the fluidity I express living stealth male, female, or androgyne.  Genderqueer i think challenges the binary by being somewhat glaring in its boygirl nature, and is a brave way to live.

Accepting of people's differences?  I don't think we worry too much about that here, but I will not, as an old trans warrior, accept bigotry in any form, nor any kind of enforcement of a right or wrong way to be trans.  I have seen too much damage over the years in that.

I am curious, TE, if I may call you that without offending (Timelessexplorer is kinda long) - how is your search going, how is it that the forum can help you?   

We have a great deal of experience here, both in life and in gender.   How can we help you dear?

It sounds like you are struggling with the social conformity issues and pressures.  And coming from academia, I would imagine that its kind of a wild thing there with all the pressures and all the posturing and egos, sounds like quite the thing to walk through.

Do you have a place where you can let your hair down and be you, a safe place to really let yourself out?

[timelessexplorer]

You can call me TE if you desire. Do I have a safe place? I can be myself at home, alone, and I can show a bit of myself in public. I dress in feminine colors have earrings and painted toys and wear hats with broaches on them. Would I love to be crazier, of course?

I am 64 years-old and still exploring who I am. I care less and less about what people think of me. However, while saying that, I live in a conservative community, and there are some dangers in overtly being different.

How can this community help me? I want to be able to communicate with others and know more about their successes and struggles.

[Trinity]

May 9, 2018 11:39:43 GMT 8 timelessexplorer said:

You can call me TE if you desire. Do I have a safe place? I can be myself at home, alone, and I can show a bit of myself in public. I dress in feminine colors have earrings and painted toys and wear hats with broaches on them. Would I love to be crazier, of course?

I am 64 years-old and still exploring who I am. I care less and less about what people think of me. However, while saying that, I live in a conservative community, and there are some dangers in overtly being different.

How can this community help me? I want to be able to communicate with others and know more about their successes and struggles.

I live in two cities.  I am dual between Orlando and NY.  Business....

Orlando is the place I watch it, its the conservative area, and I hide in plain sight there.  NY, I hide frequently in the gender binaries, less so in Manhattan.

Late transition for me was tough.  Very tough.  

At work, I was thought of as bohemian, eccentric.  Actually was part of me getting fired.

Yeah, there's comfort zones, right?  And safety zones.  Boundaries we create to be comfortable, and to live with ourselves.

You are of the age of the 60's and 70's growing up... that in itself is kind of different and it's own thing....

[timelessexplorer]

I have felt "different" my whole life. While acting in my twenties, I partied a lot and explored sex, drugs and other people. In my early thirties, I discovered my bisexuality. However, throughout my life, I have known I had a strong feminine aspect, and female clothing have held a fascination. But being a nudist has made it all even more confusing. Being naked and gender queer is a unique thing in and of itself. Now in my sixties, I often dress more as I please. I would enjoy pushing the envelope even further, but the most significant push would be to have someone in my life with whom I could entirely be myself.