What Does It Mean to Be Transgender?
Transgender is a broad term that applies to people who live all or substantial portions of their lives expressing an innate sense of gender other than their birth sex. This includes transsexuals, cross-dressers and people who simply feel like their biological sex fails to reflect their true gender. Other related terms include:
Gender identity: a person’s innate sense of gender.
Gender expression: the way in which a person presents his or her gender.
Gender non-conforming: individuals who regularly transgress conventional gender norms, although they may not be attempting to present themselves as a different gender.
Transsexual: a person whose innate sense of gender conflicts with their anatomical sex. Some, but not all, transsexual people undergo medical treatments, such as hormone therapy or surgeries, to change their physical sex so that it is in harmony with their gender identity.
Transvestite: an outdated term that refers to people who sometimes cross-dress, or dress in clothing typically associated with the opposite sex. Many cross-dressers are heterosexual and typically present themselves in a manner consistent with their birth sex.