Kinsey Confidential: The Kinsey Institute Sexuality Information Service

 

Q: What does the term "transgender" mean?

A: The term transgender originally referred to individuals who had chosen to live as the opposite gender without the aid of surgery or hormones. Currently, transgender is used as an umbrella term which includes all people who have gender identities, expressions, or behaviors not traditionally associated with their birth sex. This may (but does not necessarily) include male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals, male and female crossdressers, drag kings and queens, and others with nontraditional gender expressions.

Q: How does transgender differ from transsexuals, transvestites, crossdressers, or drag performers?

A: A transsexual is someone whose gender identity does not match their physical body and who uses hormones or various surgeries to change their external gendered appearance. The word transvestite refers to an individual, usually a biological male, who dresses in the opposite gender's clothing for sexual or emotional pleasure. These people are usually heterosexual, do not wear the opposite gender's clothing all the time, and usually do not view themselves as members of the opposite gender. Another word for transvestite is crossdresser, a word which many who crossdress prefer to the term transvestite (which has negative medical connotations). Drag performers are individuals who perform in clothing associated with men or women and who emphasize gender stereotypes for entertainment or political purposes. The term transgender is a broader term, which includes individuals such as transsexuals and crossdressers, as well as other gender variant individuals.

Q: Are transgender people gay?

A: Sexual orientation (how one defines his sexual attractions) is separate from gender identity (how one defines his internal sense of gender). Some transpeople identify as heterosexual, some as homosexual or bisexual, and some refuse to use conventional sexual orientation labels to describe to whom they are attracted. Most crossdressers, however, are heterosexual. Tapestry Magazine did a survey on the sexual orientation of its crossdressing readers and found that 75 percent of them are heterosexual.

Q: Are transgender people usually males who feel they are women?

A: There are both male-to-female - whom many refer to as m-to-f or MtF - and female-to-male (f-to-m or FtM) transgender individuals. If one uses statistics from surgery, he might assume that more MtFs exist, however, this may seem to be for reasons other than a vastly larger number of MtFs. First, if one judges the number of MtFs and FtMs solely on the number of bottom surgery cases, it would appear that a greater number of MtFs exist because a greater number of MtFs choose to undergo bottom surgery, not because more MtFs exist in the population at large. Next, the issue of visibility affects the number of perceived MtF and FtM transpeople. Because MtFs are shown more often on television and movies, as well as the fact that they often do not pass as well as many FtMs, the public erroneously assumes the rate of MtFs is far larger than that of FtMs. Today, estimates assume that the numbers of female-bodied and male-bodied transpeople is roughly equal.

Q: Is being transgender the same as being intersexed or a hermaphrodite?

A: No. Intersex individuals are born with ambiguous sex organs. Transpeople are usually born with clearly male or female sex organs, but feel their gender identity is at odds with their physical sex. It is possible for intersex individuals to identify as transgender, but very few transpeople were born intersex.

Q: How prevalent is the phenomenon of transgenderism?

A: The prevalence of transgenderism varies depending on the definition one uses. If one uses statistics from surgery or hormones, this would leave out a large segment of the transgender population who chooses not to alter their bodies. If one uses a broader definition of anyone who transgresses traditional gender norms, the number of transpeople will be drastically larger.

Q: Is being transgender a lifestyle "choice," or is there a biological reason people are transgender?

A: What little research is available has not given adequate information about what causes an individual to identify as transgender. Some research suggests a part of the brain affected by in utero hormone levels is responsible for an individual's core sense of gender identity. Others claim that it is merely the rigid two-gender system which creates the need for transgender identification; these people claim that if gender roles were more fluid, individuals would not need to seek out bodily changes. No matter what the reason, individuals with variant gender expressions and identities do exist in every society and deserve the same respect and individual rights as other human beings.

Q: How does a transgender individual go about beginning to take hormones?

A: According to the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care, individuals must usually undergo a period of therapy before receiving a letter of recommendation from a psychiatrist to begin hormones. Most transwomen take both estrogen (topically or orally) and sometimes a testosterone blocker (orally), while transmen usually only take testosterone (intramuscularly or topically). These hormones produce permanent and semi-permanent changes in external secondary sex characteristics, including, but not limited to, redistribution of body fat, change in skin texture, breast growth (for transwomen), increased body hair and muscle mass (for transmen).

Q: Do transpeople usually take hormones before undergoing surgery?

A: Many do first take hormones and then undergo surgery. Others first have surgery and then choose to take hormones. Still others choose to only undergo surgery, only take hormones, or to do neither. There are as many combinations of transition steps as there are different kinds of transpeople.

Q: What is involved with undertaking sex reassignment surgery?

A: Again, according to the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care, individuals must usually undergo an extensive period of therapy (from months to years) before receiving a letter from a psychiatrist which describes them as an informed surgery candidate. Almost all surgeons require such a letter before performing any type of trans-related surgery. Most transgender surgery is not covered by health insurance, and the costs of such surgery are often so exorbitant that it prevents many transpeople from acquiring the procedures they desire. Details of transgender procedures can be found at various sources online.

Q: What is a pre/post/non-op transsexual?

A: Pre, post, and non-op refer to stages of a transperson's transition. Pre-op refers to someone who has yet to have gender reassignment surgery but plans on doing so. Post-op refers to someone who has already had surgery. Non-op refers to someone who has elected not to have surgery. Not all transpeople use these terms to describe themselves, and these are words which should only be used by transpeople to describe their own sense of where they are in terms of their transition.

Q: Do transgender people face discrimination?

A: Yes. Gender identity and expression are only included in the anti-discrimination laws of a few states and cities around the country. This means that in a vast majority of states, transpeople can be discriminated against in housing, employment, education, and other areas of life. Transpeople who do not pass as well are subject to more discrimination than those who live undetected. Also, transpeople who appear to be masculine women or feminine men, or who are dating someone of the same gender, are subject to the same homophobia that gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals are. On average, more than one transgender individual is murdered every month. Transpeople must worry not only about whether or not their family and friends will be supportive, but also whether they will lose their jobs, be denied housing, be refused medical care, or be harassed, beaten, or murdered. For all gender-variant individuals, discrimination is a very real and ever-present part of daily life.

Q: What do I do if I encounter a transgender person?

A: First, treat transpeople as you would treat any other individual, with courtesy and respect. Second, you should make sure to refer to a transperson by their preferred gender. If you are not sure which set of pronouns is appropriate, there are polite ways to ask. In general, asking nicely is the best way to learn something about a transperson you have just encountered. If you would like to understand an individual transperson's needs and struggles, offer to actively listen and ask respectful, constructive questions.

An excellent Question and Answer page about transgender topics is available at the Discovery Health web site. The responses are provided by Carol McCord, Assistant Dean, Office of Women's Affairs at Indiana University.