Transgender persons and transsexuals

Menu

Introduction to transgender persons & transsexuals

Sponsored link.

The term "LGBT" is an acronym for "Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals,
transgender persons/transsexuals. Sometimes, additional letters
are added, like "Q" for Queer or questioning, & "I" for Intersexual.

Basic definitions:

There is a lack of consensus on the precise meaning of the terms transgender and transsexual.

We believe that the following are common definitions:

• A transgender person is one for whom their perceived gender does not match their birth-assigned gender. Most commonly, they have been assigned a gender at birth based on their primary and secondary sexual characteristics. However at some point in their life -- often during childhood -- they will identify their gender as being different from their assigned gender. Most feel that they are of the opposite gender; some feel that the term gender doesn't apply to them; a few switvh between genders.
  
  
• A transsexual person is a transgender individual who lives in society as a gender different from their birth-assigned gender. Many have taken hormone medication and undergone sex reassignment surgery so that they can appear as a member of their perceived gender.

They form a very small minority in the population. However, it is likely that they will be increasingly targeted by transphobes, particularly as discrimination against LGBs (Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals) rapidly fades and same-sex marriage becomes more widely accepted.

Topics covered in this section:

• Part 1: Conflicting quotations. What exactly is gender?

• Part 2: Cisgendered persons. People who don't fit neatly into the male/female binary system. IRS conflicts
  
  
• Part 3: Various definitions of "transgender." The definition used on this site. Symptoms and detection of transsexuality
  
  
• Part 4: GID in children. Options available to transgender persons. Terminology. Is transgenderism a "disorder?"
  
  
• Part 5: Definition of Gender Identity Disorder (GID). Gender Incongruence. Catch 22. A symbol.

A movie:

Tom Murray produced and directed a video concerning transsexuality. It is titled: "Almost Myself: Reflections on mending and transcending gender." See: http://www.almostmyself.com/

Copyright © 2007 to 2013 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Original posting: 2007-JUN-08
Latest update and review: 2013-MAR-17
Author: B.A. Robinson

Sponsored link

Web ReligiousTolerance.org

Page Translator: This page translator works on Firefox, Opera, Chrome, and Safari browsers only After translating, click on the "show original" button at the top of this page to restore page to English.