Transsexual Vs Transgender

The debate rages on and people are taking sides.

For some, the term of transgender or transsexual has become so heated that people are leaving trans friendly websites who simply has "transgender" or "transsexual" on their websites. Even if you (as a transgender) do not take a side on this issue, you are still affected if you belong to a website. Chances are you have seen the debate.

As related to one of my prior blog posts, I have discussed the issue of labeling. My stance is to call yourself whatever you identify with but do not impose your convictions of what is a proper label onto someone else. Basically, it all boils down to respect. Respect others if you disagree with their "label" and hope to be respected for your label in return.

When it comes to whatever I want to call it, I label myself as a transgender. It isn't just me picking this word because I had to choose something; I picked this to identify with myself because it made the most sense "to me."

Why do I call myself a transgender versus a transsexual?

In my opinion, the word "transsexual" in inherently flawed in it's very terminology. If you study into the meaning of the word "transsexual" then it imposes a meaning that one is sexually attracted to someone who crosses a gender identity. Likewise, homosexual imposes a meaning that one is sexually attracted to someone who shares the same sexual identity and heterosexual imposes a meaning that one is sexually attracted to someone of the opposite sexual identity.

When you look at the term in this manner then one who isn't familiar with "transsexual" would often assume we are transsexual because we are sexually attracted to someone who crosses a gender identity.

First of all, being trans does not mean anything about ones sexuality. Being trans has everything to do with how you view your gender identity. For example, you can be Male to Female and like women or you can be Female to Male and be sexually attracted to men or both men or women.

I choose the word "Transgender" because when you study the word itself, then it literally means "one who crosses a gender." This, to me, makes the most sense. This is why I chose to identify myself as transgender.

Another thing I have noticed about some who do not like the word "transgender" will often follow up with the comments that they do not want to be associated with "those cross dressers who dresses up as a fetish." They believe that many of the issues in which people do not accept us is because the cross dressers ruin it for everyone as the general population believes that we do this as a fetish.

I am sorry, but I hardly believe that changing one's label from transgender to transsexual or vice versa will change the populations' opinion in this matter. A name change or a name reinforcement does not change the opinions of a population that knows very little of our situations.

Education causes the change in the populations' opinion; labels do not.

An example of this is how some vilify the cross dressing community because of our lack of rights to use the gender aligned bathroom of our choice. Stressing one label over another is not going to change a population who may be against us using the bathroom that fits our gender identity. Education changes the people's perception of us. Not us arguing over what label is better than the other.

The bottom line is use whatever term you wish to describe yourself but don't impose your term on everyone who is trans because not everyone will agree with you and don't use excuses to attack another who uses another term than you because it's what the general population perceives us as.