What is the difference between these three terms?

Question

What is the difference between transgendered, transsexual, and transvestite?  I always thought it was like someone of a certain gender who surgically became another gender is transgendered, and someone who simply thinks of themselves as the opposite gender is transsexual.  Then, a transvestite is just the general term for all of these people.  Is that right? If it's not, please correct me. Thank you.

Tay · Accepted Answer

Transgender is an umbrella term, that means someone who does not identify with his/her biological sex.

Transsexual means a person who identifies with the sex opposite what he or she was born, and who will seek ways to match his/her body with his/her mind (taking hormones, even getting sexual reassignment surgery).

And a transvestite is a person who dresses as the opposite sex for sexual gratification.

Also, a cross-dresser is a person who dresses as the opposite sex for reasons like comfort and preference for the clothing.

A drag queen is a man who dresses as a woman for entertainment purposes.  A drag king is a woman who dresses as a man for entertainment purposes.

Angela D · Answer

ever heard of wikipedia?

transvestite: somebody who dresses in opposite sex clothing.

transgender: blanket term for people whose gender identify doesn't match their physical sex.

transsexual: somebody whose gender identity is completely opposite to their physical sex. what, if anything, they do about it varies. for me it was gender transition with srs.

as a transsexual, i didn't feel any sexual arousal wearing women's clothes. since i knew i was female inside, despite my body, i was just dressing like any other woman. i still remember the first time i saw my therapist deliberately dressed as angela, and we discussed this at some length.

curiously, that was the first time on the bus that people *didn't* stare at me.

Chloé L. · Answer

Transgender = One who identifies him/her self as a member of the opposite sex.
Transsexual = One who transforms his/her body to better resemble the opposite sex.
Transvestite = One who wears gender specific clothing of the opposite sex.

GracePattyDamon · Answer

Transgendered means someone involving a partial or full reversal of gender.
Transsexual means a person who has undergone a sex change operation.
Transvestite means someone who adopts the dress or manner or sexual role of the opposite sex.

Anonymous · Answer

Tay is the only one who got it right :)

Anonymous · Answer

they all mean ur smoking something, like tobacco, weed or ice. there really isnt a differnce cause its all bad for u.

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What is the difference between these three terms?

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