Is There a Difference Between Being Transgender and Transsexual?

how to Building A Better Understanding Of The Transgender Community

What does it mean to be transgender? You might know the answer to the question, or you might think that you do, but with awareness of the transgender experience on the rise, it’s clear that there is a distance to go in educating the public about the diversity within the transgender community and the appropriate, respectful ways to talk about it.

how to Building A Better Understanding Of The Transgender Community

Part of the challenge in people better understanding the transgender community is that the spectrum is incredibly diverse. It’s not just one way of being. Can you talk about that?

 I think probably typical of what happens with groups as they emerge and become more visible to the rest of the world, is that they are trying to work out their own language. So even the terminology that we use in the film isn’t universally, 100% accepted by every transgender person.

 However, that being said, I think the term “transgender,” and the way we use it to cover the range of diversity of people that have these experiences, is probably the more common way.

What do you think the transgender community most wants people to understand?

That they’re just normal people. They’re not sick. They’re not deviants. We have to recognize that the term “gender identity disorder” -- the reference to a “disorder” -- was only eliminated recently, I mean, we’re talking about only a year ago. 

Up until that point, that kind of terminology, even within the professional medical community, suggested that it was more of an illness that needed to be cured.

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What does it mean to be transgender?

Transgender people are people whose gender identity is different from the gender they were thought to be at birth. “Trans” is often used as shorthand for transgender. When we're born, a doctor usually says that we're male or female based on what our bodies look like. 

Most people who were labeled male at birth turn out to actually identify as men, and most people who were labeled female at birth grow up to be women. But some people's gender identity – their innate knowledge of who they are – is different from what was initially expected when they were born. Most of these people describe themselves as transgender. 

A transgender woman lives as a woman today, but was thought to be male when she was born. A transgender man lives as a man today, but was thought to be female when he was born. Some transgender people identify as neither male nor female, or as a combination of male and female. 

There are a variety of terms that people who aren't entirely male or entirely female use to describe their gender identity, like non-binary or genderqueer.

What's the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity?

Gender identity and sexual orientation are two different things. Gender identity refers to your internal knowledge of your own gender—for example, your knowledge that you're a man, a woman, or another gender. Sexual orientation has to do with whom you’re attracted to. 

Like non-transgender people, transgender people can have any sexual orientation. For example, a transgender man (someone who lives as a man today) may be primarily attracted to other men (and identify as a gay man), may be primarily attracted to women (and identify as a straight man), or have any other sexual orientation.

What is the difference between being transgender and being gender non-conforming?

Being gender non-conforming means not conforming to gender stereotypes. For example, someone’s clothes, hairstyle, speech patterns, or hobbies might be considered more "feminine" or "masculine" than what's stereotypically associated with their gender. 

Gender non-conforming people may or may not be transgender. For example, some women who were raised and identify as women present themselves in ways that might be considered masculine, like by having short hair or wearing stereotypically masculine clothes. 

The term “tomboy” refers to girls who are gender non-conforming, which often means they play rough sports, hang out with boys, and dress in more masculine clothing. Similarly, transgender people may be gender non-conforming, or they might conform to gender stereotypes for the gender they live and identify as.

Why don’t transgender people get counseling to accept the gender they were assigned at birth?

Counseling aimed at changing someone’s gender identity, sometimes known as conversion therapy, doesn’t work and can be extremely harmful. The belief that someone’s gender identity can be changed through therapy runs counter to the overwhelming consensus in the medical community. 

Telling someone that a core part of who they are is wrong or delusional and forcing them to change it is dangerous, sometimes leading to lasting depression, substance abuse, self-hatred and even suicide. Because of this, a growing number of states have made it illegal for licensed therapists to try to change a young person’s gender identity (laws apply to those under 18). 

However, many transgender people find it helpful to get counseling to help them decide when to tell the world they are transgender and deal with the repercussions of stigma and discrimination that comes afterward.

Understanding mental health in the transgender community

Mental health challenges are common. In fact, one in five people will experience a mental illness like depression or anxiety. But unfortunately in the transgender community, that number is even higher at nearly one in two. Even worse, 41 percent have attempted suicide.

Why are mental health challenges more common among trans individuals?

When a person decides to transition, it’s obvious. And unfortunately, not everyone is understanding. The individual may be bullied and not accepted by their loved ones as they transition, and after. And they may face medical insurance issues, too. The anticipation of these barriers might even cause someone to believe that they have no realistic path to transition.

 There is a high level of emotional pain that can come with transitioning. And there is a high level of emotional pain that can come with continuing to live with gender dysphoria. This pain (just like the pain that comes from living with any chronic disease) is what can lead to depression and anxiety. And it is these mental illnesses that can make a person feel like they have no way out and have thoughts of ending their life.

What challenges do trans people face?

While trans people are increasingly visible in both popular culture and in daily life, we still face severe discrimination, stigma and systemic inequality. Some of the specific issues facing the trans community are:

What challenges do trans people face?

Lack of legal protection

Trans people face a legal system that often does not protect us from discrimination based on our gender identity. 

Despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision that makes it clear that trans people are legally protected from discrimination in the workplace, there is still no comprehensive federal non-discrimination law that includes gender identity - which means trans people may still lack recourse if we face discrimination when we’re seeking housing or dining in a restaurant. 

Moreover, state legislatures across the country are debating – and in some cases passing – legislation specifically designed to prohibit trans people from accessing public bathrooms that correspond with our gender identity, or creating exemptions based on religious beliefs that would allow discrimination against LGBTQ people.

Lack of Healthcare Coverage

An HRC Foundation analysis found that 22% of trans people and 32% of trans people of color have no health insurance coverage. More than one-quarter (29%) of trans adults have been refused health care by a doctor or provider because of their gender identity. This sobering data reveals a healthcare system that fails to meet the needs of the trans community.

Identity Documents

The widespread lack of accurate identity documents among trans people can have an impact on every aspect of their lives, including access to emergency housing or other public services. 

Without identification, one cannot travel, register for school or access many services that are essential to function in society. Many states do not allow trans people to update their identification documents to match their gender identity. 

Others require evidence of medical transition – which can be prohibitively expensive and is not something that all trans people want – as well as fees for processing new identity documents, which may make them unaffordable for some members of the trans community.