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- Whether we like it or not we live in a world of labels and boxes. This Glossary is a list of terms and definitions we have compiled relative to the transgender community. You can filter by an alphabetic letter below, or just scroll through everything. If you see something you believe is missing or inaccurate please don't hesitate to contact us.
- A term to describe men that date, have sex with and/ or are romantically involved with or in pursuit of transgender women. Also know as Tranny Chasers.
- The general use of being androgynous is a person that blends both male and female gender characteristics into a single presentation, or someone that lacks any specific gender identification. An example of the first might be singers Annie Lenox or David Bowie. An example of the second would be Hirjras (of India) who are often described as "neither man nor woman". The word Andro
- is the romantic and/or sexual attraction to adult male, while gynophilia is the romantic and/or sexual attraction to adult females. These terms are increasingly used in the reference of transgender people and their attractions as the term homosexual (or gay) to describe a trans woman's attraction to men for example, is not accurate.
- Asexuality is a general term or self-designation for people who lack sexual attraction or otherwise find sexual behavior unappealing. There is debate as to whether this is a sexual dysfunction or a sexual orientation; furthermore, there is disagreement over the exact definition of the word. There has been little research done on asexuality, but those studies that have been conducted suggest th
- The love of oneself as a woman. A sexual behavior (or deviation) proposed in 1989 by Ray Blanchard, who defined it as "a man's paraphilic tendency to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of himself as a woman." It is part of a behavioral model for transsexual sexuality informally known as the Blanchard, Baily, and Lawrence theory; an attempt to explain transwomen (male to
- Bondage and Domination is the act of being enslaved by a master/ mistress, to succumbing to the will of another by force for sexual and/or emotional pleasure. B & D activites are sometimes combined with S & M role play.
- The sexual orientation that refers to the aesthetic, romantic or sexual desire for individuals of either gender or sex. Although observed in a variety of forms in human societies and in the animal kingdom throughout recorded history, the term "bisexuality" was only coined in the 19th century.
- The process of flattening (and thereby "hiding") ones breasts to present a flat look under their clothing.
- A slang term sometimes used for biologically born women that portay a male identity. Also used to discribe a submissive male, as in the term houseboi, somone subservient to a dominant male.
- A term used within the lesbian community associated with a musculine or tough acting woman.
- Abbreviation for the term Cross-Dresser
- When the general public sees past a transgender persons presentation and recognises their birth gender. Alternative slang is "being read," or "being spooked."
- A person who chooses to dress in clothing the society considers exclusively appropriate for a member of the opposite sex.
- Traditionally meaning a man married to an unfaithful wife, who does not know or accept this position. More recent usage of the term is a man who not only knows of his wife's adultery , but is more often forced to watch as a form of obidience to his wife's supremacy over him.
- A dominant female in an S & M relationship
- Abbreviation for the term Drag Queen
- A term used to describe women that spend most of their time in the company of gay men, or are otherwise fans of gay men.
- A term used for biological women that perform as men, such a King Dredd.
- The term is slang to describe a male that dresses up as a woman (usually in a very dramatic way) for the purpose of performance and/or shock value. Well known drag queens includes performers such as Lady Bunny, Miss Understood, and Heklina. They shouldn't be confused with female impersonators like Randy Roberts or transsexual performers like Candis Cayne or Mimi Marks.
The term Drag Q
- Behavior considered to be more feminine than masculine.
- The professional you consult before engaging in sex reassignment hormone therapy. They are skilled in the study of endocronology; the study of the endocrine glands of the human body, the hormones produced by them, and their related disorders.
- A castrated human male.
- Also referred to as FFS, it is a surgical procedure that alters the bone structure of the human face to present a more feminie appearance.
- Men that strive to authentically impersonate women, usually for performance purposes. Not to be confused with drag queens that present more in "high camp," like a caricature of a woman rather than an actual woman.
- Comprises the physical and mental attributes associated with the female sex. Some are partly culturally determined, rooted in the socialization of a girl's early development (and adjusted throughout adulthood by picking up or reacting to societal cues),while other attributes can be traced to the female reproductive role. Female gender roles can vary between different societies and eras.
- Traditionally a woman that supports the equality of women with men.
- A person that finds sexual gratification from wearing, or the use of objects, such as womens high heel shoes, nylon stockings etc.
- Abbreviation for the term Female to male
- The term has several meanings, but in regard to transgender refers to a sort of thong made of a tight fabric that is used by male to female trans people to conceal their genitals
- Another word that refers to a person that is homosexual
- Defined as the social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual belief about ones sex. Gender not only the internal sense of self, but also the external presentation of a persons sense of self. Gender is also about social interaction and presentation. With both psychological and sociological components, many behaviors are ‘gendered’ and attributed to a particular sex. Many feminists
- Alternative wording for SRS (GRS)
- Defining a persons Gender Expression is the way they present themselves externally (aestheticlly, stylistically, and behavior) in social settings. One's gender expression does not always match a persons' Gender ID or anotomic sex.
- A person that in a "fluid" state of gender; never conforming to one specific gender ID. Someone that effortlessly changes their presentation on a given day to fit their mood.
- Usually with a more rebellous spirit, it is the distrupting of gender norms by presenting oneself in a gender ambiguous way.
- Specifically refers to how a person identifies internally. It has no relation to sexual orientation, birth sex or in some cases even gender expression.
- The surgical procedures to change a person's existing physical (sexual) appearance and function to that of the opposite sex. Other terms for SRS include sexreassignment surgery, sex reconstruction surgery, genital reconstruction surgery, gender confirmation surgery, and more recently sex affirmation surgery. The commonly used terms sex change or sex change operation are considered factual
- A genderqueer person is someone who identifies as a genderother than "man" or "woman," or someone who identifies as neither, both, or some combination thereof. They generally identify as more "both/and" or "neither/nor," rather than "either/or."
- Acronym for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. Intersexed is sometimes associated with this group.
- Acronym for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. Intersexed is sometimes associated with this group.
- Refers to people or venues that are accepting of, or at least tolerant of people that are gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transgender.
- Typically used to describe people with ambiguous genitalia or biological sex at birth. The broader term intersex is often used and is preferred by many such individuals and medical professionals.
- Primarily refers to aesthetic, sexual and romantic attraction exclusively between a man and a woman (in the traditional use of those terms).
- The "love of the same," is a term developed to emphasize the emotional component of same-sex love and to de-emphasize the sexual aspect suggested by the word "homosexuality."
- The sexual and romantic attraction and teraction by two members of the same sex. Aslo referred to as "gay."
- The replacement of the naturally occurring hormones in a persons body with those of the opposite sex. The purpose is to cause the development of the secondary sex characteristics of the desired gender.
- The act of dressing, acting and pretending to be an infant for sexual or emotional gratification. Those that engage in infantism are also known as Adult Babies
- See Hermaphrodite
- The opposite of a "Tom Boy"
- Someone with the same feelings and attitudes as oneself.
- kathoey or katoey ( Thai: %u0E01%u0E30%u0E40%u0E17%u0E22, IPA: [ka%u0294t%u02B0%u0264%u02D0j]) is sometimes referred to as ladyboys, or as sao (or phuying) praphet song ("a second kind of woman"), or phet thee sam (third sex), and generally refers to a male-to-female transgender girl or an effeminant gay male in Thailand.
- A female who is exclusively emotionally, sexually, and romantically attracted to other females.
- A term used to decribe a feminine woman attracted to feminine woman.
- Abbreviation for the term Male to Female
- Refers to the main foruce of a society; the majority norms. The trans community refers to all the "straight folk" as the mainstream.
- The term used for a dominant partner in a BDSM relationship.
- A person that identifies as a Transsexual but has elected not to undergo sexual reassignement surgery.
- This is a term that refers to a person that is sexually /romantically attracted to any and all sexes and genders; male, female, and transgender.
- Refers to whether a transgender person is percieved by the general public as the gender they're presenting.
- A person that identies as a Transsexual and has undergone sex reassignment surgery.
- A person that identifies as a Transsexual, but has not undergone Sex reassignment surgery.
- Refers to te outward gender a person is is "presenting."
- A term used within the gay community to describe feminine men and/or drag queens.
- When the general public sees past a transgender persons presentation and recognises their birth gender. Alternative slang is "being clocked," or "being spooked."
- Sadism is the sexual pleasure or gratification in the infliction of pain and suffering upon another person. The counterpart of sadism is masochism, the sexual pleasure or gratification of having pain or suffering inflicted upon the self, often consisting of sexual fantasies or urges for being beaten, humiliated, bound, tortured, or otherwise made to suffer, either as an enhancement to o
- Refers to the way in which something affects you you in an erotic way.
- The process of changing ones genitals from one distinct sex to resemble that of another
sex. by tundergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery. The term is also a crude way of describing
a gender transition.
- Is defined by whether we are attracted romatically, sexually, and emotionally to people that have the same or the opposite sex characeristics as ourselves. i.e heterosexual, homosexual.
- Refers to the expression of sexual sensation and related intimacy between human beings, as well as the expression of identity through sex and as influenced by or based on sex. It is subject to a broad range of behaviors and processes, including physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, and spiritual (religious).
- A a person that is neither male or female, but embodies the attributes (penis, breasts) of both. In it's earliest use of the word Christine Jorgensen and Concinelle were referred to as She-Males, although they should have been referred to as transsexuals. While transsexuals are people born into the wrong body, the current day Shemales are truly the "third-sex."
- A slave is usualy party to BDSM role play, or a BDSM lifestyle. They exist exclusively to serve a dominant partner (the Dom, usually a Master or Mistress) in anyway, shape or form that the Dom chooses. They surrender themselves completely; of mind and body.
- When the general public sees past a transgender persons presentation and recognises their birth gender. Alternative slang is "being read," or "being clocked."
- This refers to people of heterosexual orientation.
- Submissiveness is the trait of being willing to yield to the will of another person or a superior force. A submissive person in general is non combative, willing to go along with what others decide. In human sexual behavior, a submissive is one who enjoys having any of a variety of BDSM practices performed upon them by a Dominant partner (usually referred to as the Master or Mistress).&nb
- Abbreviation for the word Transgender
- A slang word, considered offensive by some, referring to transgender people.
- A term to describe men that date, have sex with and/ or are romantically involved with or in pursuit of transgender women. Also know as Admirers.
- Abbreviation refering to the term Transgender, such as Trans-community, my trans journey, etc.
- An umbrella term used to broadly describe anyone who falls outside the behavior or presentation of the traditional binary male or female role. This not only transsexuals, cross-dressers, shemales, genderqueer, androgynous, intersex, drag queens, and drag kings, but also a heterosexual effeminat man or a heterosexual tom boy, for example, can be considered transgender.
- Another term for a transgender person used by those that are not defined (or do not identify) with the descriptions of the transgender sub label categories.
- The life change process to live in the role opposite ones birth sex (gender). During transition a person has to adjust to the social, intellectual and psychological impact of their decision. In most cases, though not all, many undergoing transition have also elected to undergo surgical and biological changes as well, including FFS, SRS, and HRT.
- A person that was born female that has transitioned to living as male
- Widely misunderstood and misused, a transsexual is a person that identifies as the sex opposite from the biological body they were born with. It is not the result of SRS surgery, but the reason for it.
- An outdated term that referred to a man that dressed and acted in a manner of the opposite sex. Moreover, it implied sexually fetishistic, and /or homosexual motivations, which was insulting to the broader trans communty that was no so motivated.
- A person that was born male that has transitioned to living as female
- The process of hiding ones penis and testicls through the use of a gaff, tape, or some other technique to achieve a flat look under ones clothing.
- Abbriviation for the word Transvestite (or in spanish, Travesty)
- Usually implies a masculine spirit and a feminine spirit living in the same body, and is a term that was used in many native tribes around the world.
- Is any surgical procedure to correct vaginal structural defects, or to construct a new vagina when one is lacking. When a new vagina is created where one had not previously existed it is sometimes called neovaginoplasty, although surgeons whose practices consist primarily of performing vaginoplasty procedures to construct new vaginas rarely, if ever, use that term.