Transgender Terminology and Definitions

Laura's Playground is a large, busy ( 5.6 million users strong) Award winning Transgendered, Transgender support, Transgender Resources and Onine Community featuring Chat, forums, advice, hundreds of original articles, moderator and user support. Our moderators are certified in youth suicide prevention. We accept everyone under the Transgender Umbrella including Transsexuals, Crossdressers, Transvestitites, Transgenders, transgenderists, androgynes, intersexxed, Drag Queens and Drag Kings, family members and partners, wives, husbands and teens. None of these will be refused for their group affiliations. Here you will get honest answers and genuine support whether you are TG, TS, or CD. We also accept those who are uncertain and who are unsure as well as those that identify as a third gender or genderqueer. If you are a male or female about gender or change or not you are accpted here. Non-ops are welcome. There are no trans wars here just help and support. We are also A Transgender Research site.

The word Transgender creates a lot of confusion, even among the Transgendered. That's because there is more than one meaning as well as old and new meanings. It is a word that is still evolving. Their are public, peer, therapist and medical views of this category. All are different.

"Transgender is generally used as an overarching, general term for a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving full or partial tendencies towards that of the opposite gender.
A transgender symbol, a combination of the male and female sign with a third, combined arm representing transgender people.Transgender is the state of one's identity not matching one's assigned gender, which is usually based on physical/genetic sex. Transgender is inclusive of such diverse categories as transvestism, transsexualism, and any other traits and behaviours not typically associated with one's assigned gender". (Wikapedia)

These days Transgender is a category that refers to an all inclusive Umbrella term that includes Transvestites, Crossdressers, Androgyne's, Gender Benders, Transgenderists and Transsexual. Intersex people are sometimes included as well depending on who you talk to. None of these different groups are anything alike. All are very dissimilar to each other. Bear in mind that each of these individual terms have a wide encompassing spectrum of their own. There are several different types of Crossdressers for example. Intersex though is a proven genetic physical condition. Transsexuality is also thought to have a physical cause and may be intersex as well. Research proves this. TG's are all about gender, not sexual orientation. Transsexuals and the Intersexed (physical cause) often do not consider themselves to be transgendered though the public does.

Transgender includes both (MTF) Male to Female and (FTM) Female to Male's. They are also sometimes referred to as Trans, or Tranny or trannies. Transgender or TG is the correct term. The others are derogatory. Newer terminology replaces these terms with Transwoman or Transman.

A transgenderist is a person who usually lives dresses and works in the role of the opposite Gender. Many will obtain hormones and facial and cosmetic surgeries but not gender re-assignment surgery. They usually drive pleasure from their original genitals and wish to keep them, unlike Transsexuals.

The term "Shemale" was coined by the porn industry and is considered derogatory and offensive. While they are often billed as Transsexuals, most are not. There are however Transsexuals who do enter the porn industry intending to save money for SRS. These are not Transgenderists. Non-op Transsexuals who for financial or medical reasons cannot obtain the surgery are also not considered Transgenderists, they are Transsexual. A Transgenderist cannot be considered a non-op as they are not Transsexual.

A crossdresser who grows breasts is a transgenderist not a crossdresser.

Transgender Support group online meetings for all groups are held every week here in the Chat Rooms.

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