Areas of Advice

  • No categories

The Advice Archive

Trans women

Trans women or transwomen are transsexual or Transgender people who have been identified as members of the male sex since infancy, but believe that this is not an accurate or complete description of themselves and therefore (usually) identify and live as female.

Transwomen who feel that their change of gender and any medical treatments have been completed often prefer to be called simply women and consider trans woman or male-to-female transsexual to be terms that should only used for persons who are still transitioning. While trans women are often chromosomal males, women refers to cultural gender role distinctions, not physiological sex. Those who still identify as trans women after transition sometimes describe themselves as post-op transsexuals as distinguished from pre-op. Others dislike the term transsexual and prefer to call themselves transgender women or simply use the term transgender.

Some trans women do not want or are not able to have genital reconstruction surgery, in which case they may describe themselves as non-op. Some trans women feel that surgery is only a small part of a complete transition and that trans women should not be defined by their surgical status.

People of extremely conservative cultural backgrounds or beliefs tend to look upon trans women as either effeminate gay men who took their effeminacy to an extreme level, if they are attracted to men (see drag queen), or as straight men with an abnormal fetish (if attracted to women). This view is widely considered to be entirely false. For more information, see homosexuality and transgender and autogynephilia.

Sexual orientation

Most recent scientific studies and reports by support groups, help lines, etc. indicate that the percentage of trans women who consider themselves lesbian, bisexual or asexual is higher than in the general female population. The details differ however, with scientific papers usually reporting a higher number of heterosexual-identified trans women than support groups report.

See also

Transition-related topics

  • Depilation
  • Facial Feminization Surgery
  • Hormone replacement therapy (trans)
  • Sex reassignment surgery male-to-female
  • Transitioning (transgender)

General transgender topics

  • List of transgender-related topics
  • List of transmasculine people
  • List of trangender people
  • Transgender

External links