[W372]What Are Communication Channels

The term ?transgender? has been derived from the Latin word ?trans? and the English word ?gender?. Different sorts of individuals come under this category. No particular form of sexual orientation is meant through the term transgender. Heterosexual, homosexual, asexual, bisexual & pansexual - transgender people can identify themselves as any one of these types. The way they behave and act differs from the ?normative? gender role of men and women.

The ?gender identity? of a transgender (who can be male, female, ?both male and female? or ?neither male nor female?) doesn't go with his/her ?assigned gender?, which is determined on the basis of a person's physical or genetic sex. The characteristics that a transgender individual possess may be related to a specific gender, but they may identify somewhere else on the established gender scale. Transgenders can also identify themselves as ?other?, ?bigender?, ?third gender?, ?intergender? or ?agender?.

Though implied in the 1960s, the term ?transgender? became popular in the decade of 70s. The people who, without having gender reassignment surgery, had the desire of living cross-gender were described under the term. All the people whose gender assigned at the time of birth do not gell with their gender identity came under the umbrella of the term in the 1980s. The term is still evolving. According the definition by USI LGBT Campaign ? Transgender Campaign (Dated 6th March 2007), transgenders are ??People who were assigned a gender, usually at birth and based on their genitals, but who feel that this is a false or incomplete description of themselves??. People of several overlapping categories like transsexuals, cross-gender individuals, cross-dressers, drag queens; drag kings, transvestites, genderqueer and androgynes are included under transgender identity.

Whether people with ambiguous genitilia or intersex individuals are transgender is a matter of debate. For the female-to-male or FTM transgender people, the term ?transman? is used whereas MTF (male-to-female) transgender persons are referred by the term ?transwoman?. The approximate ratio between transwoman and transman is 1:1.

Transsexual individuals, who constitute a major section of transgenders, prefer to live their lives as people from their opposite gender. Hormones and sex reassignment surgery fall under the agenda of several transsexual persons, who crave for a bodily change. The exact reason behind transsexualism is still an issue of research.

Cross-dresser individuals love to wear clothes usually worn by the members of opposite gender. It's not necessary that cross-genders identify themselves as people of opposite gender or behave that way. In general, they do not opt for a sex change operation and consider themselves as heterosexual.

Drag king and drag queens are primarily performers who get draped in outrageous and larger-than-life costumes worn by the members of opposite sex. Some cross dressers also like to get identified as drag kings and drag queens.

A transvestite simply loves to cross-dress, but if the person has a fetish or obsession for cross-dressing, then the behavior is known as ?transvestic fetishism?. Sexual play is an important part of the behavior of a transvestite.

A blend of sexual orientations and gender identities is signified by the term Genderqueer, which is a relatively new concept. In the binary sex system, genderqueerness is quite incomprehensible.

If people like to live as the gender other than that assigned at birth, then they are individuals who live cross-gender. For some of these persons, the term transsexual can also be applied. The human beings who live cross-gender without going for sex reassignment surgery are hailed as ?transgenderists?.

Various expressions like beyond gender, entirely genderless, moving across genders, between genders etc. are used to refer the androgynes. Pangender, intergender, bigender, agender, non-gendered, ambigender people come under androgyne identities. Both physical and psychological androgyny can be observed.

Nowadays in professional literature, sexual orientation of a person is described without putting reference of his/her gender identity. The term ?androsexual? signifies ?attracted to men? whereas ?gynosexual? indicates individuals who are ?attracted to women?. The phrases ?attracted to neither? and ?attracted to both? are used too. With respect to the gender identities and preferences of their transgender clients, therapists are gradually selecting separate terms. Though many professionals of this field advise their clients to opt for sex transition operation, this cannot be a solution for all transgender people, especially cross-gender individuals. In many Western as well as non-Western countries, state-of-the-art medical processes are available for transgender people. Among transmen, breast reduction surgery is quite common whereas transwomen love to go for electrolysis or laser hair removal.

In order to reflect their gender identity, many transgender people from the Western society have gone for changing their legal gender in addition to their names. In recent times, the terms ?transgender and transsexual? or just ?trans? is used with the purpose of respecting those transsexuals who do not wish to get identified as transgender. A person who has undergone ?transition? may not identify with the states of transgender or transsexual. They are now just a ?man? or a ?woman?.

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