Note: This FAQ is incomplete. I have made it available because it now contains considerably more than the original FAQ, but there is still much work to be done. Please send suggestions, comments, and contributions to Diane Wilson.

What are all these strange words and abbreviations?

transgendered, TG, T*, trans

an umbrella term including just about anyone who acts or thinks in a manner not socially approved for the gender assigned him or her at birth. T* is a computerish abbreviation for all the variants of trans-whatever: TV, TG, TS. "Trans" is a newer term that avoids the frequent misunderstanding between the meanings of "transgendered" and "transgenderist."

transgenderist, TG

One who lives in the social role opposite that of the sex assigned at birth, but who does not intend to have surgery, and may not wish to take hormones. Note that the term overlaps somewhat both with transgendered (although it is rarely used in this fashion) and with transsexual. It most commonly refers to MtFs, as FtM surgery remains much less accepted. Note that to refer to someone as "transgendered" does not in any way suggest that they are, or should be, transgenderists.

transsexual, TS

One for whom the sex assigned at birth is incorrect; some take hormones, some will have surgery to correct the genitals. "Preop" or preoperative transsexual refers to one who has not had SRS (q.v.); "postop" or postoperative to one who has. "Non-op" transsexuals have not had SRS, and have accepted that for a variety of reasons (including health-related, financial, relationships, or other things) they will not be having SRS in this lifetime.

transvestite, crossdresser, TV, CD

One who dresses (for any of a number of reasons) in clothing appropriate to the sex opposite that assigned at birth, but whose gender identification generally remains that of the birth-assigned sex. "Transvestite" is sometimes regarded as an epithet or as too clinical.

intersexed

An intersexual is someone for whom the process of biological sex differentiation has been non-standard.

SRS [GRS]

Sex Reassignment Surgery [Gender Reconciliation Surgery, Genital Reassignment Surgery]. The surgical process of creating a phallus or vagina; also, sometimes used to refer to "upper" surgery--mastectomy or breast implants. Colloquially, a "sex-change operation."

HRT

Hormonal Reassignment [or Replacement] Therapy. The medical process of inducing changes in the body by taking hormones appropriate to one's gender identity. For detail, see the hormone FAQ.

transition

Sometimes used to refer to the whole process from the end of denial to whatever the culmination may be; most often encountered as a synonym for going full-time.

full-time

Going full-time, or living full-time, in the social role of the sex opposite that assigned at birth. Required by the SOC before surgery, and in that context may be referred to as the real-life test (RLT).

F->M, FtM, F2M

Female to Male crossdresser, transsexual, etc. Alone, TS is usually implied.

M->F, MtF, M2F

Male to Female crossdresser, transsexual, etc. Alone, TS is usually implied.

SOC, HBIGDA SOC, ICTLEP SOCM

Standards of Care. The usual reference, and the most widely followed guidelines, are the Henry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association "Standards of Care: The Hormonal and Surgical Sex Reassignment of Gender Dysphoric Persons." The International Conference on Transgender Law and Employment Policy has also created and published a document called Standards of Care.

How much do all these labels matter? Not a lot, really. There's no right or wrong way to be transgendered; either you are or you aren't and that's about it. Besides that, there isn't a label to fit each and every person; some fit more than one, and some fit none at all. And people change.

This is certainly not a complete list of all the terms and abbreviations you may see or hear in conversations among the gender-gifted. While there are more complete lists available, I'd recommend against using any of them as a "classification guide." We're much more diverse than that.

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Disclaimer: Use this at your own risk. Things change daily on the Net and net-related information in this FAQ may not necessarily be correct. The only part of this document that can be considered perpetually accurate is the charter quoted in the first section of the Introduction.

Copyright © 1994-1997 by Amy A. Lewis, Kymberleigh Richards, and Diane Wilson. This page may be redistributed only after notifying the authors and entirely without changes other than what may be required for formatting into another medium.

Last updated May 27, 2001.

The soc.support.transgendered FAQ was originally written by Amy A. Lewis <alicorn@pobox.com>, and was updated in late 1995 and early 1996 by Kymberleigh Richards <sysadmin@xconn.com>. It is currently maintained by Diane Wilson <diane@firelily.com>; updates and additions should be sent to Diane Wilson. The FAQ Introduction is also available via the Cross Connection archive server.