|
|
Gender:
A concept of maleness or
femaleness which is considered independent of sexual
characteristics. A fluid definition which has different
classifications across cultures. In many cultures there are
three or more recognised genders. |
|
Sex:
This what you are called at or around birth based on primary
sex characteristics i.e. genitalia. Male or Female sex is
assigned by the way one looks to the medical staff at the
time of birth. Gender identification is frequently (but by
no means always) concordant with the sex identification. |
|
Sexuality:
The
sexual orientation of a person or how one relates to other
people physically and emotionally. Homosexuality,
Bisexuality and many other orientations are identified.
Where there is ambiguity or blurring of gender
"boundaries", some of the standard descriptions of
orientation fail due to the assumption of fixed gender i.e.,
is a male to female transsexual who has a relationship with
a genetic women a lesbian relationship? |
|
Genetic
Male:
A person who was assigned male gender as a result of having
predominantly male sex characteristics at birth |
|
Genetic
Female:
A
person who was assigned female gender as a result of having
predominantly female sex characteristics at birth |
|
Intersexed:
A person who was ambiguously male or female at birth and may
have been assigned to a gender at the discretion of the
treating medical officer at or near birth. Surgical
adjustment to genitalia may have subsequently been performed
to "confirm" the gender assigned. |
|
Cross
Dresser:
A person who wears the clothes of another gender. This is
rarely applied to a genetic woman who wears male clothing
and is mostly applied to genetic males who wear overtly
female clothing. The term Transvestite is a term often used
to refer to the same thing but has overtones of fetishism
and obsessive behaviour. |
|
Transgenderist:
A person who adopts a lifestyle where they live a life
closely mirroring that of a different gender to that
assigned at birth. This person may live as their preferred
gender on either a part time or full time basis. This term
usually refers to people who choose not to seek Sex
Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and may (but many do not) choose
hormone therapy. Other surgery and facial hair removal are
frequently considered important for those who are
genetically male and wishing to present as female in daily
life. The boundaries between Transgenderism and
Transsexuality are often blurred. |
|
Transgender: A
general term that was originally coined to refer to people
who cross-lived in a different gender but did not seek
surgical intervention. It has become popular as a relatively
benign term to cover all forms of unconventional gender
expression. It is specifically used to refer collectively to
people who cross-dress, cross-live in a different gender and
to transsexuals who wish to permanently alter their bodies.
A useful short definition is that it refers to the diverse
groups of people who show some
kind of variation from cultural norms in their gender
expression.
|
|
Transsexual:
A
person who intends to change their body to more closely
resemble that of the sex that they would prefer to be. This
usually involves hormone therapy and often includes some
cosmetic surgery. SRS is sought in a small proportion of
cases. There are two main categories by which Transsexuals
are referred - Male to Female (MtF) and Female to Male
(FtM). |
|
MtF
(Male to Female Transsexuals):
This
refers to genetic males who seek to change their bodies to
resemble female bodies. This usually requires medical
intervention with hormone treatment, cosmetic surgery (in
many cases) and possibly SRS. Facial hair removal, speech
therapy/voice surgery and treatment for receding hair line
are frequently sought. |
|
(FtM)
Female to Male Transsexuals:
This
refers to a genetic female who seeks to change their body to
resemble a male body. This is usually achieved by hormone
treatment and bilateral mastectomy. |
|
Standards
of Care:
The
Harry Benjamin Standards of Care (SoC) are a set of
standards which were developed in the 1940's and 50's for
the treatment of transsexuals who wished to have SRS
(primarily genetic males who wished to be women). The
standards were developed in an environment where there was
resistance from the medical profession (predominantly
conservatives) to the provision of ANY assistance for
transsexuals to change their sex/gender. |
|
Transition:
This
is the process of changing from presenting as a Woman to
presenting as a Man or visa versa. This process varies
according to the individual's life circumstances, personal
objectives and overall outlook on life. It also depends on
considerations for work, family and friends. The process
defined in the Standards of Care are not always appropriate
and individuals are more often inclined to make their own
choices when they are not obliged to follow the SoC.
Transition may or may not result in SRS/GRS. |
|
DSM:
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
This is published by the American Psychiatric Association
and is used as the standard model for treatment of people
who have Gender Identity Disorders. The manual emphasises
the treatment of patients with the clear assumption that
there is something "wrong" with the person. This
manual should be viewed within the context that the
psychiatric profession has a strong tendency to view any
variation from the Western Cultural Norm as a disorder. |
|
SRS
(Sex Reassignment Surgery):
Also
referred to as Gender Reassignment Surgery (Note: logically,
gender cannot be reassigned by surgery. It is innate to a
person's identity) or Genital Reconstruction Surgery. The
semantics are less relevant than the reality of the surgery
which is unchanged by the description! For MtF transsexuals
the surgery involves such procedures as orchidectomy
(removal of the testes), penectomy (removal of the penis),
labioplasty (construction of a labia, usually from the
scrotal tissue) and vaginoplasty (construction of a
functional vagina and clitoris from the penis skin and glans
with possibly a colon transplant for additional depth). For
a FtM procedures include bilateral mastectomy (removal of
both breasts), hysterectomy (to remove the uterus and
ovaries) and phalloplasty (to create a functional and
cosmetically appealing penis) It is widely regarded that MtF
SRS is more successful in producing a functional and
cosmetically appealing result that FtM SRS. |
|
Hormones: This
refers to the Gonadal hormones. Male gonadal hormones are
called Androgens and are mainly confined to testosterone
which produces all the readily identifiable Secondary Sex
characteristics. The main female hormone is oestrogen with
progesterone as a secondary one. A MtF will usually need to
use an anti-androgen to suppress testosterone. The effects
of gonadal hormones are often quite significant but it is
reported that the effectiveness of the hormone treatment
decreases with the age at which a person starts taking them.
|
|
Primary
Sex Characteristics:
The
Genitals are the primary sex characteristics. The usually
definitively identify a person as either male or female. |
|
Secondary
Sex Characteristics: These
include the existence of breasts (or not), hairline, facial
shape, body shape (the hour-glass figure is typically
female) and the distribution of body hair. Since these
characteristics are more visible, they are used as cues when
people identify gender. Other cultural cues include length
and style of hair, fingernail length, and use of makeup.
These are not really body characteristics but a culturally
determined set of gender clues that can be quite easily
changed. |
|
Primary
Transexual:
A term that was used to describe those who strongly
identified feelings of being transgendered at an early age.
It was highly regarded by the medical profession for a
person to have "felt like this since I first
talked". These days, it is not often used for
diagnosis. |
|
Secondary
Transexual:
A
term used to indicate that a person identified transgender
feelings at a later age. |
