Transgender People Gay?

Being transgender is not the same thing as being gay.

Being transgender is about gender identity the way you see yourself and the gender you identify with. Being gay or lesbian is about sexual orientation the gender you are attracted to.

Many gay and lesbian people are comfortable with their gender. They don't want to be a different gender from what they are. They're just attracted to people of the same sex they are.

Because sexual orientation is a different thing from gender identity, a transgender teen can be straight, gay, or bisexual just like other teens can.

Are People Who Dress as the Opposite Sex Transgender?
People who dress in clothes that are usually associated with a different gender are sometimes called cross-dressers (or transvestites). Not all people who dress as the opposite sex are transgender. Some are, of course. But lots of people who cross-dress are making a clothing choice for fun, comfort, or as a way to express their personal style not because they see themselves as the other gender.

What's in a Name?
The word transgender doesn't only mean that a person identifies with the opposite gender. It also can be used by people who don't feel like they're either completely male or completely female.

In addition to transgender, people use other words to describe feeling different from the gender they were born with. These words can include gender variant, MTF (for male to female), or FTM (for female to male). Some people don't want to be called by any of the terms that are typically used to describe people who are questioning their gender. They just want to be known as who they are, unique in their own special way.

By: Linda A. Hawkins, EdD, and Nadia Dowshen, MD

What Does It Mean to Be Transgender?

When you think of yourself as male or female, it's called gender identity. Everyone has a gender identity the inborn sense of ourselves as being male or female.

Most people's gender identity matches their anatomy. But people who are transgender feel different from their physical appearances.

What society expects of us as men, women, boys, and girls also affects what we feel about ourselves. Every culture has "rules" about what is expected for men and what is expected for women. These expectations can include things like hairstyles, clothing, and jobs and how people should act or behave.

Society doesn't have to state these "rules." Everyone knows them because we see them all over. So most of us grow up believing men should act a certain way and women should act a certain way without thinking about it much. Transgender people, though, have a very different sense of themselves.

Some transgender people know they feel "different" from the time they're young kids. Others start sensing it around puberty or even later. When people who are transgender become aware that they feel mismatched with their bodies, they may feel confused and emotionally conflicted.

Some people decide to physically change their bodies through surgery or taking hormones to match the gender they feel they really are. Physically becoming the opposite gender can be a long, complicated, and expensive process.

Not everyone decides to get surgery or hormones, though. Some transgender people are most comfortable keeping their physical anatomy but dressing as the opposite gender. Some aren't completely sure what they want yet, but may start by asking to be called a new name and use the pronouns that go with that name (such as "Amanda" instead of "Anthony" and "she" instead of "he").

Once transgender people start living their lives as the opposite gender, many issues may come up like how to fill out forms that require checking "female" or "male," and even which public bathrooms to use.

As with any group, not all transgender people want or think the same things. It all depends on what that particular person needs to feel most comfortable in both body and mind.

By: Linda A. Hawkins, EdD, and Nadia Dowshen, MD