TRANSGENDER
An umbrella term for anyone who transgresses societal norms of sex and gender. Although it formerly referred only to people who lived in another gender but did not desire gender reassignment surgery, the term now includes TRANSSEXUALS. All of the following categories are commonly included within the term TRANSGENDER.

CROSS-DRESSER
The preferred term for men who enjoy assuming women's clothing and social roles, usually part-time; the medical term is TRANSVESTITE. Historically, women who have cross-dressed have done it full time in order to serve in the military or gain access to other male-only domains. The overwhelming majority of male cross-dressers identify as heterosexual, and many are married.

DRAG
Adoption of the clothing and behaviors of the other gender for enjoyment, entertainment, or eroticism. Originally used only concerning gay men (DRAG QUEENS, as opposed to CROSS-DRESSERS), the term now refers also to lesbians (DRAG KINGS).

GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL:
People in these categories are considered transgenderist by many, in that they transgress the binary gender rule that says "real men" desire only women and vice versa. But most gay, lesbian, and bisexual people are comfortable with their gender of birth (gender identity), although they may manifest a wide diversity of gender presentation (degrees of "masculinity" or "femininity"). Some heterosexual people also present themselves in a transgender manner: not all "feminine" men or "masculine" women are either homosexual or cross-dressers.

INTERSEXUAL (formerly called HERMAPHRODITE)
People born with genitals that are ambiguous, neither completely male nor female (about one in every 2000 births), or with an atypical set of sex chromosomes (about one person in every five hundred has a karyotype other than XX or XY). Many intersexual newborns and children are subjected to cosmetic surgery to "correct" their genitals, procedures that often result in permanent loss of erotic genital sensation.

TRANSSEXUAL
Individuals who want to live in another gender and are willing to change their bodies through hormones and surgery to reflect that gender. Not all transsexuals can afford the expensive surgeries, which are often not covered by health insurance; and not all desire complete genital surgery. About 50 percent are male to female (M2F's) and about 50 percent are female to male (F2M's).

-- Virginia Ramey Mollenkott