A Glossary of Terms

[smc]

Originally Posted by sosed

I have a question of meanings of some terms/words. I know who is crossdresser and I know who is MtF Tgirl, but I'm not sure about the meaning of travestite and transvestite. Are those two terms, which describe the same or is a difference in meaning? Are they describing a person who is crossdresser or a person, who is transgender? Are those two words proper to use or are bad terms?

I have just merged your post into this thread from the new thread you began. I encourage you to read the earlier posts.

Please clarify "travestite" and "transvestite". It looks to me like a typographic error on your part. Do you mean TRAVESTI? This is a common term in Italian that encompasses all transgender categories.

[Bionca]

Transvestite is a word that's more complicated in that it doesn't have a really shared meaning. Literally it means "cross dress" and in some places that's exactly who it describes - cross dressers. In other places, like commonly in the US, it is used more for people who get a sexual thrill about dressing like and being perceived as members of the opposite sex.

This is in counter point to Cross Dressers who often describe a feeling of having a "female side" that needs expressed (that may or many not include sex while dressed). The point of Cross Dressing is to give expression to a part of their identity that they feel is repressed in daily life.

Please Note: These are simply what I have gleamed from discussions with and reading the words of self-identified CDs and TVs. I could be way off base, and if so, welcome correction. As I said, the distinctions, if any, will be regional and can sometimes be muddy.

[sosed]

In our environment both words travestite and transvestite are used and actually they don't have the same meaning, as one word more describe a person who feel opposite sex and other more acting opposite sex, more as art. I'm not sure which word describe what and if they are just constructs or actual words used in wider area and if their meaning is correct.

[Be_my_nude]

Hm ! Not so taken now with the term GG after Bionca's observations, although I have had occasion to use it when referring to myself.

Perhaps BGs would be better, although I am not all that talented on the music side. ( BG - born a girl - in case you wondered !

I think Randolph's post ( no. 16 ) was short and very much to the real point.

The sceptic in me does wonder a little though whether this thread was somewhat contrived, ( no offence meant by this observation ) insofar that we have already had so much in depth discussion round this.