Shemales or Transsexuals

[Hourglass]

Originally Posted by Wendy Summers

All definitions I'm providing refer to people born in male bodies. Flip genders for the other side if need be. As always different people may have slightly different takes on these varying terms.

A Transsexual is someone with the desire to transition across gender lines both physically and socially (the level of which is determined by the individual's need).

A Crossdresser is someone who predominantly lives and identifies as male but lets their "feminine side out" by dressing as a female; While "en femme" they do their best to assume the behaviors and societal roles of females.

A Transvestite is someone who although fully identifying as male, wears the clothing of a female . They often do not have any interest in assuming social norms and behaviors of females.

Transgender is the umbrella term for all of the above.

Good rule of thumb: let the person who are talking with self-identify and refer to them with the terminology they use.

While it's good to have some clarification, I must say that I've often gotten different answers from different people when it comes to definitions. And it's confusing as all Hell.

For example, one of my online acquaintances told me that a crossdresser and a transvestite are one and the same, and that a transgender is simply a woman's spirit in a man's body (she refers to herself as being a transgender). She further said that a femboi was just a very, very pretty male who, when dressed in woman's clothing, is indistinguishable from a woman.

When I asked where the term ladyboy fit in, she simply said, "that's what a lot of Asian tgirls call themselves." When I asked about the word shemale, she laughed and said "you mean a porn star."
I wouldn't have thought the word "shemale" was offensive; I guess I relate the she to addressing someone as "ma'am" or "madam" or "Miss" or "Ms." Conversely, more often than not, I hear the word tranny used in a derogatory manner. (read: people use as an insult. Name-calling.)

It made me wonder...How many labels do people need? And more importantly, which one is right?

I would venture to say that one reason major men have a hard time approaching transsexuals is due to simply not knowing how to address them. One person is fine with being called a ladyboy, the next person views it as an insult.
This is further compounded by the adult entertainment industry, which tosses the words shemale and tranny about with reckless abandon; And in fact, many of the stars in said films refer to themselves as being shemales and not as being female.
(Sorry girls...but porn is where a lot of guys learn stuff. For good or ill.)

So when you have the terms shemale, transsexual, transgender, tgirl, ladyboy, ladyboi, femboy, femboi (while we're at it, can someone clue me in on the whole "boi" spelling?), crossdresser, cd, tg, tv all being used (correctly or not) interchangeably...yeah. One can get a little lost on what is or is not proper or accurate.
Which can be a very bad thing when you think you're referring to someone respectfully, and you only end up infuriating them instead.

Put another way...perhaps the lack of success with being approached has less to do with what is between one's legs, and more to do with the label they insist on carrying?

I realize that being addressed properly is a big deal for a lot of people, and the last thing I'd want to do to anyone I'm trying to get to know would be insult them. But...well when you look at the glossary of terms being thrown about, it's sort of easy to understand why so many of us address you all incorrectly.

Didn't mean to rant 'n ramble, just thought I'd add my two cents.

[transjen]

Lets get somethings straight first off shemale is a term or label invented by the porn industry guess they figured it was classier to call em shemales instead of chicks with dicks

Now transsexual was a term/label invented by doctors to describe any person who is born one gender and wants to change to the other gender

Now then i've never liked the term shemale mostly due to the porn connection so i feel more at ease with the term transsexual plus add in that i've had SRS so there is nothing male about me so the term shemale doesn't even apply anylonger
Keep in mind this is just my personal take on the issue
Jerseygirl Jen

[Kitten]

As long as someone treats me with dignity and respect, then it doesn't matter what word they use. I am what I am, a girl with a penis, and there are many different names for that. Just as long as you don't call me a guy!

If I am close to a person though, I would expect them to be a little more aware of appropriate and respectful language.

[ladyboylover18]

Originally Posted by ThirdEyeGirl

I'm a non-op transsexual woman. Meaning I'm ALL woman, who happened to be born in a male body.
And the reasoning why I'm "non-op", is because I don't have a problem with my penis. The other reason is because I don't particularly like the idea of using surgery to manipulate what you were born with. I mean I'm barly considering FFS (Facial Feminization Surgery).
Now the reason why I hate to be refereed to as a 'shemale' or 'ladyboy'. Is because most people who use those terms (that I've encountered at least), think of transsexual women as just MEN who looks like women. Inferring that us ts girls think just like men do. When in fact we (transsexual women) never did. Even when we were ruled by testosterone.
Transsexual women are just that. Women! And we should always be treated as such.






Wendy is very accurate with her depiction of terms with in the transgender community.

But just to add another descriptor. Ladyboy is literally translated from the thai word kathoey. Witch in Thailand, is the way that they refer to trans women who have yet to have had SRS, or sexy change. And further more, the Thai people don't have a word for post-op transsexual women. They are now 100% women.

But just like Wendy has stated.

Good rule of thumb: let the person who are talking with self-identify and refer to them with the terminology they use.[/QUOTE]
So if you are not sure what you should call that person. Just ask them, and find out. [/QUOTE]
u have a good point

[JodieTs]

I think the Ts performer who gave the original poster shit,
is an idiot!
She objectifies her body as a sexual fantasy plaything.
Then bitches about the terminology which describes
the very same thing!
Oh, and it was her that used the term "Shemale", not the OP.
Lady has 'issues'

I call myself a shemale in escort and porn scenarios
as I objectify my body to earn Coin.

In sex work it's a job description, not a statement about the person, their validity or existence.

Outside work I'd be highly offended.
But as no one knows I'm Ts, that's not really likely....

Originally Posted by JodieTs

I think the Ts performer who gave the original poster shit,
is an idiot!
She objectifies her body as a sexual fantasy plaything.
Then bitches about the terminology which describes
the very same thing!
Oh, and it was her that used the term "Shemale", not the OP.
Lady has 'issues'

I call myself a shemale in escort and porn scenarios
as I objectify my body to earn Coin.

In sex work it's a job description, not a statement about the person, their validity or existence.

Outside work I'd be highly offended.
But as no one knows I'm Ts, that's not really likely....

It's highly possible that the ts performer did call herself a shemale, but it's not a guarantee. Cause I never refer to myself as one, ever. Even when I'm naked on cam.

Most people are acquainted with t-ladies through porn, where the vocable "shemale" is omnipresent. We don't know much about the particular situation we all refer to, here, and God only knows what exactly was said and what precisely happened. But if anyone uses indeed this word, he should receive full explanations on the topic. The OP is at least commendable in what he tried to get a bit more of infos. The word in itself is an ugly hybrid which brought anything but a woman to the imagination. If you want to make a buck, yeap, it's surely the best way to present yourself indeed, lady Jodie, as everybody in porn has to be intrigued by such a concept.
But as you both just said, ladies, i can't think of it as being innocent for anything else.