Transgender is the current umbrella term for anyone whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Transsexual is an older, narrower medical term implying physical transition through surgery or hormones. Transgender is standard today; transsexual is dated and some people find it offensive, though a minority still use it of themselves.
The core difference
- transgender — the umbrella term. Makes no claim about medical treatment.
- transsexual — older and medicalised, implying physical transition.
Why the terminology changed
Transsexual came out of mid-twentieth-century clinical practice, where recognition depended on a diagnosis and on pursuing surgery. That framing made medical intervention the definition of the identity, which excluded anyone who did not want it, could not access it, or could not afford it.
Transgender was adopted from the 1990s precisely because it does not depend on treatment. It also allows a person to describe themselves without disclosing anything about their body, which the older word did not.
The -sexual ending was the other problem
It implies the subject is sexuality, when gender identity and sexual orientation are separate things. A transgender person may be straight, gay, bisexual or asexual; the two axes are independent. Transgender avoids that implication.
Usage today
- Transgender is standard in journalism, medicine and law, and major style guides recommend it.
- Transsexual is generally avoided unless a person uses it of themselves — some older people do, and that preference is respected.
- Transgendered is non-standard; the -ed suffix implies something done to a person.
- Neither works as a noun. A transgender person, not a transgender.
- Transvestite is a different thing entirely — it refers to wearing clothing associated with another gender, which is about dress and not identity. Cross-dresser is the current term.
Where the words come from
Both use Latin trans-, across. Transsexual appears in medical literature in the 1940s and 1950s. Transgender emerges in the 1960s and becomes the standard umbrella term through the 1990s.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between transgender and transsexual?
Transgender is the current umbrella term and implies nothing about medical treatment. Transsexual is older and narrower, implying physical transition through surgery or hormones.
Is transsexual offensive?
Many people find it dated or offensive, and it is generally avoided. Some older people use it of themselves, and that preference is respected.
Is a transvestite the same as a transgender person?
No. Transvestite, now usually cross-dresser, refers to wearing clothing associated with another gender. That is about dress, not gender identity.