Transgender theory Glossary Terminology and Definitions

Transgender theory Glossary Terminology and Definitions

Transgender Theory

Most persons know some of the terminology in this list. But likewise, most persons do not know all of the listed terminology used by various members of the Transgender Community. As such, I thought that if we had a reference list of the terminology, that persons could refer to this to learn those parts of terminology which may be unknown to them.

APA : Two seperate Doctor based Associations which have the same 3 letter abreviation. American Psychiatric Association and American Psychological Association. Psychiatrists use the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual" a manual of disorders of the mind. This manual lists both "Gender Identity Disorder" (Transsexuality) and "Transvestic Fetishism" (Cross Dressing) as mental illnesses.

Transgender Theory

ANDROGYNE : (Androgynous) and (Androgyny) Person who has gender traits of both masculine and feminine. Lacking of a clear or specified singular gender trait. Person identifies as both genders or neither of the two culturally defined genders; and/or who expresses and/or presents merged culturally / stereotypically feminine and masculine characteristics, or mainly neutral characteristics. may or may not express dual gender identity.

ASSIGNED GENDER ROLE: At birth, an assigned gender is determined by appearance of sexual anatomy. This determines the role
a child is raised in either Male or Female. Documented by a doctor who assists in the birth.

AUTOGYNEPHILIA: a paraphilia proposed in 1989 by Ray Blanchard, who defined it as "a man's paraphilic tendency to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of himself as a woman." Part of a controversial behavioral model for transsexual sexuality informally labeled the Blanchard, Bailey, and Lawrence theory. The model is an attempt to explain transwomen (male-to-female transsexual and transgender persons) who are not exclusively attracted to males, including lesbian (or "gynephilic"), bisexual and asexual transwomen. The model claims that transwomen (called "gender dysphoric males" by Blanchard) who are not sexually oriented toward men are instead sexually oriented toward the thought or image of themselves as women. Most of the attention paid to Blanchard's work on gender dysphoria focuses on what he calls "nonhomosexual transsexuals" or "autogynephilic transsexuals." He calls those transwomen who are exclusively attracted to males "androphilic" or "homosexual transsexuals." While some Transgender people self-identify with this term most Transsexuals vehemently oppose it because it does not apply to them. Transsexuality is inborn with symptoms being manifested by the age of 4 or 5 years of age while autogynephillia does not and those who identify with it report it ocurred in their teen years and beyond. Sexual orientation has nothing at all to do with Transsexuality.

Transgender Theory

About the Author

Tushar Virani