transsexual

[ trans-sek-shoo-uhlor, especially British, -seks-yoo- ]

noun

1. a person whose gender identity does not correspond to their sex assigned at birth; transgender.
2. a person who has undergone or wants to undergo hormone therapy or surgery to align their physical characteristics more closely with their gender identity.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a person whose gender identity does not correspond to their sex assigned at birth.

transsexual

/ trænzˈsɛksjʊəl /

noun

1. a person who permanently acts the part of and completely identifies with the opposite sex
2. a person who has undergone medical and surgical procedures to alter external sexual characteristics to those of the opposite sex

Sensitive Note

The vocabulary around transsexualism originated in medical study of human sexuality. In the 1980s, transsexualism was listed as a mental illness in the manuals of the American Psychological Association and the World Health Organization. Transsexual and transsexualism are generally no longer used in the medical or psychological professions, having been replaced by gender dysphoria in medical terminology. Today, the transsexual identity is perceived to fall under the wider umbrella term trans, though it is not exactly equivalent to the term transgender. Transsexual is still sometimes the preferred term among older trans people who have been using the term transsexual to describe their own identity for years. However, owing to the previous association of transsexual with a mental disorder diagnosis, and a history of disparaging use in popular culture, the term is now often considered offensive in general use, especially among younger speakers. There is also some tension between the terms transsexual and transgender, the former term associated with external and physical markers of gender identity, and the latter with internal identification along a gender continuum. Still other speakers use the two terms interchangeably. As always when using identity labels, the best choice is the one with which the person in question self-identifies. transgender.

Other Words From

• trans·sex·u·al·i·ty [trans-sek-shoo-, al, -i-tee, -, seks, -yoo-]; trans·sex·u·al·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of transsexual¹

First recorded in 1905–10, for an earlier sense; 1955–60 for the current senses; trans- + sexual, originally in transsexualism, coined in 1953 by German-American sexologist Harry Benjamin (1885–1986)

Example Sentences

The far-right has previously been quick to falsely blame tragedies on trans individuals, including Arizona Congressperson Paul Gosar’s 2022 lie that the Uvalde shooter was a “transsexual leftist illegal alien.”

From Salon

The existing “transsexual law,” which dates back four decades, requires individuals who want to change gender on official documents to first obtain assessments from two experts “sufficiently familiar with the particular problems of transsexualism” and then a court decision.

From Seattle Times

Around the time that he came out, Brady told People that for him, being pansexual "means being able to be attracted to anyone who identifies as gay, straight, bi, transsexual or non-binary. Being able to be attracted across the board. And, I think, at least for me for right now, that is the proper place."

From Salon

Bishop Negri had sent questions to Rome on July 14 “regarding the possible participation in the sacraments of baptism and marriage by transsexual and homo-affective” persons.

From Washington Times

“There is nothing in current universal law that prohibits a transsexual from being a witness to a wedding,” the document states.

From Washington Times