Sexuality is a fluid and personal experience. For transgender people, sexuality can be complex and often intersects with gender identity.
Gender identity is one's innermost sense of self as male, female, a blend of both, or neither. Sexual orientation is different from gender identity. It is a measure of attraction to people of the same, opposite, or another gender. People can be transgender and have any sexual orientation.
Transgender people may experience their sexuality in different ways than people who are not transgender. For some, their sexual orientation may change over time. For others, their sexual orientation may be different than what is typically associated with their assigned sex at birth.
Some transgender people identify as heterosexual, meaning they are attracted to people of the opposite gender. Others identify as homosexual, meaning they are attracted to people of the same gender. And still others identify as bisexual, meaning they are attracted to people of both genders. There are also transgender people who do not identify with any particular sexual orientation.
Sexual orientation is not a choice. It is not something that can be changed. It is an inherent part of who a person is.
Gender identity, on the other hand, is a personal sense of self. It is something that can be changed. For transgender people, this often involves transitioning, which is a process of aligning one's gender identity with one's sex assigned at birth. This may include taking hormones, undergoing surgery, or making changes to one's appearance.
Not all transgender people undergo surgery or transition in the same way. Some may elect to transition partially, while others may not transition at all. It is important to remember that there is no single "right" way to transition.