What is transgender and transsexual?
Transgender is an umbrella term that refers to people whose gender identity or gender expression does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.
Transsexual is a narrower term that refers to people who identify as the opposite sex from the one they were assigned at birth and who may or may not undergo medical treatments to align their physical appearance with their gender identity.
Both transgender and transsexual people may experience gender dysphoria, which is distress that is caused by a mismatch between a person's gender identity and their physical appearance.
Gender identity is a person's internal, personal sense of being a man or a woman (or someone outside of that gender binary).
Gender expression is the way a person communicates their gender identity to the world through their behavior, clothing, haircut, voice, or body language.
Transgender people may choose to transition, which is a process of changing their appearance and/or their body to match their gender identity. This may or may not include hormone therapy, sex reassignment surgery, and other medical treatments.
Not all transgender people choose to transition, and not all people who transition identify as transgender.
Gender dysphoria is a condition where a person experiences distress due to a mismatch between their gender identity and their physical appearance.
Transgender people may seek transition because they experience gender dysphoria. However, not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria, and not all people who experience gender dysphoria identify as transgender.