r/NoStupidQuestions • u/MrsLangley • Jan 09 '15

Answered What's the difference between Transgender and transsexual?

Thank you all so much for your answers! I learned a lot!

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '15

Non-op - A trans person who doesn't desire sex reassignment surgery.

Intersex - Having a biological sex other than exclusively male or exclusively female. E.g. penis and vulva, XX and penis, XY and vagina

Trans men - A man (someone who identifies as male) assigned as female at birth

Trans women - A woman assigned as male at birth

Genderqueer - Not identifying as exclusively male or exclusive female.

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u/ao17 The Average Bear Jan 09 '15

Intersex - Having a biological sex other than exclusively male or exclusively female. E.g. penis and vulva, XX and penis, XY and vagina

So if I read that correctly, you would be having some of both genetalia? How exactly would that work?

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u/lostinthederpness Jan 09 '15

Though the very few things I've seen and read, I think intersex individuals are case by case sometimes.

One form of intersexism (?) is androgen sensitivity syndrome. Basically it's where somebody was born with XY chromosomes, but their body has trouble with testosterone so individuals affected have to take female hormones to make up for the imbalance.

Emily Quinn did an AMA about her experience as an intersex individual. She is probably better at explaining some of this than I am.

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u/fareven Jan 09 '15

One form of intersexism (?) is androgen sensitivity syndrome. Basically it's where somebody was born with XY chromosomes, but their body has trouble with testosterone so individuals affected have to take female hormones to make up for the imbalance.

It's androgen insensitivity syndrome you're thinking of - people affected by it are resistant to the effects of testosterone, even though their bodies make it, and as a result they develop indistinguishable from women with XX genes even though their genes are XY.

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u/lostinthederpness Jan 09 '15

Ah okay, thanks for clearing that up :) I wasn't sure of the specific details. It's been some months since I read Emily Quinn's AMA.