What's the preferred term?

[t35sirhc]

THis is a question for Vicky:
You mention a "new class of girls" who live as women, work in the business but have no intention of SRS. My question is "how are these girls viewed outside the business, in the TS-TV world?" Are they resented for seeming to take advantage, make money off of it etc..rather than really wanting to complete the transformation through SRS?

[suckseed]

I've got to say, I truly feel sorry for transexuals that abhor their bodies while they've still got a penis. That's got to be tough. I'm glad to hear that there's a 'new breed of cat' that's comfortable changing their external appearance, but not messing with the plumbing. And not just so we men can retain our fetish for that part, but so they can avoid complications and the pain of recovery, and not potentially threaten their own sexual response.
I'd be really sad to lose my ability to orgasm, and I read that it's a possibility for postops.

I have often reasoned that if women were born with penises, we'd all be enthusiatic about pleasuring them. When you get right down to it,
what is so awful about possessing one?
On a side note, my family tells me that when I was 3 or 4, my favorite thing was to run into the room naked when there was company over and
jump up and down. Appanently I found this hilarious.
I've had my coffee, can you tell?

[Ecstatic]

I've heard so many variations on the theme: from the acronyms (TS, TG, T) to the demure (Tgirls) to the openly pornographic (shemale) to the pc (transgender, transwoman), to the rather creative (phallic women), not to mention the labels from other cultures (katoey/ladyboy, travesti). If I know a girl prefers a certain label, that's what I'll if there's a need altogether. But really, in personal contact with any girl, in my experience it rarely if ever comes up. (Something else comes up, inevitably, but not that!)

I do think there are two broadly different camps, call them pre-op and non-op or transsexual and shemale as you will, but there are those who either hate their penis or simply want to be a "complete" woman (an impossibility unless we can surgically replace all masculine features with feminine, and not just the obvious ones), and those who want to live fully as women but want to keep their penis intact (whether because they enjoy it too much--what the hell's wrong with that?--or because they don't want the surgery in itself or whatever).

The saddest cases are those who Vicki called "true transsexuals" who long for SRS but for medical reasons can't go through with it. That is truly tragic, as I deeply believe that everyone should be the person they truly feel themselves to be, gender included.

[TrueBeauty TS]

I personally don't like the term "Shemale". It sounds a bit too fetish and kinky in "polite company". LOL But I admit there there isn't a good term to use.

Transsexual - too clinical
Shemale - too kinky/fetish
pre-op/post-op - too specific
non-op - no one knows what that means
TG - too broad
The Third Sex - Hate it. Sounds like an Orsen Wells movie.


Out in the real world, I don't think anyone even knows or cares. To most people there is no difference between a TS, TV, Drag Queen, or Female Impersonator.

Among friends and other girls, I often use the term "Tranny" as a catch all label, but even I don't know if I like that.

[TrueBeauty TS]

THis is a question for Vicky:
You mention a "new class of girls" who live as women, work in the business but have no intention of SRS. My question is "how are these girls viewed outside the business, in the TS-TV world?" Are they resented for seeming to take advantage, make money off of it etc..rather than really wanting to complete the transformation through SRS?

Can I respond to this question too? I can? Good! LOL

You mention "how are they viewed outside the industry?", well, outside the industry, it's really nobody's business. Out in everyday life, this just doesn't come up IMO. People do what they need to do in order to feel happy.

I've NEVER heard of any girl (or guy) dissing another girl because of her decision to either keep her penis or go all the way and have SRS. (Of course, I've heard plenty of guys crying their eyes out because of a girl getting rid of her penis, but that's for personal reasons. LOL)

[Ecstatic]

"Tranny" and "shemale" I think had (may still have) derogatory character, but I think (as with certain racial labels when used by the members of the referenced ethnic group) perhaps some "trannies" have come to take ownership of those terms. So I think it's one thing for Vicki to proclaim herself a "shemale" but I tend to refrain from using that term (and "tranny" but perhaps I'm wrong on that one?) because of its fetish/porn connotation and, unless I were one, I wouldn't have the right to use it.

But like I said, I very rarely use the terms at all outside of a forum like this, or when talking about transgendered people with family or friends (at which times I usually use "transgendered" as it's more pc and less loaded). When I'm with a T there's no need for me to make any reference to her gender, and in fact I think it would probably be in rather poor taste to do so.

[Vicki Richter]

Everyone is different. I personally hate the term tranny. I used to go off on people who used it just like some girls go off on people that use shemale. Then I realized how stupid it was to get offended by something like that.

I have been told off by TS for being in the sex industry and how I make their lives harder as they get perceived as an object or are required to have a hard thing for their clients... But there they are in the same sex focussed chat room on AOL.