Glossary

This is a glossary on the Science of Changing Sex.  Discussion of science requires words with clear definitions to avoid confusion.

Androgynemorphophilia: The sexual and affectional attraction to FtM transsexuals preferentially.

Androphilia: The sexual and affectional attraction to adult masculine males

Autoandrophilia (AAP):  The tendency to find the thought or image of oneself as masculine or male to be sexually arousing.

Autogynephilia (AGP):  The tendency to find the thought or image of oneself as feminine or female to be sexually arousing.

Autohomoeroticism:  The tendency to find the the thought of being a homosexual of the opposite sex to be sexually arousing.  This is a subset of autogynephilia and autoandrophilia.

Cross-dreaming: Nontechnical term for autogynephilia or autoandrophilia.

Cross-dresser (CD):  Literally, one who wears clothing socially prescribed exclusively for the opposite natal sex, usually understood to refer to a transvestite.

Desistor:  A gender atypical individual who was gender dysphoric as a child but has “desisted” from being so as they neared adolescence.

Detransition:  The process of socially defining oneself, or appearing to the public (i.e. living full time), as one’s natal sex after a period of having lived (full time) as the opposite sex.

Early Onset:  Refers to individuals whose gender dysphoria started early in childhood, usually understood to be synonymous with Homosexual Transsexuality.

Early Transitioner:  Literally, a transsexual individual who transitioned “early”, young, typically before age 25, usually understood to be synonymous with Homosexual Transsexual / Transkid.

Erotic Target:  The class of individual to whom one is primarily sexually attracted.  This is a narrower definition than sexual orientation.

Erotic Target Identity Inversion (ETII): The phenomena whereby an intense Erotic Target Location Error has led an individual to identify as a member of one’s Erotic Target.

Erotic Target Location Error (ETLE):  The tendency to find the thought or image of oneself as a member of the class of individuals to which one is sexually attracted to be sexually arousing.

Fetish:  The use of physical objects as an erotic focal point (excluding objects that are used primarily for direct sexual stimulation, e.g. dildo, vibrator, etc.) in lieu of other people (e.g. shoes).  The term is often misused by non-scientists to pejoratively refer to paraphilias and minority sexual orientations.

Gender Atypical:  Behavior that is uncommon in one’s natal sex, but common in the other.  Some authors use the term “gender non-conforming” but this implies that there is a ‘standard’ to which to conform and as such is not used in this blog.

Gender Dysphoria:  Discomfort and/or dissatisfaction with one’s natal sex and/or socially assigned gender.

Gynandromorph (GAM):  A human with substantially female-like body but with intact male genitalia, typical of a “pro-operative” transsexual.

Gynandromorphophilia (GAMP):  The sexual and affectional attraction to gynandromorphs, MTF transsexuals, often preferentially, especially to those that are “pre-operative”.

Gynephilia:  The sexual and affectional attraction to adult feminine females.

Heterosexual:  An individual who is sexually and affectionally attracted to members of the opposite natal sex.  It is sometimes used to mean attraction to the opposite gender identity in the common vernacular.  Since this can cause confusion, this meaning is rarely used in this blog.

Heterosexuality:  The sexual and affectional attraction to members of the opposite natal sex.

Homosexual:  An individual who is sexually and affectionally attracted to members of the same natal sex.  It is sometimes used to mean attraction to the same gender identity in the common vernacular.  Since this can cause confusion, this meaning is rarely used in this blog.

Homosexuality:  The sexual and affectional attraction to members of the same natal sex.

Homosexual Transsexual (HSTS):  A transsexual who is exclusively attracted to the same natal sex (excluding other transsexuals or transgendered persons).  This term is the most common term found in recent scientific papers on the subject.  Among transsexual people it is very often considered offensive as it may incorrectly imply that such individuals are “gay men” or “lesbian”.  However, in this blog, it is used only to reduce confusion, being used to maintain clarity and concordance with the papers being cited.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT):  The use of externally supplied sex hormones, typical of the opposite sex, to effect somatic changes toward the opposite sex.

Late Onset:  Referring to individuals whose gender dysphoria began late, typically in adolescence or adulthood, usually understood to be autogynephilic.

Late Transitioner:  Literally, a transsexual who transitioned “late”, typically after age 25.  Usually understood to be an autogynephilic MTF transsexual.

Paraphilia:  Any unusual sexual arousal pattern or interest for one’s species.  (This excludes homosexuality as androphilia in males and gynephilia in females is only unusual for one’s sex, not for the species.)

Passing:  The act or ability to have one’s sex attribution to be that of the opposite natal sex, by others.

Persistor:  A gender atypical individual who was gender dysphoric as a child and “persisted” being so into adolescence and adulthood, thus also a transkid and a Homosexual Transsexual.

Rapid Onset: Referring to female individuals whose gender dysphoria begins rapidly in adolescence with no prior acknowledged gender atypicality putatively due to social contagion.  The actual etiology has NOT been established.

Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS):  Surgery that restructures external genitalia to resemble and partially function as would the other natal sex.

Sexual Identity: An individual’s publicly stated sexual and affectional preference for a given sex.

Sexual Orientation: An individual’s tendency to find a given sex to be arousing, which may or may not be the same as one’s sexual identity.

Sexually Dimorphic:  A physical trait or behavior that is different in males and females in a given species, including humans.

Transgender (TG):  Referring to individuals who exhibit behaviors, appearance, dress, or interests atypical for their natal sex.  This is a broad, inclusive term, as used for the past two decades.  The word was originally coined to refer to full-time or significant part-time heterosexual (autogynephilic) cross-dressers exclusive of transsexuals, but common usage has lost this meaning.  The proper grammatical form is to refer to an individual as “transgendered” and the individual as a “transgenderist”, per decades of common usage, though some modern militant transgender activists prefer “transgender” as a noun.

Transition:  The process of socially defining oneself, or appearing to the public (i.e. living full time), as the opposite sex.

Transkid:  A non-technical term for Homosexual Transsexual youth.  Adults may be referred to as “Former Transkids”, as transkids do grow up.

Transsexual (TS):  An individual who has had, or plans to have, sex reassignment surgery (SRS).  The proper grammatical form is to refer to an individual as “transsexed” and the individual as a “transsexual”, per decades of common usage.

Transvestite (TV):  An individual who occasionally wears clothing socially prescribed for the opposite natal sex due to autogynephilia.