As society becomes more tolerant of various gender identities, it is important to understand the distinction between terms such as transgender and transsexual. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, they have different connotations in reality.
Transgender
Anyone whose gender identity does not correspond to the gender to which they were assigned at birth is called transgender. Those who identify as non-binary gender, transgender, or simply of a gender different from the one to which they were assigned fall into this category.
Transgender people can decide whether to undergo medical procedures, such as hormone therapy or surgery, to bring their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. Not all transgender people necessarily choose to undergo medical intervention. Taiwan and Japan also call transgender people who do not have medical interventions pseudo-feminine.
Transsexual
Those who change their physical gender characteristics through medical procedures are called transsexuals. In this case, hormone therapy, surgery, or both may be used.
All transgender people can be described as transgender, but not all transgender people want to change their gender. For a variety of reasons, some transgender people choose not to undergo medical treatment.
Regardless of the changing meanings of these terms, the essential thing is to accept each person's self-identified gender identity and to respect the name they choose.
Sources:
https://www.diffen.com/difference/Transgender vs Transsexual
https://www.healthline.com/health/transgender/difference-between-transgender-and-transsexual
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/transgender-vs-transexual
繁體中文 