Transgender Issues

What is "Transgender"?

"Transgender" refers to people whose gender does not traditionally conform to their birth sex.  It is, as the Oxford English Dictionary says, "identity that does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender, but combines or moves between these."

Transgender identity includes those who are moving from male to female, those who are moving from female to male, those who consider themselves neither male nor female, and those who consider themselves both male and female.  While early estimates suggested that there were three times as many male-to-female transgender persons as female-to-male transgender persons, many contemporary estimates suggest that the numbers are about equal.  

Gay, lesbian and bisexual identities are different from "transgender" identity.  While the former is about partner choice, the latter is about self-identification as male or female (or neither or both).  The first is about liking males or females romantically, the second is about being male or female.   Gay, lesbian and bisexual identity is usually referred to as "sexual orientation," whereas transgender identity is usually referred to as "gender identity."  However, it is not appropriate to say that gender identity is entirely unrelated to sexual orientation because there is an active "LGBT" community, which incorporates lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.  In addition, transgender persons are of all sexual orientations.  Some transgender people consider themselves straight, and some identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

There is a difference between "transgender" and "transsexual."  "Transgender," as noted above, refers to any gender variant identity.  By contrast, "transsexual" specifically refers to one who has changed or is changing from one gender to another permanently.  This may or may not involve sex reassignment surgery.

Materials on Transgender Workplace Issues

For those new to this topic who are seeking an authoritative source on transgender issues in the workplace, here is my book:

• Transgender Workplace Diversity: Policy Tools, Training Issues and Communication Strategies for HR and Legal Professionals

For more easy-to-read introductions, the following are also available: 

• Transsexual Workers: An Employer's Guide

• True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism-For Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals. 

If you prefer a website, see

• http://hrc.org/worklife (see the "transgender" link on the left side of the page)

• http://www.gpac.org/workplace/

• http://www.nctequality.org

If you prefer a blog, check out mine:  Transgender Workplace Diversity for HR and Diversity Professionals

More Information

If you'd like to learn more about this subject, I have written a number of articles you may find useful.  You can find them here.