Transsexuality
Transsexuality – a historical medical and sexological term referring to a persistent identification with a gender different from the sex assigned to a person at birth. It has often been used in relation to people who wish to live and be socially recognized in accordance with their experienced gender and who may seek hormonal treatment or surgical interventions as part of their transition.
Transsexuality is distinct from sexual orientation. A transsexual or transgender person may have any sexual orientation.
Earlier explanations of transsexuality sometimes emphasized the relationship between biological sex and culturally prescribed gender roles. However, gender nonconformity and transsexual identity should not be conflated. The rejection of traditional gender roles, or the expression of characteristics conventionally associated with another gender, does not in itself mean that a person identifies with a gender different from the sex assigned to them at birth. Contemporary diagnostic classifications likewise recognize that gender-variant behaviour or preferences alone are insufficient grounds for identifying gender incongruence (World Health Organization, 2024).
In contemporary academic and clinical terminology, transsexuality is generally regarded as a historical or medical term. The broader term transgender is now more commonly used, although some people continue to identify themselves as transsexual. The term does not necessarily imply that a person has undergone or intends to undergo medical transition (American Psychological Association, 2023).
In the International Classification of Diseases, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11), the former diagnostic category transsexualism was replaced by gender incongruence, which was removed from the chapter on mental and behavioural disorders and placed under conditions related to sexual health. This change reflects the contemporary understanding that transgender identities are not, in themselves, mental disorders (World Health Organization, 2024).
See also: Gender Identity, Gender Dysphoria, Gender Nonconformity.
References
American Psychological Association. (2023). Transsexualism. In APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/transsexualism
World Health Organization. (2024). Frequently asked questions on sexual and gender diversity, health and human rights: An introduction to key concepts (2nd ed.). https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/documents/gender/sogie—faq-final-08.10.2024.pdf
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