Glossary

For this reason, although I hint that I consider myself to be an "androgyne" and am in practice a "married CD", I try not to think or respond in those terms because they are labels and therefore limiting.

Nonetheless, the TG world is just as full of special lingo as any other study or endeavor, so here is a list of terms that I have observed in common use in the TG community, including the term TG. These definitions are based mostly on websites and on informal discussions in which the terms occurred. Please feel free to send corrections or suggestions for refinement. If I'm way off on something, please don't writhe in outrage--just send me email and I'll fix it, 'k?

Term	Definition
Admirer	A person, usually a male, who is attracted to CDs and/or TSs or admires them for espousing and exhibiting transgenderism. The admiration can be anywhere from "hey--nice effect, and thanks for being so open too" (where I'm at) to "hey--what are doing this Saturday?" OK, I admit I like to flirt now and again but I'm happily married.
Androgyne	Someone who is physically or at least emotionally and psychologically composed of both genders. Physical androgynes are born with physical elements of both genders. The rest were born unequivocally of one gender but possess some emotional and psychological characteristics of the other gender. When pressed to it, I describe myself this way. Unlike persons who can be described as having "GD" (gender dysphoria), androgynes do not necessarily feel that they have been born into the wrong gender. They are somewhere in between and do not fit the stereotypical roles of either gender exclusively. Oddly, one could easily argue that many transsexuals are actually androgynes. In particular, M->F transsexuals who have undergone HRT and have breasts yet also have chosen to retain the penis would seem to fit the definition of a physical androgyne. However, these folks and others tend to use the term transsexual.
Being or Getting "Made"	Despite the optimistic sound of this term, it actually refers to being recognized as a guy in drag when you are out in public trying to pass as a woman.
CD	Crossdresser Usually, a male who wears female clothes. I suppose this term also can refer to a female wearing men's clothes, but I've never seen it used that way. After all, in many countries a woman can wear a suit or jeans or a guy's dress shirt or even a hard hat without being labeled. This is part of what this website is about. Synonymous with TV.
Drag Queen	A generally pejorative term for a guy wearing women's clothes. I don't see the term used very often and it generally seems to be used in connection with professional female impersonators.
en drabbe and en femme	Tounge-in-cheek references to one's current state of dress. To be "en drabbe" is to be dressed in boring guy clothes. The converse is "en femme", which means one is crossdressed.
GD	Gender Dysphoria A strong feeling of dissociation between one's biological gender and emotional and psychological gender. Whereas TG has a very general connotation and can be used for any point on the M->F or F->M spectrum, I have seen the term GD used only by folks who are currently undergoing HRT and some of those folks plan to progress to SRS.
GG	Genetic Girl Someone who was born biologically female. It's not uncommon to hear references to GG friends or SOs. My SO is a GG. In my naivete, I at first thought this term meant Gay Guy. Just shows you I've grown a lot too.
Going Fulltime or 24/7	Changing one's lifestyle so that they dress, act, and live as a woman 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. This level of commitment is for the most serious of hobbyists only--do not try this at home. :-; Seriously, my impression is that for some this is the end of the journey, stopping just short of actual physical changes. For others, it's a step on the journey to fully becoming a woman.
HRT	Hormone Replacement Therapy Female hormone injections that enable a biological male to develop female breasts and undergo other physical changes. According to someone I met recently who is undergoing this therapy, it can take up to 15 years for the results to fully blossom so it's quite difficult to know just how munificent the results will be. One anecdote shared by this person was about someone who was having the therapy, was unsatisfied with the results, and so got implants to buttress their bosom. However, the hormones continued to work over time and this person actually had to have reduction surgery later. I guess you really can have too much of a good thing.
Pass, Passing, and Passable	The ability to successfully be mistaken for a woman while out in public. Although clothes, makeup, and hair are important ingredients to passing, mannerisms also play a key role. Some guys work very hard at acquiring ladylike walks, posture, and gestures. Some also work on the voice.
Pre-Op	Someone who is in the midst of physically becoming the other gender but has not yet completed the journey. Often this term is used to refer to a male who has female breasts but also still possesses Mr. Wiggly. Many of the erotic TG materials floating around the web feature people who are at this stage. Most of the personal ads seeking a "hot TS" seem to be seeking people in this state. I have occasionally seen the term "post-op" used by folks who have completed SRS.
Purging	Periodically throwing out all the female clothes and or make-up one has acquired for purposes of crossdressing. Purging generally goes along with a devout resolution to change forever and stop doing that evil thing. From what I gather, it's rarely a successful strategy for dealing with the desire to crossdress because the desire remains. I've purged, more than once, so I can attest that it's not a final solution to anything. And my contention of course is that the desire to be and look feminine is natural when present and is not evil. The social pressures that cause guilt and purging are evil.
Queen	The symbolic head of the United Kingdom. :-; So should the name be United Queendom? :)
Being or Getting "Read"	I used to think this was synonymous with "made" until someone kindly corrected me. (See, I do listen--send those comments!) Getting "read" is short for getting read the riot act.
SO	Significant Other An intentionally non-gender specific reference to one's partner or mate. (After all, imagine how confusing the term "mate" gets when you have Americans and English or Australians conversing.)
SRS	Sexual Reassignment Surgery Just what it sounds like. This is the operation, in which biological males are converted into biological females or biological females are converted into biological males. I really don't understand the specifics of either procedure so I must defer to those who've undergone the procedures for clarification.
TG	Transgender or Transgendered A very general term that encompasses just about all the other cross-gender terms herein. If you don't know for sure what you want to say, you're pretty safe using this term. If you're searching the personal ads and don't see this term, try "other", "alternative", etc. Don't look under "gay" unless that's what you want. They aren't the same thing. It's important to remember this.
TS	Transsexual Although sometimes used loosely (and incorrectly) as a synonym for TV or CD, this term actually refers to someone who is somewhere in the process of physically changing their gender. People who are undergoing HRT or who are planning or have completed SRS are often referred to as transsexuals.
TV	Transvestite A male who dresses in female clothes. This is sort of old-school and is not the preferred term. It sounds way too clinical and most folks prefer CD.