What Does Being a Transgender Person Mean?

Now this might seem a pretty silly question for anyone who is a regular here at T-Central, but after all, each of us has from time to time had to explain to a 'civilian'.

Terri Lee Ryan's article in Shades of Gender takes on this sometimes hazardous task. As she writes:

The transgender community is a diverse group of many lifestyles and labels. The term transgender is the umbrella-word for all of those who identify with a gender that is different from the gender that their genitalia would indicate. It’s a safe way of describing the original definition of the term transgender, as there are many groups that are sensitive to the word gender and how it is used.

It takes a person made of steel (that’s me) to be able to even attempt to discuss the differences of these groups, without being verbally shot, of which I seem to be every day.