Transsexual
Transsexual is a term used for people who wish to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance — including hormone replacement therapy and surgery — to help align their body with their identified sex.
The term transgender has become the more widely used umbrella term, encompassing transsexual people as well as those who transition without medical intervention and non-binary people. See transgender.
Usage
The term transsexual was more commonly used in medical and legal contexts from the 1950s onwards. Some people who have undergone medical transition prefer the term transsexual to describe themselves; others prefer transgender or simply trans. Usage varies by generation, region, and personal preference.
Blanchard's typology
In the 1980s psychologist Ray Blanchard proposed a typology dividing trans women into two categories: those he termed "homosexual transsexuals" (attracted to men) and those he termed "autogynephilic" (experiencing attraction to the idea of themselves as women). Blanchard's typology has been widely criticised by transgender people and many researchers as reductive, stigmatising, and lacking scientific validity. It is not accepted by mainstream medical or psychological bodies as a clinical framework, and is primarily cited in gender-critical contexts [1].
