A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Many trans women experience gender dysphoria resulting from the incongruence between their female gender identity and male sex assignment, which can be alleviated through gender transition.
The term trans woman is sometimes used interchangeably with the earlier medical term male-to-female transsexual, though the latter refers specifically to those seeking medical transition, and is generally considered outdated. Someone assigned female at birth with a male gender identity is called a trans man. The opposite of transgender is cisgender. Trans women may have any sexual and romantic orientation, including being straight (attracted to men), lesbian (attracted to women), or bisexual.
As part of social transition, trans women adopt a more feminine gender expression with the goal of being perceived as female, for example taking on a new name, hairstyle, clothing style, and voice which affirm one's identity. Trans women generally use she/her pronouns.
Trans women also transition medically through gender-affirming medical treatment, in order to develop female sexual characteristics. A major component of this is feminizing hormone therapy, which causes the development of breasts. Some also undergo feminizing surgeries, including breast augmentation, facial feminization, vocal feminization, and vaginoplasty. Relatively few transgender people are able to access surgery, due to legal and financial obstacles.
Trans women face significant discrimination (called transmisogyny) in many areas of life—including employment and housing. In the United States, discrimination is particularly severe against non-white trans women, who experience the intersection of transphobia, misogyny and racism, and are at heightened risk of physical and sexual violence and hate crimes.
Historically, media portrayals of trans women have overwhelmingly relied on common tropes and stereotypes, though this has improved somewhat in the 21st century alongside transgender rights activism.
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