TV vs. TS
So why do many people find it difficult to distinguish a TV from a TS? Well, it’s reasonable. It’s really a little complicated whether one is a TV or a TS, especially if you use the concepts of gender orientation, gender identity, and the like. No wonder many individuals immediately consider both terms as one and the same, but first, a TV is a transvestite, whereas a TS is a transsexual.
In the simplest of terms, a transvestite is someone who cross-dresses. This means that if the person is a he, then he wears the clothes of female individuals, and vice versa. The reason why this person cross-dresses varies; it may be because of sexual compulsion, a feeling of fetishism, or merely the asexual nature or want to look like the opposite gender. Cross-dressing in this situation can involve one or all of the following. The person can just wear make-up or do some change in hair styling, or just wear the opposite sex’s clothing. If ever the cross-dressing is partial, then this is when he or she is classified as only a cross-dresser, and not a transvestite.
On the other hand, there are some individuals who have the feelings of being trapped in another body (the wrong one). This person has far more intense feelings of longing to completely become a member of the opposite sex. He or she also wants to be acknowledged as part of the gender he or she wants to become. Because of this intense need, these individuals often go as far as undergoing surgical procedures to literally change their sexual organs.
All in all, it has been perceived that transsexualism is the ending point of all these sexual crises. The crisis often starts with a simple cross-dressing incident, and then it may evolve into transvestism; later becoming transsexual. There are also lots of factors to consider about why this phenomenon happens. For one, it may start as the simple interest of wanting to know how he or she looks when wearing the clothes of the opposite sex. Later, it may develop into the complete need to become part of the opposite sex (transsexualism).
In summary, the difference between a TV and TS are as follows:
1. A transvestite merely wants to wear the clothes of the opposite sex, while a transsexual really wants to become a member of the opposite sex (physically).
2. In transsexualism, there is the presence of a more intense need or longing to become someone of the opposite gender, whereas in transvestism, there may be no need for a complete change of body at all.