A trans man short for transgender man is a man who was assigned female at birth. Trans men have a male gender identity , and many trans men undergo medical and social transition to alter their appearance in a way that aligns with their gender identity or alleviates gender dysphoria.
The umbrella term trans [ a ] is a shortening of both transgender and transsexual , and describes anyone whose gender identity does not align with their assigned sex. The term transsexual originated in the medical and psychological communities, and is generally considered a subset of transgender , although the two are not always interchangeable. It predominantly describes people with medically diagnosed gender dysphoria , and who desire to permanently transition to the opposite sex via sex reassignment therapy.
Many trans people prefer the labels transgender or trans , considering them more inclusive and less stigmatizing. Transmasculine sometimes clipped to transmasc is a broader term for all trans individuals with predominantly masculine identities or gender expression , and includes trans men as well as non-binary people who were assigned female at birth and may have an identity that is partially masculine but not entirely male.
The alternate spelling transman is sometimes used interchangeably. However, like transwoman , it is often associated with trans-exclusionary views which hold that trans men are distinct from men, and thus require a separate word to describe them.
Originally, the term trans men referred specifically to female-to-male transsexual people who underwent hormone replacement therapy HRT or sex reassignment surgery SRS , or both. The definition of transition has broadened to include theories of psychological development or complementary methods of self-acceptance. Transsexual and transgender men may seek medical interventions such as hormones and surgery to make their bodies as congruent as possible with their gender presentation.
