Shemale And Tranny: Everything That You Wanted To Know!

Several transgender women are now flaunting beauty pageant titles, including Miss Nevada 2021, who created history by winning the crown in her state. Transgender individuals have also eked out a place for themselves in industries that were hitherto considered out of reach for them, such as tech.

Despite these accomplishments, many continue to refer to them as shemale or tranny. Both terms are considered extremely derogatory by members of transgender and transsexual communities. Yes, those two are actually different, but that’s for later.

Some use these slurs out of ignorance, while others use them to deliberately slight individuals who they feel are different. So, at the outset, let’s start by talking about what these terms, although condescending, actually mean.

Who or what is a shemale?

As is obvious, the term is a portmanteau or blend of two words: “She” and “Male”. It refers to an individual who has secondary feminine physical traits but primary masculine physical characteristics.

Simply put, they have male genitalia along with breasts and the lack of facial and body hair, and Adam’s apple. Because these individuals are born male, these feminine traits are obviously induced through surgery or hormone therapy.

So, a shemale is essentially a transwoman- A term that refers to a male transitioning to female.

How did the word she-male come about?

At the turn of the 19^th century, it was a contemptuous term used to refer to women, and this usage continued well into the 1920s when it was begrudgingly used to describe an intellectual woman and even a feminist.

By the 1970s, the term evolved a bit while retaining its bias against the fairer sex and was used to refer to women who were assertive and/or disliked. It wasn’t until the 1990’s that the term took on sexual connotations. And since then, it prevailed as gay slang. In more recent times, it has been used mostly in the porn industry or as an insult.

Who or what is a tranny?

Tranny is a slur used to refer to transgender individuals. It’s more an umbrella term that refers to a cross-dresser (transvestite) or a transsexual man or woman, or even a gender binary person. Basically, it’s a slur used for any effeminate man.

How did the word tranny originate?

This one came from within the LGBTQ community and was earlier used as a no-fuss yet in-your-face acceptance of being a trans person. It was frequently used by members of the transgender community, but in recent years it has gained much ignominy, to the point where it now figures in Facebook’s list of hate-speech words. You know the ones that get posts flagged.

In fact, so negative are the connotations now that even when trans people like RuPaul (Circa 2014) or Lance Bass (Circa 2011) used these words, they attracted the ire of other transgender individuals. Having said that, the community at large stands divided when it comes to the use of terms like she-male and tranny.

Should you be using these words?

In terms of just how derogatory the word she-male is, think of it this way, the use of this term has been rejected even from reptile literature. So, if you cannot use it for a lizard, you certainly can’t use it for a transgender woman.

As far as the term tranny goes, think of it like the word “nigger”. You will often see African Americans casually throwing the term around among themselves, without anybody taking slight. But nobody is going to take it casually if you were to use that term. Ditto for the word tranny!

Also, both these words, more specifically the term shemale, are almost exclusively associated with the porn industry. In fact, you are unlikely to hear/read it outside of the description or title of a porn video.

As one expert put it, the word she-male is only used to create some sort of moral justification for straight men who indulge in pornography that has a performer who sports male genitalia.

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If not tranny or shemale, what should you call them?

While the appropriate term would depend on the gender/sexual orientation of an individual, it would be hard to gauge such facts at first glance. And, it is certainly not appropriate to get nosy about it in the first few meetings. Instead, play it safe and just address this person as transwoman or t-woman.

In simple words, if she looks like a woman, dresses like one but wasn’t born as one, you call her a t-woman or a trans-woman.

Can you tell a shemale from a female?

Gender reassignment surgeries have truly come a long way. Also, genes play a huge role in diminishing the physical difference between a person who was born a woman and one who eventually chooses to look and live like one.

For example, a trans woman will usually be larger and taller than a woman. However, if you are interacting with a person of Asian origin where even men are built smaller and less robust unless you have been around a lot of Asian women, it will be hard to tell the difference.

The jawline, particularly among westerners, is often a dead giveaway. While women tend to have smoother jaw contours, men will have sharp and square jaw lines. The neck is once again another aspect that can be a defining trait if you are talking about a trans person who is Caucasian or African American.

The neck seems to start higher up, from just below the ear lobes in men, while in women, there is a gradual dip that eventually starts going straight down from chin level to form a slender neck.

The arms are another distinguishing trait. In men, the arm, starting above the elbow and going down to the wrist, tends to be almost in a straight line. But in women, there is a distinct angular shape at the elbow.

Also, there is more symmetry in the hip-to-shoulder ratio of women, while men tend to have broad shoulders and narrow hips. But if you are dealing with a lanky fella, the difference in the hip-to-shoulder ratio may not be so pronounced.

And above all, these physical differences are attributed to hormones. This means that after hormone replacement therapy, frankly, it can be hard to tell the difference. And asking people to show their junk is not polite. So, in a nutshell, while there can be some differences in some individuals, these can fade over time or may not be conspicuous enough in the first place.

Which industry do she-males work in?

If you are talking about she-males, then they are restricted to porn and prostitution because that term isn’t used in any other industry. On the other hand, if you are talking about transgender women, transgender, and transsexual people, you will find them working across all sectors.

For years, transgender and transsexual individuals were relegated to working in specific sectors such as beauty, fashion, food and beverages, and of course, show business. But, that has been changing rapidly. Today, the tech sector is one of the biggest employers of transgender

professionals. In fact, the representation of the LGBTQ+ community is significantly higher in the tech sector than in the old world sectors.

In which country can you see shemales frequently?

Because in many countries, the orthodox and majoritarian outlook towards transgender or transsexual people remains negative, it would not be possible to get accurate country-wise numbers. However, some societies are more open than others when it comes to accepting LGBTQ individuals and their rights.

And if you were to consider only such countries, the United States, Brazil and Argentina would top the list of countries with the most transgender/transsexual people. On their heels are Thailand, the Philippines, India, Cambodia, and Indonesia.

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Men like shemales- Myth or truth?

Some men do, and some men don’t. And men who do like trans women are not always gay, and they actually have a study that suggests this.

Having said that, a common theme emerged through 3 studies in which men who identified themselves as straight discussed their attraction toward transwomen. Many of these men said that the construction of femininity by transwomen is what created sexual attraction. In layman terms, trans women tend to deck themselves up more than ciswomen (women who are born as women and who present this gender even in later life).

Now, girls, there is no reason to be slighted by this. Let’s be honest here-Women tend to get complacent over time, often simply because they have their plates overflowing with responsibility. This is not to say that transgender women have nothing better to do. But, the reality is that they do get more time to focus on themselves and their appearance.

Plus, the portrayal of feminism gives them a sense of freedom and pleasure at the psychological level.

Hence, unlike ciswomen, they tend not to let themselves go. Also, they are more open-minded sexually than most women. And that begs the question- What man wouldn’t lust for a good-looking woman who is happy to indulge his sexual fantasies?

And that brings us to the fag end- Pun definitely not intended!

After all of that, you probably still have one more question, the answer to which was promised in the beginning. What exactly is the difference between a transgender and transsexual person?

Well, transgender people are those who present themselves with a different gender than what they were born with. For instance, a transvestite, a cross-dresser, a transsexual binary, and others. Transgender people may or may not opt for hormone replacement therapy or gender reassignment surgery.

On the other hand, a transsexual individual is someone who has brought about physical and social changes to conform to their new gender identity. For instance, a woman who has opted for medical interventions to induce masculine physical traits and has changed her name to reflect her new gender identity.

So, there you have it folks; in a nutshell, that was a small introduction to the world of transgender and transsexual people. Hopefully, after reading this, you will choose not to use derogatory terms such as shemale and tranny in their reference.