Gay vs Transgender
Gay and transgender are two different categories of people, rather men. While most of us know that gay refers to the sexual orientation of a man and that gay are men having sexual relations with other men, the same cannot be said about another important category of people belonging to the LGBT community known as transgender. Though some gay and nearly all transgender men show effeminate qualities, there are differences between these two types of men that will be highlighted in this article.
Gay
A small percentage of men in the population are homosexuals. What this means is that they are attracted towards other men instead of women, and they have sexual relations with men rather than women. Gay is a lighter word than homosexuals which is laden with negative implications. The word was originally applied to happy and bright individuals who had a carefree attitude. In the 20’s and 30’s, the word gay was used to refer to homosexual men and today, it has come to be the preferred word for men having sexual orientation towards other men. Not all gay men show effeminate qualities, and it happens to be a matter of sexual preference. Thus, it becomes difficult at times to tell if a man is gay or straight.
Transgender
Transgender is a category of men who feel trapped inside their bodies as they feel they should have been women instead of being men. Transgender is a matter of sexual identity rather than sexual orientation. Thus, a transgender man would identify with women rather than other men. He considers his own biological gender as a blunder of god and feels he is a woman trapped inside the body of a man. The gender identity of a transgender man is not consistent with his behavior that is totally effeminate. It is not just men who are transgender as there are women who feel they are men trapped inside the bodies of women. Transgender people are assigned a sex at their time of birth, but they grow up dissatisfied with their sex believing themselves to be a person of the opposite sex.
What is the difference between Gay and Transgender?
• A gay person wants to be the opposite sex, whereas a transgender man says he is the opposite sex. This is why gay men are attracted towards other men whereas transgender men dress like women as they feel they are women trapped inside the bodies of men.
• Gay is a sexual orientation, and we all know that gay are men who are homosexuals, but transgender is a matter of gender identity rather than sexual preference or orientation.
• Transgender feels he has been assigned a sex that is not his own, and he belongs to the opposite sex.
• Transgender refuses to accept his biological gender and dresses and behaves like the opposite sex.
• A transgender man shows effeminate qualities while a gay may or may not show effeminate qualities.