ABSTRACT
A bare-bones overview of some of the significant concepts that contribute to an understanding of transgender phenomena. This chapter outlines the view of aspects of sexual identity, the transgender spectrum and a glossary. Many suggest that these aspects of their transgender experience and journey became less erotic over time. For instance, many of gender-variant natal males have reported that, in part to disguise their internally experienced femininity or femaleness, they have engaged in super macho vocational or recreational pursuits. Although the stories in this collection are limited to women who are in relationship with cross-dressers and male-to-female transsexuals, a great deal of variation exists in the identities of people on the transgender spectrum. Many of them have offered extremely ambiguous self-descriptions making it impossible to see them as fitting into any nice, neat category. They often describe struggles to determine whether they are transsexual or just cross-dressers.
