The Transgender Dictionary
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Transfeminine

(also: transfem, transfemme, trans-feminine)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Transfeminine is an umbrella term refering to anyone who transitions to a more feminine gender. This term is used to include both binary trans women and certain nonbinary people such as demigirls, in conversations where their experiences overlap with one another. That being said, not all transgender women identify as transfeminine, and not all transfeminine people identify as transgender women.

While there are some who are intersex or were AFAB that identify as transfem, it is a label that is generally associated with those who were AMAB.

General Information

People who identify as transfeminine generally wish to appear more feminine, either through physical bodily means, gender expression, or both. Some transfem people will undergo surgeries and hormones, while socially presenting with masculine clothing and/or make up. Others will go full femme. Some will only change clothes/presentation without any physical transition.

Regardless of gender presentation, like any trans people, transfeminine individuals are often subject to not only transphobia but targeted transmisogyny.

The Transition of a Binary Transgender Woman

For the purposes of providing examples of what sorts of things a stereotypical transgender woman would seek out, I will be describing a binary transition. Please keep in mind that not every transgender woman seeks out everything on this list. Everything mentioned has varying levels of how common they are. This is simply for demonstration, and helping anyone unsure of where to start find the relevant pages on this website. Every transgender person has different levels of gender dysphoria and does different things to seek out gender euphoria. I'm no transmed - no one is more or less trans just because they get a surgery that someone else doesn't.

Most transgender women will change their names to more feminine-sounding ones. They will typically use she/her pronouns and overall feminine language. Though it can be difficult to do, depending on the location, many transgender women will undergo legal transition.

Most transgender women who are unable to obtain puberty blockers as children experience gender dysphoria regarding not having breasts. A common short-term solution for dealing with these typically consists of wearing breast forms. A common permanent solution consists of getting top surgery.

Most transgender women will seek out GAHT to deal with most aspects of bodily gender dysphoria. GAHT helps a lot when it comes to passing as a woman as it softens the skin, reduces facial hair growth, causes breast growth, and overall feminizes the body of the person taking it. Some women will try voice training to optimize their voices. Some women will undergo voice feminization surgery or FFS if they are not happy with the results of GAHT.

Many transgender women experience some level of bottom gender dysphoria (aka. dysphoria regarding genitalia). Many transgender women will tuck to have the appearance of not having external genitalia. Some trans women seek out surgeries such as vaginoplasty and/or labiaplasty to surgically obtain a neovagina. Some transgender women will get orchis to remove the testes.

Public Figures

Clayton, Jamie (January 15, 1978)

Jamie is an american actress and model. Jamie is best known for her role as Nomi Marks on the serires "Sense8".

Click to jump to external resources regarding Jamie Clayton.

Cox, Laverne (May 29, 1972)

Laverne Cox always felt like a girl, even as a young child. After begging her mother for dance classes, Laverne started tap dancing and jazz in the third grade, though she was not allowed to participate in ballet. Between 2008 and 2010, Laverne appeared in a variety of movies and tv shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and TRANSform Me.

Laverne's breakthrough role came in 2012 where she played as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black. Since then, she has been featured in numerous additional movies, tv shows, and documentaries. Laverne is the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy. She hosts a column in The Huffington Post. In Feburary 2018, Laverne Cox became the first openly transgender cover girl in the history of South African edition of Cosmopolitan.

Laverne Cox is a black actress and transgender rights advocate from The United States of America.

Click to jump to external resources regarding Laverne Cox.

Grace, Laura Jane (November 8, 1980)

Laura is a USA American punk rock musician. She is the founder, lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter, of the band Against Me!

Due to being the child of a military officer, Larua traveled around the United States, Germany, and Italy during her childhood. Laura bought her first guitar at 8 years old while living in Italy. Laura first came out as transgender in May of 2012, though she was experiencing gender dysphoria long before that.

Click to jump to external resources regarding Laura Jane Grace.

Jennings, Jazz (October 6, 2000)

Jazz is one of the youngest transgender people who have her transition publically documented. In 2013, she started a company known as "Purple Rainbow Tails" where she creates rubber mermaid tails to raise money for transgender children. In 2014, she co-wrote the childeren's book "I am Jazz" which discusses her experiences being a transgender child. In 2015, the TLC TV series "I am Jazz" where Jazz talks about her daily life as a transgender person, premiered.

Jazz is a Jewish U.S. American. "Jennings" is a pseudonym used to protect her and her family's privacy, though this has not stopped Jazz from receiving personalized death threats.

Click to jump to external resources regarding Jazz Jennings.

McBride, Sarah (August 09, 1990)

Sarah McBride is a member of the Delaware Senate.

Click to jump to external resources regarding Sarah McBride.

Mulvaney, Dylan (December 29, 1996)

Dylan Mulvaney graduated in 2019 from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a musical theater degree. In 2020, Dylan was performing in the broadway show The Book of Mormon when COVID-19 shut down the theater district, leaving her jobless. She began posting videos of herself singing or with animals on TikTok, attracting hundreds of thousands of views.

In March of 2022, Dylan Mulvaney first announced that she was a transgender woman on Tiktok when she started her daily series known as "Days of Girlhood." Prior to that first video, she had already been on hormones, and was out to her friends and family as nonbinary. Her series chronicles her experiences with being transgender. As Dylan became more and more popular, she gained advertising deals with brands such as Ulta, Bud Light, CeraVe, MAC Cosmetics, and Neutrogena. Some of these brand deals resulted in right-wing backlash over having a transgender woman featured in commercials.

In October of 2022, Dylan Mulvaney interviewed President Joe Biden for NowThisNews regarding transgender rights.

Dylan is a white social media influencer from The United States of America. In addition to her TikTok fame, she has released music and a book.

Click to jump to external resources regarding Dylan Mulvaney.

Rose, Nyla (August 3, 1982)

Nyla is a U.S. American professional wrestler. She signed with All Elite Wrestling in Feburary 2019. Nyla is the first openly transgender professional wrestler to sign with a major American professional wrestling promotion.

Nyla is a transgender woman with both Oneida (Native American) and African-American heritage.

Click to jump to external resources regarding Nyla Rose.

Schafer, Hunter (December 31, 1998)

Hunter is an American actress and model.

Click to jump to external resources regarding Hunter Schafer.

Wachowski, Lana (June 21, 1965) & Lily (December 29, 1967)

The Wachowski sisters are a pair of movie directors, writer, and producers. They are best known for The Matrix (1999), a movie in which the main character takes a little blue pill and reawakens.

Click to jump to external resources regarding The Wachowskis.

Zephyr, Zooey (August 29, 1988)

Zooey is a U.S. American politician that assumed office in the Montana House of Representatives on January 2, 2023. She is the first transgender woman to have been elected into this position. She rose to fame 04/18/2023 when she said “I hope the next time there’s an invocation, when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands,” while debating the bill that would prohibit transitional care for transgender youth.

In 2011, she graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s in business administration and creative writing. From 2015 to December 2021, at the University of Montana, she worked as the graduate program coordinator for the biology graduate programs, and then as the program manager in the provost’s office. Zooey came out as transgender in 2018. Zooey married Erin Reed in 2024.

Click to jump to external resources regarding Zooey Zephyr.

Flags

AFAB Transfeminine/AFAB Trans Woman Flag

This flag is used to represent transfeminine people who were AFAB. Typically used by intersex people.

Transfeminine Flag

This flag is used to represent all transmasculine people.

The blue stripes on the transfeminine flag represent masculinity.

The pink stripes on the transfeminine flag represent both transitioning to femininity and the spectrum of femininity.

Trans Woman/Trans Girl Flag

This flag is used to represent transgender women and transgender girls.

Transfeminine Honeybee Flag

This flag is used by transfeminine people who do not wish to disclose their AGAB.

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