TG Alphabet Soup

Many acronyms, some of contemporary usage, others of historical significance, are used within the TG Community and LGBT Community as abbreviations, slang, terms of endearment, etc.

Terms and acronyms

CD: Crossdresser
TG: Transgender. The abbreviation, like the term, is quite overloaded.
TS: Transsexual
TV: Transvestite. The term and acronym are falling out of favor and often considered anachronistic.
T*: Trans-everything, from computer lingo where the asterisk matches all.
XD: Crossdresser. Anachronistic.
XV: Transvestite. Anachronistic.

Status and Pecking Order

Within the TG Community, those who are identified with some terms are often seen as having a higher social standing than others. There is no universal order, but often those at the higher levels of this pecking order tend to be those who have completed SRS, those who have completed social Transition, and those who ""Pass well" or present effectively, visually and audibly, in public.

Those on the lower pecking-order levels are often, but not always Drag Queens, gender-variant sex workers and "street transgenders", those whose orientation tends to be fetishistic or presentation tends to be flamboyant, etc.

Within TG support groups and social organizations, bona fide transition track individuals are frequently considered to be of higher status than those who identify as Crossdressers or drag queens.