|
「跨性別」（TG）一詞通用於自我性別認同與其生理性別不同者。一般而言包括「變性慾者」、「扮異性者」及「變裝者」。但國內學者何春蕤指出，「跨性別」一詞其實有其歷史脈絡及相當複雜的分化與淵源。她的說明節錄如下：在美國1970年代的脈絡中，跨性別指的是全時間「活」在和本身生理性別相反的性別裡，專注的是跨性別主體的「生存活動」而非「身份認同」。但在認同政治開始發展後，「跨性別」開始被用來指涉兩種不一樣作用的意義：一方面，它被當作一個概括的名詞，用來涵蓋所有挑戰／跨越性與性別疆界的人。另一方面，為了打開這個曖昧流動的性別空間，「跨性別」有時也被用來區分那些在性別表現上被視為不符合其生理性別的人（TG），以及那些透過手術和其他方式將其生理性別重新設定為異性的人（TS）。
A blanket term for any person whose internal gender identity differs from their physiological gender. Generally speaking, the term “transgender” includes transsexuals, transvestites, and cross-dressers. As scholar Chuen-juei Ho has pointed out, however, the term “transgender” has had a complicated historic background. In the 1970s, in the United States “transgender” referred to a person living a gender identity opposite to his/her biological gender; the emphasis was always on gender lifestyle instead of identity. Since the development of politics of identities, TG has come to have two different functional meanings. On the one hand, it is used as a generic term that includes anyone who challenges or crosses the boundary of sex and gender. On the other hand, TG is sometimes used to distinguish a person whose behaviour does not comport with his/her biological gender, or who has undergone a sex change by way of a surgical operation or other means.
參考資料： 茱莉安娜的秘密花園，http://www.geocities.com/rachellesbian/juliana.htm，2006/6/15；何春蕤，2002，「認同的『體』現：打造跨性別」，台灣社會研究季刊，第46期。
|