Do lesbians want to be men, and gay men want to be women?
Many people confuse gender identity (how we see ourselves – as a male or female) with sexual orientation (to which gender(s) we are sexually attracted.) These are two different issues. People who are non-traditional in their gender role expression because they don’t completely identify or feel comfortable with their biological gender are called “transgendered.” Some transgendered people feel totally alienated from their biological sex and feel trapped in the wrong body. They are born with one biological sex and develop the gender identity of the other. They are referred to as “transsexual,” and may elect to have a sex change operation. Like non-transgendered people, most transgendered and transsexual people are heterosexual. Most gay men and lesbian women feel very comfortable with their biological sex. Despite this reality, transgendered people are almost always perceived to be gay simple because of their appearance, which is often that of a masculine woman or feminine man, and are th
