What is the difference between a Pre-operative Transsexual and a She-Male?
A. Physically, nothing, in that both terms refer to a person who was physically male who has been feminized and dresses as a woman, but still has a penis and possibly testicles. The real difference is in “labels.” Most “She-Males” are in the “Adult Industry” as prostitutes or porn stars. Some have no desire to actually undergo gender reassignment surgery, but may have surgery, such as implants, to make certain they retain their “manhood” while making the rest of their body look like that of a woman. Many pre-operative transsexuals take offense at being called “She-Males” because of the connotation that they are prostitutes or engage in pornography. Pre-op transsexuals fully intend to live in the opposite gender role from that in which they were reared.
