Question: How Does Sexual Orientation Work When You're Transgender?

A lot of people get confused by how sexual orientation works when a person is transgender. Partly that's because the terms sex, gender and sexual orientation are often used interchangeably when they are actually quite different.

A good way to think of it is that sexual orientation tends to line up with your gender identity, not your biological sex.

Below is how Joanna M. Phipps,a MTF transsexual, breaks it down.

Answer:

If you are male and,

you like guys: you are gay.

you like girls: you are straight.

you like both: you are bisexual.

If you are female and,

you like girls: you are straight.

you like girls: you are lesbian.

you like both: you are bisexual.

However, if you are transgender things are complicated by two factors, how the world sees you and how you see yourself.

If you are a transgender woman, but the world sees you as male and,

you like guys: they think you are gay.

you like girls: they think you are straight.

you like both: they think you are bisexual.

If you are transgender man, but the world sees you as female and,

you like guys: they think you are straight.

you like girls: they think you are lesbian.

you like both: they think you are bisexual.

But,

If you are transgender and see yourself as female and,

you like guys: then you are straight.

you like girls: then you are lesbian.

you like both: then you are bisexual.

If you are transgender and see yourself as male and,

you like guys: then you are gay.

you like girls: then you are straight.

you like both: then you are bisexual.

...No matter what your body looks like!