when did the word transgender enter the english language?

Most reference sources say that the word "transgender" dates back to
the 1970s. The term was popularized by Charles "Virginia" Prince, the
publisher of a magazine called "Transvestia."

"Originally, the term transgender was coined in the 1970s by Virginia
Prince in the USA, as a contrast with the term 'transsexual,' to refer
to someone who does not desire surgical intervention to 'change sex,'
and/or who considers that they fall 'between' genders, not identifying
strictly to one gender or the other, identifying themselves as neither
fully male, nor female."

Answers: Transgender
http://www.answers.com/topic/transgender

"The word 'transgender' was, in fact, coined by married heterosexual
cross-dresser Charles (Virginia) Prince in the United States of
America to distinguish a transgender person, who had no compelling
need or desire to permanently and significantly change or alter their
body but who wished to live out a gender expression contrary to their
sex, from a person who experienced transsexualism."

FTMA Network: Transsexualism in Family Law 
http://www.ftma.net/lib/04/0903.html

"The term 'transgender' was coined back in the early 1970s to cover
those 'apparent' transsexuals who suffered little or no discomfort and
did not request surgery to correct their gender conflict. Therefore,
they were not "transsexual" according to diagnostic guidelines. Over
the past decade, some people in the 'trans' community have widened the
meaning of transgender to include anyone with a gender variance from
the so-called norm."

Affirm United: CONSENSUS 
http://www.affirmunited.ca/UCon0102.htm

"The term transgender was popularized by Virginia Prince in the 1970s
to describe people like herself who prefer to live as the opposite
gender without undergoing surgery. Typically the only thing the
transgenderist wants to change are features of their gender, not their
sex. However, the term has become popular particularly to describe
individuals that manifest social and behavioral characteristics and
preferences typically associated with both males and females and has
become more inclusive."

Transgender Zone: A Conversation with Dr. Milton Diamond
http://www.transgenderzone.com/library/ae/fulltext/20.htm 

"Virginia Prince should probably be credited as having introduced the
term 'transgender.' Because she needed a term to describe her decision
to become a woman without changing her genitals (what she would call
her 'sex,') the term 'transsexual' would not do. C.F. Prince,
Virginia. 1979. 'Charles to Virginia: Sex Research as a Personal
Experience.' In The Frontiers of Sex Research. ed. Vern Bullough,
167-175. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books."

International Journal of Transgenderism: What is Transgender?
http://www.symposion.com/ijt/gilbert/kessler.htm

Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: "the word OR term transgender was"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22the+word+OR+term+transgender+was%22

I hope this is helpful. If anything is unclear or incomplete, or if a
link doesn't work for you, please request clarification; I'll gladly
offer further assistance before you rate my answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

---

Request for Answer Clarification by perryparis-ga on 30 Mar 2005 20:01 PST

i can not find when transgender entered the english dictionary orin
most dictionaries ...when did it enter the english dictionary 2000 ?

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 30 Mar 2005 20:34 PST

You're correct that "transgender" is not yet in all English
dictionaries, but the dictionaries are catching up. The word appeared
in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth
Edition in 2000:

http://www.bartleby.com/61/80/T0318025.html

Several online dictionaries now have listings for "transgender":

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=transgender

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=transgender

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/t/t0318025.html

Even the venerable Shorter Oxford English Dictionary now recognizes
the word. "Transgender" is on a list of "new words" added in 2002:

http://www.askoxford.com/pressroom/archive/new_words

~pinkfreud

this is PERFECT. my question is answered and there is a smile on my face.

Thank you very much for the five stars and the tip!

~pinkfreud

sure. thank you for the answer it is very helpful as we are working on
a project about trangender college students. maybe i will have some
more questions for you.

ps really like your name!

hi pinkfreud - i posted 4 more questions. if you have info.
best
perry paris

Hi, Perry. I saw your new questions. I hope someone will be able to
help. Obtaining this kind of information from authoritative sources
can be quite time-consuming, and you will probably be more likely to
get an answer if you raise your fee.

~Pink

what would be a good fee ? and i will need to figure out how to go in
and up the price. i was try that this morning.
thanks

To raise the price, you start by logging in and going to the open
question. Then click the button in the upper right of the screen that
says "Change Question Parameters." This will take you to a screen
where you can change the price as desired.

You might try raising your fees to at least $5 per question. If you
don't get a response, you may want to raise the fees again. Here
you'll find the Google Answers pricing guidelines:

https://answers.google.com/answers/pricing.html