Words and terms can be used differently. Especially in the domain of trans*sex work, often different realities meet. As well we, as sex workers as our customers use other words. This difference is to be respected. Please take the time to scrutinize the background of the communicating people and don’t judge hasty people, who use other terms than you. We are lesbians, gay, heterosexual, queer, migrant, poc, white, trans*, cis or nothing of all of this. For sure we are using different terms. Sometimes we need to use different words and descriptions for our bodies and sexualities during work than when we are private, sometimes this fits well, sometimes this is a problem for people. Right is what feels right for the affected people. Respect the self definition of trans*sex workers and ask which words they use for them; their bodies, their work and their sexuality.

  • Peer to peer: From affected to affected. This means in our case: Those working with us should have experience as sex worker and, if possible working as a trans*sex worker or formerly have worked in that field.
  • Trans*: is the umbrella-term for all: it includes very different people. From people not categorizing themselves to a gender at all, to people who use the term classically as transsexual and distinctly assign to a binary gender. There is also people who are not Cis*people (see definition underneath), but do not identify as trans* but rather former trans* or with transsexual background, because they understand trans* only as a phase and define themselves afterwards just as male or female.

  • Cis: is the opposite of trans*. A cisgender person, cismasculine or cisfeminine, cisman or ciswoman, is a person who currently lives in the gender assigned at birth. If trans*people get distinguished by terms, it is just fair and emancipatory to tag cispeople as such as well. Cispeople are those, who can identify with their at birth assigned gender. Trans*women and trans*men are often treated differently then cis*women or cis*men, by which it becomes clear that the superficial acceptance is not a reality in most situations. This argument may be difficult, since it is appropriate in some cases, when it is about going into certain differences specifically on trans*people.

  • Transsexuals: to identify with (in a binary gender system) “other” gender than the at birth assigned one. Despite the associations of the word it has nothing to do with a sexual orientation. This misunderstanding unfortunately gets supported by the concatenations, likeLGBT (lesbian-gay-bisexual-trans).

  • T ransident: is the term that clarifies, that trans*
    is considering the identity and not sexuality. So transident person is way more suitable.

  • Transgender: to mostly not find oneself in the allocated gender identity(this term, for example, leaves space for people who neither identify as “female” or “male”). Is frequently used by people to demarcate towards “transsexual”, if those who do not proceed on the assumption of a natural binary gender system. Quasi the opposite to cisgender.

  • Transvestitism: wearing clothings of the “opposite gendered” clothings to certain events, but generally identifying with the assigned gender. Further down there will be more about this in the topic of “TV”.

  • FtM/MtF: shortage for “female to male” and „male to female”. A trans*woman is NOT a man, who WANTS TO BE a woman, rather a woman who got assigned wrong at birth or later.

  • Passing – to be recognized as the gender a person identifies as would be a “good passing”. We all pass, will be recognised as something. If person passes as trans* this leads to confusion, discrimination, often boundary crossing questions and actions, respectively slander.

  • Transition: a transition is an alteration. In mainstream trans*context this is often the way from the assigned gender to the gender of the identity.

  • Binder: things to bind the chest. Often used by transgender butches and transmen without breast surgery.

  • Stuffer/packing: diverse “things” to put in pants who are supposed to suggest a penis.

  • Out/stealth: out means, the trans*background is known; stealth means, the person is living and working in their gender identity without being noticed as trans*. Working as a cis-gender woman is far more profitable. Working stealth often contains enormous pressure on the job because customers of cisgender sex workers would get angry if they find out that the worker is actually trans*, but it opens up for more opportunities to work; higher prices, more customers and access to more operating ranges.

Sex worker specific terms – terms which are important in work contexts and not necessarily in use privately. Partly those terms could be not interesting or declined. We have to live with the words that are used.

  • Transsexual/TS: transfeminine sex worker. Ideally with silicon-breasts and the opportunity to produce sperm and best possible passing as high femme. For trans*masculine sex workers there are no established terms existing since it is very unusual in Europe to have a trans*masculine body as a trans*man and work as a sex-worker.

  • Transvestite/TV: transvestites who work as sex workers. They are payed lower and mostly working as sub (submissive). The difference between TS and TV is rarely not known. This is especially clear if sexpages only leave the options of choosing between man, woman and TV, which leads to the problem of how to place the advert.

  • Crossdresser: unusual peripheral matter; there are some who work this way. The prices are more in range of man/ male prostitution. Crossdressing refers almost exclusively to wearing clothing that are connected to the opposite of the assigned genders, if considering the binary gender-system.

  • Pre-OP: the usual way to work and most demanded- It is important for customers, that the trans*sexworker has a dick (considering the definition for a dick of the customer).
    Only because the form of the genitals is considered a dick at work, it doesn’t mean that the term is used in
    private as well. In realms of sex work, “OP” correlates to “neovagina”.

  • Post-OP: After creation of a neovagina. Is followed by a massive loss of customers and lower prices. In case it is not possible to work stealth, in this case cis-female, which is realized by some, it connotes drastic, economical problems.

  • Shemale/ Tranny/ Ladyboy/ Transgirl: other terms for ts. Are often considered to be offensive outside of sex work and are (like the terms hooker or whore) considered to only be used by trans*sex workers.