Shemale

Shemale (sometimes she-male) refers to a natal male who has partially undergone transition to female, has breasts, but still has male genitals. The term has been used in a derogatory manner in some contexts and has been used by such individuals to describe themselves in others.

The term, along with tranny, ladyboy and others, is often used in sex industries to refer to a pre-operative transsexual woman who has not had sex reassignment surgery; although the industry is known to advertise catering to customer's interests.

Like many potentially derogatory labels, some have adopted the term as an endearment or as a form of self-empowerment.

Etymology

In the early 19th century, "she-male" was used as a colloquialism in American literature for "female". Davy Crockett is quoted as using the term in regard to a shooting match, when his opponent challenges Davy Crockett to shoot near his opponent's wife, Davy Crockett is reported to have replied:

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, by 1970 the term shemale had come to be used disparagingly for "masculine lesbian", although this is no longer common usage. In 1979, Janice Raymond employed the term's modern usage in her controversial book, The Transsexual Empire: The Making of the She-Male in which she argues that from a feminist point of view, transsexuals constitute an attack by males upon femininity. In 1990, Jennifer Anne Stevens defined a she-male as "Usually a gay male who lives full time as a woman; a gay transgenderist" in her book From Masculine To Feminine And All points In Between.