Transman

A transman or transguy (often referred to as FTM) is short for transsexual or transgender man - a person who was naturally born or physically assigned as female at birth, but who feels that this is not an accurate or complete description of themselves and consequently identifies as a male. "FTM" (sometimes FtM, F2M, or F→M) is short for "female-to-male", and identifies the general direction of transition (from assigned to actual), and not a conscripted "start" to "finish" process. Some transmen reject being seen as FTM, arguing that they have always been male and are only making this identity visible to other people and sometimes calling themselves MTM, (short for "male-to-male").

Terminology
Even though the same term "transman" is used as short form for both identities (transsexual man and transgender man), and sometimes transsexuality is seen as a type of transgenderism, in reality many transmen will identify as either transsexual or transgender, but not both.

"Transgender man" is an umbrella term that may include anybody who was assigned female sex at birth, but identifies part or full time as a male. For instance some drag kings,cross dressers, androgynous, bigendered, and genderqueer people might self-identify as transmen.Because transgender is an umbrella term, it is imprecise and does not adequately describe the particulars of specific identities and experiences. For example, the identity/experience of a post-operative FTM transsexual will probably be very different from that of a female-identified drag king who performs on weekends, but both are often lumped together under the term "transgender".

Transsexual men usually seek medical interventions, such as hormones and surgery, to make their bodies as congruent as possible with their gender presentation. They usually live or wish to live full time as members of the gender opposite to their birth sex.

Sometimes the term "new man" is used to identify a post-operative transsexual man.

Transition
For different transmen, transition might involve some or all of the following steps: Originally the term transmen referred specifically to female-to-male transsexuals who undertook a physical change by HRT and/or surgery, but in recent years the mode of transition has broadened to include theories of psychological development or complementary methods of self-acceptance.
 * social transition - name change, wearing clothing seen as gender appropriate, disclosure to family, friends and usually at the workplace
 * sex reassignment therapy - hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and/or surgery
 * legal affirmation - name and often sex marker correction in the legal documents.

Social aspects of transition
Most transmen prefer to live part-time or full-time as male. Being socially accepted as male (sometimes known as passing) may be challenging for transmen who have not undergone HRT and/or surgery. Thus, some transmen may choose to present as female in certain social situations (e.g. at work). After physical transition, transmen usually live full-time as male.

Research
In the United States the ratio of transmen within the general population is unclear, but estimates range between 1:2000 and 1:100,000.

Although there is still disagreement as to how gender dysphoria begins and who should qualify for hormonal and surgical intervention, there is agreement amongst psychologists that gender dysphoria should be the subject of clinical attention separate from other disorders and that the gender identity of these people is profound, deep seated, and non-delusional. With respect to transsexual men who choose to seek sex reassignment surgery (SRS), outcome studies indicate that when three conditions are met: a proper differential diagnosis, a significantly long trial period of living in the gender of choice, and a satisfactory surgical result, there is only a small incidence of post-operative regret. Indeed, in a review of the outcome literature Pfafflin (1992) reports that less than 1% of the female-to-male transsexuals who had undergone sex reassignment had any regrets. Not all transsexual men wish to undergo SRS, nor is surgery necessary for transmen to identify as male or be accepted as such by others.

Sexual orientation
The sexual orientation of transmen is usually expressed with respect to male identity, not the assigned sex at birth (e.g. a transman who prefers female partners is considered heterosexual). The FTM community has coined the phrase transfag to describe a transman who desires other men, whether they be non-trans males or other transmen. Some people may consider the term "transfag" offensive, as it may seem to refer to an MTF transsexual, but generally most gay transmen are comfortable with this label of self-identification.

Publicly known transmen

 * Ben Barres, an American neurobiologist who teaches at Stanford University
 * James Barry (1795-1865), military surgeon in the British Army
 * Willmer "Little Ax" Broadnax (1916-1994), an African-American hard gospel quartet singer
 * Balian Buschbaum, German pole vaulter
 * Alec Butler, Canadian playwright and filmmaker
 * Meryn Cadell, Canadian singer, writer and performance artist
 * Patrick Califia, writer and poet
 * Loren Cameron, American photographer, author and activist
 * Albert Cashier, (1843-1915), an Irish-born soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War
 * Aaron Devor, Canadian sociologist and sexologist
 * Michael Laurence Dillon (1915-1962), physician and author
 * Robert Eads (1945-1999), transsexual, subject of documentary Southern Comfort
 * Reed Erickson (1917-1992), businessman and philanthropist
 * Jack Bee Garland 1899-1936), American journalist, nurse, and adventurer
 * Alexander John Goodrum (1960-2002), an African American transgender civil rights activist
 * Jamison Green, writer & educator
 * Alan L. Hart, an American physician who pioneered the use of x-ray photography in tuberculosis detection, and helped implement TB screening programs
 * Ian Harvie, American stand-up comedian
 * Katastrophe (Rocco Katastrophe Kayiatos) emo-hop mc
 * Andreas Krieger, German shot putter
 * Shannon Minter, attorney
 * Rupert Raj, activist, psychotherapist, researcher, writer
 * Lucas Silveira, rock musician.
 * Lou Sullivan, American author and activist
 * Brandon Teena (1972-1993), a victim of a hate crime, subject of the film Boys Don't Cry
 * Billy Tipton (1914-1989), an American jazz pianist and saxophonist
 * Max Wolf Valerio, poet, writer and performer
 * Stephen Whittle OBE, PhD., Professor of Equalities Law in the School of Law at Manchester Metropolitan University, and an active member of the United Kingdom TransActivist organisation Press for Change
 * Buck Angel, an adult film actor

Films

 * Boys Don't Cry, drama
 * Southern Comfort, documentary
 * Transparent, documentary
 * Pick Up the Mic, documentary (features two FTM artists)