Transgender is the state of one's "gender identity" (self-identification as woman, man, or neither) not matching one's "assigned sex" (identification by others as male or female based on physical/genetic sex). Transgender does not imply any specific form of sexual orientation; transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, or asexual.

Sometimes, in order to accommodate their feelings, transgenders may undergo surgery and hormone therapy, thus enabling them match their physical sex with their gender identity.