Transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser, transvestite
Codes used in personals to describe gender identity or presentation. TS and TV are dated and often considered offensive; TG, and more simply trans, are the usual words today.
| Type | Modern shorthand and terms |
|---|---|
| Category | Identity code |
| Usage | includes dated and offensive terms |
| Stands for | Transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser, transvestite |
These codes changed with the language around them. TV (transvestite) appears in contact ads of the 1960s and 1970s; CD (cross-dresser) replaced it, and Craigslist's 2005 guide lists CD and the category code m4t. TS (transsexual) and TV are now considered outdated, and many people find them offensive when used by others. TG and, more simply, trans are the usual words today.
Sources: Craigslist guide to personals acronyms (2005).
Trans is the common term, and apps let people state their gender in their own words. On AseeksB, gender is set in the profile and in each post's audience rather than coded into the text.
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How this fits into 170 years of personal ad shorthand: From Object Matrimony to LTR: How Personal Ads Learned to Talk in Code.
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