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The difference between a transsexual, a transgender person or transvestite is often unclear which leads to wide misuse of the terms when describing someone. Here is a quick rundown on the differences between the "trans".

A transsexual is a person who alters their physical appearance either by operation or hormones to become a member of the opposite sex. Transsexuals can be either female to male (FtM) or male to female (MtF) and are sometimes referred to as "post-opt" after surgery.

A transgender person is one that crosses gender boundaries or a man or woman that adopts the attributes of the opposite sex. The sexual preference of a transgender person often varies.

A transvestite is a man or woman that dresses in the clothing of the opposite sex.  A transvestite is also known as a drag queen (a man who dresses in women's clothing), a drag king (a woman who dresses in men's clothing) or cross dresser.

Below are a few other helpful definitions:

An intersex person is one who was born with mixed sexual physiology.  Often at birth their gender is decided either by surgery or the parents chose to raise the child as a male or female.

The term butch often refers to a person that has either a masculine appearance or mannerisms often associated with men. The word butch can have a negative or positive connotation depending on the usage.

The term femme often refers to a person that has either a feminine appearance or mannerisms often associated with women. The word femme can also have a negative or positive connotation depending on the usage.

~Ramon Johnson