Transgender is the umbrella term that covers the entire community. This includes crossdresser's transgenderist's and transsexuals. I just finished watching the Katie Couric show from yesterday and as usual they got it wrong.
Virtually all of the attention from the media and among researchers goes to the smallest portion of the transgender community. Those that identify as being transsexuals.
From a study that has been replicated twice we know that there are about 13 1/2 million transgender individuals in the United States. Of these 80% are cross-dressers, 16% are transgenderists pre-op and no-op transsexuals and 4% are post-op transsexuals.
We know from ongoing research that the incidence of ASD autism spectrum disorder is more than 10 times that of the normal population. By nature those that are ASD are obsessive and when the only thing that is presented to them by the media and in many cases by therapists is the TS path… There are many that will be going down the wrong path as a result.
I strongly object to the use of the word transgender and applying it only to those that are transsexual. I am as transgender, and do not claim that identification.