A resource for speech pathologists
 Population
The term “transsexual” is a diagnostic term applied to individuals with a lifelong conviction of belonging to the gender opposite to their biological sex.38, 40 The term “transgender” is used as an umbrella term to describe a divergence from the prevailing gender role.1 Although these terms are often used interchangeably, the term transsexual will be used throughout this website.
When discussing the transsexual population, it is important to acknowledge that it does not constitute a homogenous group. Individuals with this diagnosis will come from diverse socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and will access the services of a speech pathologist at different stages in life.
At present, there are no definitive studies regarding the incidence of transsexualism. Estimates of the prevalence vary from 1 in 54,00037 to 8.18 in 100,000.41 The majority of individuals with transsexualism are biological males who identify as female. Some studies estimate that 75% of the transsexual population are male-to-female,37 although other studies argue that it is less than this figure.19
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