My latest post for Below The Belt is now up:
I invariably use trans as short for transgendered, and transgendered in its so-called “umbrella sense”: embracing anyone with a variance with the gender assigned to them because of their biological sex. (When referring to a transsexual’s gender, however, I use trans as an adjective modifying that gender: trans man, trans woman. Although this is slightly confusing, I agree with Julia Serano and helen boyd that the space is vital in avoiding “othering” or invalidating a transsexual’s gender–something that transwoman doesn’t do, since it implies that transsexual women aren’t women but something else entirely).
You can read the rest here.