Part of why my post used a lot of waffle-words is that a lot of this terminology is still undergoing serious change, and there are people who vehemently disagree with some uses of some of the words.
In general, though, "transvestite" means a person who cross-dresses for sexual pleasure -- i.e., as a fetish. It also usually means a male person who does that, and it further usually has a very clinical tinge to it. So clinical, in fact, that a lot of people, even those who it might otherwise cover, reject it as too derogatory. And "transvestite" tends to be used for transgender women in other cultures -- Thailand, for example -- which shows how the word tends to have negative connotations.
Does "transgender" include "transvestite"? This is another definitional question, and one that has a lot of proponents on various sides of the argument. For the most part, though, my sense is that "transgender" is an umbrella term that includes "transvestites" (scare quotes because I dislike the term), crossdressers, transsexuals, bois, drag queens, people who live as one gender but have genitalia normally associated with another, gender queer folks, people into genderfuck, etc. etc.
Note that "transgender" does not equal "transsexual". The terms are sometimes used similarly -- some people define "transgender" as people who were assigned one gender at birth, but who identify strongly with another gender, probably to the point of wanting to live in the gender they identify with. This definition of "transgender" appears to be gaining currency.
no subject
In general, though, "transvestite" means a person who cross-dresses for sexual pleasure -- i.e., as a fetish. It also usually means a male person who does that, and it further usually has a very clinical tinge to it. So clinical, in fact, that a lot of people, even those who it might otherwise cover, reject it as too derogatory. And "transvestite" tends to be used for transgender women in other cultures -- Thailand, for example -- which shows how the word tends to have negative connotations.
Does "transgender" include "transvestite"? This is another definitional question, and one that has a lot of proponents on various sides of the argument. For the most part, though, my sense is that "transgender" is an umbrella term that includes "transvestites" (scare quotes because I dislike the term), crossdressers, transsexuals, bois, drag queens, people who live as one gender but have genitalia normally associated with another, gender queer folks, people into genderfuck, etc. etc.
Note that "transgender" does not equal "transsexual". The terms are sometimes used similarly -- some people define "transgender" as people who were assigned one gender at birth, but who identify strongly with another gender, probably to the point of wanting to live in the gender they identify with. This definition of "transgender" appears to be gaining currency.