On the contrary, calling himself a transsexual is perhaps an instance of genuine intellectual honesty. Consider: for a long time, western society used the terms transsexual and transvestite to refer to people who adopted mannerisms and/or the appearance and dress of the opposite sex to varying degrees, and these descriptions were perfectly adequate for getting the point across. At some point, the terms went out of vogue and were instead seen as somehow innately derogatory. I think the term transsexual is less politically charged or innately offensive as the "terf" term TIM (trans-identified man). Transgender is basically an equivalent term to transsexual, but linguistically seems to work better as an adjective rather than a noun.
Ed Wood for example was a transvestite: a man who happened to enjoy cross-dressing on occasion, and dated and married women. Whereas the subject that one of his films was based on,
Christine Jorgensen was a full-on transexual: a former man who eventually decided to live full-time presenting as a woman, but wasn't shy about her past life as a man -- and in fact,
"She returned to the United States in the early 1950s and her transition was the subject of a New York Daily News front-page story. She became an instant celebrity, using the platform to advocate for transgender people and became known for her directness and polished wit."
And btw, y'all should totally watch Tim Burton's film 'Ed Wood' (1994) if you haven't seen it yet, it's one of his best and has a great performance by Johnny Depp as the super eccentric titular character. Also has Bill Murray as a tranny.
Nyk
was a transvestite, but now as Natalie is a transsexual.