Transsexuality is not the same as being a transvestite.
When you're a transsexual you have a burning desire to become the gender you feel you are. This means that a male transsexual feels like a woman and wants a female body with breasts and vagina. A female transsexual feels like a man and wants a penis, hair on the chest, a beard etc.
Transsexuals can be hetero-, homo- or bisexuals. The point is what the transsexual feels like, and not how they are born.
The degree of legal recognition provided to transsexualism varies widely throughout the world. Many countries now extend legal recognition to sex reassignment by permitting a change of gender on the birth certificate. The amount to which non-transsexual transgender people can benefit from the legal recognition given to transsexual people varies. In some countries, an explicit medical diagnosis of transsexualism is (at least formally) necessary. In others, a diagnosis of gender identity disorder, or simply the fact that one has established a different gender role, can be sufficient for some or all of the legal recognition available.
