"The term shemale refers to transwomen (male-to-female transgender or transsexual people) who have breasts typical of an adult female (through hormone replacement therapy and/or through breast augmentation), and who usually have other female secondary sex characteristics, but who have not undergone genital reassignment surgery.

However, other transwomen never undergo genital reassignment surgery even if they can afford it, or come to accept their genitalia, because they consider the surgery to be unnecessary for their individual gender transition. Some transwomen have said they prefer the genitalia with which they were born.

The term "shemale" (along with tranny and "chick with dick") is commonly, but not exclusively, used in pornography and the sex industry; videos and magazines involving such people are a common sub-genre of pornography. It is often seen by transsexual people as a powerful term of abuse.

Many transwomen are offended by this term for one or more of the following reasons:

* because of the association with the sex industry, like pornography, escorting, and sex party scenes,
* because many transwomen who have not undergone genital reassignment surgery want it and/or
* because their gender identity is female, not "male", nor do they feel they are only "half-female"."

Ahhha, damn, wikipedia sucks on term Tranny, see for yourself:

"Tranny is transmission on an automobile"

And LadyBoy is:

LadyBoy is actually a kathoey or katoey, here is full description:

"The term kathoey or katoey generally refers to a male-to-female transgender person or an effeminate gay male in Thailand. They are sometimes referred to as ladyboys, or as sao (or phuying) praphet song ("a second kind of woman"), or phet thee sam (third sex). The word kathoey is thought to be of Khmer origin.

General description

The term "kathoey" is not an exact equivalent of the modern western transwoman — it suggests that the person is a type of male, unlike the term sao praphet song, which suggests a female sex identity, or phet thee sam, which suggets a third gender. Australian scholar of sexual politics in Thailand Peter Jackson claims that the term "kathoey" was used in premodern times to refer to intersexuals, and that the usage changed in the middle of the 20th century to cover cross-dressing males.The term can refer to males who exhibit varying degrees of femininity — many kathoeys dress as women and undergo feminising medical procedures such as hormone replacement therapy, breast implants, genital reassignment surgery, or Adam's apple reductions. Others may wear makeup and use feminine pronouns, but dress as men, and are closer to the western category of effeminate gay man than transgender. Regardless of their gender presentation, their sexual orientation is towards men, who are not considered to be gay.

Kathoeys are often identified at a young age, and are considered to be 'born that way'. They may have access to hormones (available without prescription) and medical procedures during their teenage years.

The term "kathoey" may be considered pejorative, especially in the form "kathoey-saloey". It has a meaning similar to the English language "fairy" or "queen".

Social context

Kathoeys usually work in traditionally feminine occupations, in shops, coffee bars and restaurants, beauty salons and hairstylists.[3] Many also work in entertainment and tourist centers, as dancers, in cabaret shows — Alcazar and Tiffanys in Pattaya are among the best known — or as prostitutes. There are also persistent reports of groups of kathoeys working as pickpockets in tourist areas, though these might be exaggerated stereotypes.

Compared to Western countries, where transgender and transsexuals are just beginning to become visible (and demand their rights), kathoeys are much more visible and more widely accepted in Thai culture: several popular Thai models, singers and movie stars are kathoeys, and Thai newspapers often print photos of the winners of female and kathoey beauty contests side by side. The phenomenon is not restricted to urban areas; there are kathoeys in most villages, and kathoey beauty contests are commonly held as part of local fairs.

Some believe that this higher acceptance is due to the nature of the surrounding Buddhist culture, which places a high value on tolerance. Using the notion of Karma, some Thai believe that being a kathoey is the result of transgressions in past lives, concluding that kathoey deserve pity rather than blame.

The lives of kathoeys are not as easy as many Westerners might believe. Families (and especially fathers) are typically disappointed if a son becomes a kathoey. Legal recognition of kathoeys is non-existent in Thailand: even after genital reassignment surgery, they are not allowed to change their legal sex. Kathoeys are also estimated to have been one of the groups that suffered most from the Indian Ocean earthquake, having far less familial support and recourse to government help than most other groups in society. Further, kathoeys often belong to lower social classes, and their suicide rate is significantly higher than that of the general population.

Now we know all, it is time to look at some of shemales, trannys and ladyboys. Look at my picture section for some carefully chosen pictures, or simple go to Sites section, where you can look at my personal selection of shemale, tranny and ladyboy only sites ;)