Transphobia

Transphobia, by analogy with homophobia, is an irrational fear or hatred, or in some cases just disapproval, of transgender and transsexual people.

Transphobia can have consequences as severe as homophobia for the targeted person. Transgender people are often targets of harassment, assault, and murder, ranging from random attacks to rescue workers who discover a transgendered accident victim's birth gender and withhold service until the person dies. Transsexual women (male-to-female transsexuals) are sometimes denied entry to women's spaces who maintain transphobic policies.

Although the word transphobia is widely used, the phenomenon is more of a paranoia than a phobia.

Two noted victims of transphobia were Brandon Teena and Gwen Araujo.

See gay-bashing.