There is a difference between transvestite and transsexual or transgender.

This term is relatively formal; cross-dresser is more casual, but whereas the verb cross-dress is common, the verb transvest is quite rare.

Transvestite should not be confused with transgender or transsexual [[“person who lives as a member of a sex different from their birth sex”).

Transvestites generally have less or no desire to change their sex; they simply enjoy being able to cross-dress from time to time.

The term should also not be confused with drag queen [[“male who wears women’s clothing for public performance”); that term is specifically for performers.