The aim of this article is to explore the development of theories on transsexualism with a view to advancing a typology of theories of transsexualism. This typology exposes a general shift from concerns with `authenticity' (the transsexual as a `real' woman or man) to issues of `performativity' (the transsexual as hyperbolic enactment of gender). I will argue it is through a displacement of psychology with sociology as the major lens through which transsexualism is theorized that such a shift from authenticity to performativity is effected. The final typology considers the notion of transgression (rendering the modern two-gender system obsolete). The article argues that whilst transgression may be possible, it is not guaranteed by all forms of transsexualism.
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