A person who identifies as a girl or woman but has a penis is most commonly called a transgender woman or trans girl. This means her gender identity is female, even though she was assigned male at birth based on her anatomy. Not every trans woman chooses to have surgery, and many live with the body they were born with while expressing their gender in other ways.
There are also people with intersex conditions whose bodies don’t fit neatly into male or female categories, and some non-binary individuals whose identity falls outside the traditional gender binary entirely. The terminology depends on how the person identifies.
What “Transgender Woman” Means
Gender identity is a person’s internal sense of being male, female, both, or neither. It’s separate from physical anatomy. A transgender woman is someone who was assigned male at birth but identifies and lives as a woman. The term covers a wide range of experiences: some trans women pursue medical treatments to change their bodies, while others don’t. Having a penis doesn’t make someone less of a woman if her gender identity is female.
About 1% of people aged 13 and older in the United States identify as transgender, roughly 2.8 million people according to estimates from the Williams Institute at UCLA. Of transgender adults, about a third (32.7%) are transgender women. Young adults aged 18 to 24 are more likely to identify as transgender (2.7%) compared to those 35 and older (under 0.5%), which partly reflects growing social acceptance that makes younger people more comfortable being open about their identity.
Why Some Trans Women Have a Penis
Surgical options exist for trans women who want them, but many choose not to pursue surgery for a variety of reasons: cost, medical risks, personal comfort, or simply not feeling it’s necessary. Gender-affirming surgery for trans women can include removal of the testicles alone or a more extensive procedure that removes the penis and testicles and creates a vagina, labia, and clitoris. These are major surgeries, and the decision is deeply personal.
Many trans women do use hormone therapy, which involves taking estrogen and a medication that blocks testosterone. This changes secondary sex characteristics over time: breast development, softer skin, redistribution of body fat, and reduced body hair. Hormone therapy affects fertility and sexual function, but it does not remove or significantly change genital anatomy. So a trans woman on hormones will still have a penis unless she chooses surgery.
Intersex Conditions
Sometimes the answer to this question isn’t about being transgender at all. Some people are born with intersex conditions, where there’s a mismatch between external genitalia and other markers of sex like chromosomes, hormones, or internal reproductive organs. A person might have external body parts typical of one sex and internal anatomy typical of the other, or might have differences in genital development that don’t fit standard categories.
Conditions like androgen insensitivity syndrome can result in a person with XY chromosomes (typically male) developing a largely female appearance, while congenital adrenal hyperplasia can cause a person with XX chromosomes to develop more male-typical features. Intersex conditions are biological variations, distinct from being transgender, though some intersex people also identify as trans or non-binary.
Non-Binary and Other Identities
Not everyone fits into the categories of “man” or “woman.” Some people with a penis identify as non-binary, meaning their gender falls somewhere between, across, or outside the male-female binary. Others describe themselves as genderfluid, genderqueer, or transfeminine (leaning toward femininity without necessarily identifying as a woman). These individuals might present in a feminine way, use she/her or they/them pronouns, and still have a penis. The specific label they use depends entirely on how they understand their own experience.
Gender Dysphoria and Gender Euphoria
Many trans women and non-binary people experience gender dysphoria, which is the distress that comes from a mismatch between gender identity and the body. For some, having a penis is a significant source of that distress. For others, it’s not. The American Psychiatric Association defines gender dysphoria as a marked incongruence between experienced gender and assigned gender lasting at least six months, combined with significant distress or difficulty functioning in daily life. It’s a clinical diagnosis, not a judgment about identity.
The flip side is gender euphoria, the sense of harmony and rightness a person feels when their body or expression aligns with their identity. A trans woman might experience euphoria from wearing clothes that feel right, hearing her correct name, or seeing physical changes from hormone therapy. Not every aspect of the body needs to change for someone to feel at home in it.
Respectful Language
If you’re asking this question because you’ve met someone or are trying to understand someone in your life, the simplest approach is to use the name and pronouns they prefer. Terms like “transgender woman,” “trans woman,” or “trans girl” are widely accepted and respectful. Avoid older terms that are now considered slurs, and avoid reducing someone to their anatomy. A person’s genitals are private, and in most social situations, they’re simply not relevant to how you address or interact with someone.
If you’re unsure what someone prefers to be called, it’s fine to ask. Most people appreciate the effort far more than they mind the question.