Terminology
Transitioning is sometimes confused with sex reassignment surgery (SRS), but that is only one possible element of transitioning. Many people who transition choose not to have SRS, or do not have the means to do so. Whereas SRS is a surgical procedure, transitioning is more holistic and usually includes physical, psychological, social, and emotional changes. Some genderqueer and intersex people have little or no desire to undergo surgery to change their body but will transition in other ways.
Passing refers to being perceived and accepted by other people as a desired gender identity. This can be one aspect of transitioning, though genderqueer people may choose to purposely not pass. Someone observing, for example, a trans woman passing may know of her trans status but still consider her a woman.
Going full-time refers to a person living one's everyday life as one's chosen gender identity. One's passing can be limited by safety, legal or bodily restraints. For instance, someone who has worked at a job as female may feel one cannot safely present as male and may switch jobs instead. Mental health professionals who go by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People will normally require a patient to go full-time for at least a year (a period of time generally referred to as the "Real-Life Experience" or "Real-Life Test") before recommending surgery.
Going stealth means to live as a gender without other people realising a person is transgender. Trans people often go stealth in public but not with family, partners, or intimate friends. There have been many cases of people who have lived and worked as a gender identity opposite of their birth gender. See Category:Transgender and transsexual people for some examples.
Read more about this topic: Transitioning (transgender)