Two Wollongong women are shining a spotlight on transgender issues with a new podcast, drawing on their own experiences, interviewing others and educating everyone.

Wollongong transgender woman Charlotte Tortorella saw a declining gap in the market for quality infotainment podcasts looking at transgender issues.

The podcasts have been there in the past, but she wanted a friendly, conversational way to address complex issues.

"I thought 'why don't I make one, I know a lot of transgender people and I could have them on the show'," she said.

Ms Tortorella recruited her friend Chelsey Sanderson — also a member of Wollongong's transgender community — and together they created Transgeneral.

The podcast has attracted almost 400 subscribers within the first few weeks, with potentially many more individual plays on iTunes.

So far, the pair has received feedback from as far away as the US and Canada, but it is also a way of helping Australian transgender people feel connected to each other.

"It's hard to break into trans politics," Ms Sanderson said.

"There are a lot of words and concepts to get your head around, and it can seem daunting sometimes, even if you're in the trans community.

"It's a good way to educate people in a way that's not particularly confronting."

The podcast has already addressed issues such as making friends, dysphoria [a state of dissatisfaction with life] and introduced audiences to terms like non-binary — a word to describe gender identities that are not masculine or feminine.

The most common question asked of transgender people?

"It's always surgery," Ms Tortorella said. "And I don't want bottom surgery."

Both women said factors such as cost and personal preference dictated whether a transgender person wanted to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

"Some people want it and can't afford it, some people want it and can afford it, some don't want it at all, some people want it a little bit and for some people it changes," Ms Sanderson said.

"There are a lot of deterrents and I'm not sure if it's something I want.

"In New South Wales you can't change the gender on your birth certificate unless you've had genital surgery."

'Coming out' as transgender

A rainbow pedestrian crossing painted on Oxford Street in Sydney in support of the LGBT community. ( AAP: Tracey Nearmy )

For virtually everyone in the transgender community, being transgender is something they have suppressed in their life at some stage before they 'come out'.

Ms Tortorella announced she was transgender in June, while Ms Sanderson first told her friends and family in 2014, and then everyone else in March last year.

"The reaction has been very positive. I'm pretty lucky because I haven't lost friends and my family has been supportive, including my grandparents, and not many people can say that," Ms Sanderson said.

For Ms Tortorella, the process of coming out was difficult.

"My father would use my dead name [birth name] in arguments, Mum would pretend it wasn't happening and my sister said she couldn't deal with it," she said.

"I'll try and explain the concept to Grandma and then she'll call me her grandson soon after.

"That was when I came out, but ever since my family have switched to being supportive, and across society it's getting better."