Chapter One-What is Cross-dressing
Index
What Is Cross-Dressing
Cross-Dressing
General Definition
Cross-Dressing &A Religious Reference
Transvestism
Cross-Dressing
Femmiphile
Female Impersonators Who Cross-Dress To Entertain,
Cross-Dressing
Female Impersonator
Cross-Dressing
Transvestic Fetishism
Periodic
Transvestites
Marginal
Transvestites
Transgenderist
Transgender,
"In Between"
Transsexual, "Woman Trapped In A Man's Body"
Autogynephilia
Cross-Dressing
A Physiological Definition
Cross-Dressing
Sexual Web Site
Cross-dress is a noun defined as the act of wearing clothes usually
worn by the opposite sex. People wear clothing for warmth; style; to cover up their
nudity; to signify position, status and to identify their gender. Around the world,
the clothing people wear for their gender are different from places to place. Men wear pants, woman sear skirts. There few exceptions where men wear dress like
attire. The Evzones, or Evzoni is the name of several historical elite light infantry
and mountain units of the Greek Army. Their uniform, the most widely recognizable
Greek military dress, is derived from the dress of the klepths and the fighters
of the Greek War of Independence.
In area of South Asia, Southeast Asia, Arabian Peninsula, Horn
of Africa and many Pacific Island men wear
a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist and called a sarong
or sarung. The fabric most often has woven
plaid or checkered patterns, or may be brightly colored by means of batik or ikat
dyeing. Many modern sarongs also have printed designs, often depicting animals or
plants.
In Scotland, men have been wearing kilts a knee-length garment
with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in
the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become
associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic(and more
specifically Gaelic) heritage even more broadly. It is most often made of woolen
cloth in a tartan pattern.
In most western dress, men and woman shirts are identifiable different
as to the way they fasten. Male shirts button
left over right and woman shirt (blouse) button right over left. Some historians
suggest the button convention was for men
modeled after the latching designs of armor, which were designed to stop
a right-handed opponent from jamming a pike through the seam. For woman garments the convention suggests that
the left-side buttons on women's clothes may have been intended to facilitate nursing
an infant on the side closest to the woman's heart.
The phrase cross-dresses was first coined from the Latin in 1910
by Hirschfeld in his book The Transvestites: An Investigation of the Erotic Desire
to Cross Dress. Transvestite literally means, "Wearing clothing normally attributed
to the opposite sex." To cross-dress or to be a transvestite has a negative
connotation by western society as being connected to homosexuality activity, or
being a pervert, or being mentally ill or having a dysfunction. The majority of men that cross-dress are not gay,
are not pervert, are not mentally ill or can be diagnose as a dysfunction. All of
these connotations are wrong because cross-dressing has been grossly miss-understood
for the last one hundred years.
Are you a Cross-dresser? Do you know a Cross-dresser? Do you want
to learn about the Art of Cross-dressing?
First, let us make sure we are talking about the same subject. What is cross-dressing?
A common statement today is cross-dressing for men appears to
be more popular in 2012 than in 1912. It
is not that it is more popular just that the media of today, newspaper, books, Internet
has brought the topic to public attention. In 1969 the Gay Rights Movements brought
to the public attention that a part of society was different but still had rights. Cross-dresser, transgendered/transsexual persons
were all lumped into the same group as Gay and Lesbians.
To cross-dress is to wear the cloths usually worn by the opposite
sex. A cross-dresser is a person who cross-dress for any reason, wearing the clothing
of a gender other than to which assigned at birth. Cross-dressers may have no desire
or intention of adopting other behaviors or practices common to that gender, and
particularly does (currently) not wish to undergo medical procedures to facilitate
physical changes. One misconception regarding cross-dressing is men that cross-dress
are gay. To the contrary, most cross-dressers
are heterosexual. The 1992 survey of over
one thousand cross-dressing men showed 71% to be heterosexual and sought sexual
relations with woman
The Internet has enlightened cross-dressers they are not alone
in their personal and private activity, there are others people out there that share
their interest. The attitude of the pubic are slowly changing, many businesses are
becoming cross-dressers friendly. The ability for businesses to make money on the
small segment of the population that cross-dress may have also allow more men to
indulged in this harmless activity. Men typically
do not talk about cross-dressing much because if they did, they may be considered
a fag, queer, or a pervert. Women who cross-dress are sometimes referred to as "butch"
or "dykes". It is true that society
permits women to wear pants and jeans and other masculine clothing such as tank
tops, while condemning any man that chooses to wear clothing that can be strictly
identified as women cloths, such as panty hose, stockings, corsets, bras and negligee.
Cross-dressing is a behavior that runs counter to the norms of
society and is associated with transvestic, transsexual or transgendered behavior.
For most men cross-dressing is not necessarily a transsexual or transgender identity
disorder since most men that cross dresses not always wish to live full time as
a female or that they have to have a operation to achieve the goal of their inner identify as opposite to the gender to which
they were born.
Out of the population that cross-dress more men than woman practice
cross-dressing. Men may feel that dressing as a woman allows them the ability to
express a hidden side of their personalities. There are no good statists on how
many men cross-dress but the numbers range from 2% to as high as 25% of the male
population participates in some sort of cross-dressing activity. Cross-dressing crosses all types of professional,
social and psychological barriers.
Nearly every human society throughout history has made distinctions
between male and female gender by the style, color, or type of clothing male and
female are expected to wear. Most societies
have defined what type of clothing is appropriate for each gender by setting of
norms, views, guidelines, or even laws defining
what type of clothing is appropriate for each gender. Remember cross-dressing does
not mean there is a transgender identity problem.
A person who cross-dresses does not always want to be the other gender only to look
like the other gender.
Definitions can be misleading by the publisher for their own prejudges,
misunderstanding or other motivations. A few of the definitions from the Internet
are listed below along with the reference source.
Wikipedia defines cross-dressing as a noun; cross-dressing is
the act of wearing clothing another accoutrement commonly associated with the opposite
sex within a particular society. The Free
Dictionary defines cross-dressing as a noun, the practice of adopting the clothes
or the manner or the sexual role of the opposite sex. Learners Dictionary defines
cross-dressing as a noun, the act or practice of wearing clothes made for the opposite
sex.
The general dictionary term denotes an action or a behavior without
attributing or proposing causes for that behavior. Some people automatically connect
cross-dressing behavior to transgender identity or sexual, fetishist, and homosexual behavior,
but the term cross-dressing itself does not imply any motives.
About 2-25% of normal, healthy, heterosexual male population may
enjoy the feel of wearing women's clothing. For the most part, these men leads normal,
productive lives and keep their cross-dressing limited and private. To cross-dress
is a personal chose and private activity subject to no one's disapproval. Psychologists in the past tried to associate cross-dressing
as a problem but in general in today's time, Psychologists do not even regard cross-dressing
as a problem - unless the cross-dresser consider it a problem.
All this seems simple enough but people will bring up what the
bible says about a man or woman in the cloths of the other.
A cross-dressing,
"A man's item shall not be on a woman, and a man shall not wear a woman's garment;
whoever does such a thing is abhorrence unto Adonai." Deuteronomy 22:5 http://www.beki.org/crossdress.html. Many men feel guilt after they cross-dress and
it is mainly that the Christian Religions has associated cross-dressing with sin.
The basic or the Christian Religion is all men are sinners but only he without sin
shall cast the fist stone. So if cross-dressing is a sin, it must be a minor one
for it did not even get put on the big list of the Ten Commandment. Maybe cross-dressing is not a sin at all but is
it not up to God to decide and not man? From
a more understanding and forgiving God we are told that some men has given a challenge
by God to explore one-self to the fullest and to discover their true self.
The group
of people who cross-dress can be broken into three distant groups, Transvestite,
Transgendered and Transexual.
A transvestite
(TV or cross-dresser) is someone who gets enjoyment from dressing in the clothes
normally associated with the opposite sex. It may be merely underwear, full clothing,
or include makeup, wigs,
jewellery and perfume.
Cross-dressing is primary a male activity.
The general convention is to label all cross-dressers as transvestite.
There is
arguably more debate about whether transvestism can be classed as a disorder and/or
sexually deviant than any other paraphilia. Transvestism has traditionally been
defined as the cross-dressing in clothes worn by the opposite sex for sexual pleasure.
However, there are a number of groups of people who may dress themselves in the
clothes of the opposite sex but may experience absolutely no sexual arousal whatsoever.
Therefore, those who study paraphilic behaviour are more likely to use the term
‘transvestic fetishism’ to describe the small group of people (typically male but
there are some documented female cases in the literature) who derive their sexual
pleasure from cross-dressing. Therefore, transvestite groups (where the word simply
refers to cross-dressing) may comprise: Femmiphile, Female Impersonator,
Transvestic fetishism, Periodic transvestites, Marginal transvestites.
Cross-Dressing Femmiphile
This is
the most common form of crossdresser. Virginia Prince, a Transgender Pioneer
coined the terms “feminiphilia” and “feminiphile” in Transvestia #7 (January
1977). The spelling of these terms would change over the years to femmiphilia
and femmiphile, sometimes capitalized, sometimes not. To signal an association
with the dual personality or ‘girl within’ mode of identity, writers sometimes
utilized Prince’s lexicon of “true transvestite,” “femmiphile,” or
“femmepersonator,” often abbreviated as “FP.” In its simplicity, the femmiphile
is a person who has a love for what our society considers being feminine and a
very strong desire to associate them with the feminine. Femmiphiles have high
admiration for the female and wish to emulate them as much as possible. FEMMIPHILE (FP)"Lover of the feminine." A term used to
describe cross dressers by those that find the terms cross dresser and
transvestite offensive.
The female
impersonator is a person whose prime reason for cross-dressing is employment. They
have perfected their cross-dressing act into a performing art. It is interesting
to note that the late James Cagney got his start in show business as a female impersonator.
Wikipedia
defines a "drag queen as usually a male-bodied person who performs as an
exaggeratedly feminine character, in heightened costuming sometimes consisting of
a showy dress, high-heeled shoes, obvious makeup, and wig.
A drag queen may imitate famous female film or pop-music stars. "
Drag involves
wearing highly exaggerated and outrageous costumes or imitating movie and music
stars of the opposite sex. It is a form of performing art practiced by drag queen
and drag kings. Drag is often found in a gay or lesbian context. The term "drag
king" can also apply to people from the female-to-male side of the transgender
spectrum that do not see themselves as exclusively male identified, therefore covering
a much wider ground than a "drag queen". Although many drag queens, they
are drag artists of all genders and sexualities who do drag for various reasons
or purposes.
The term
"fetishism" originated from the Portuguese word feitico, which means
"obsessive fascination". (Psychology Today, 2005) Fetishism was
introduced as a psychological scientific term in 1887 by Alfred Binet.
(Grachev, 2006) The term "fetish" comes from "fetishism"
and was used to describe religious relics found in tribal cultures by the Old
World Portuguese explorers. Fetishism in anthropologic contexts refers to the
ancient belief that godly powers can inhere in inanimate things. (Felluga, 2011)
In its original anthropological context, a fetish was any religious artifact
which tribal peoples believed had magical powers. (Brame, 2006) Fetishism is
the idea of an object having supernatural powers or powers over other human
being. Sigmund Freud was the first to describe the concept and activities of
Sexual Fetishism. In 1927, Freud suggested that fetishism was the result of a
psychological trauma, the trauma of a female lacking a penis; according to
Freud, "fetishes are unconscious elements and are concrete forms of
unconscious fantasies" (Lowenstein, 2002) and occurs "almost
exclusively" among men; theorists in the late 20th century began to
challenge this notion.
Transvestic
fetishists cross-dress for their sexual pleasure and included men who divines
in some cases may involve sexual arousal from a very specific piece of
clothing.
Transvestic
fetishism is a term used in the medical community to refer to one who has a fetish
for wearing the clothing of the opposite gender. This is considered a derogatory
term by some, as it implies a hierarchy of value in which the sexual element of
behaviour is of low social value. Many reject the term "transvestite"
for this reason, preferring cross-dresser instead. It is often difficult to distinguish
between fetishism that happens to have female clothing as an object other
reasons for men to cross-dress for sexual play. Some people feel that transvestic
fetishism does not count as true cross-dressing.
Men with
a cross-dressing fetish associates an article of woman clothing such as woman's
shoes, panties, stockings or other garments with sexual arousal. The man does not know why but female garments
hold a special visual or tactile sensation attraction. This fetish is imprinted
upon his mind. When his body comes in
contact with the female garments his brain is hard-wired to release
neurotransmitters (dopamine, oxytocin and a host other neurotransmitters). These
neurotransmitters produce sensations of well-being, pleasure, sexual gratification
and self-identity. It is as if the cross-dressing has fooled his brain into thinking
that he has achieved contact with a female. His body responds with sexual gratification,
stimulation, etc. resulting his hormones to be elevated. Contact with female
garments simulates a natural reaction to be sexually excited. At this point self-stimulation to climax maybe
the only release available. The neurotransmitters
affect the reward centers of the brain with the instant gratification and mimicking
an addiction response. Contact with woman garments is an autoerotic response
which cannot stop his brain from releasing the neurotransmitters. The act of cross-dressing
provides a pleasurable experience. Each time the act repeats, it becomes entrench
in his id, he feels as if he cannot stop cross-dressing.
For many
men women's clothing becomes associated with sex. Items like bras and panties can
be a visual cue for sexual arousal. An example
would be the normal response to Victor Secrets CBS Fashion Show or Sports Illustrated
Swim Suite Addition. Woman undergarments can become fetish objects by a simple process
of association with the arousal when they see them on desirable women. While it might not be a logical step some men will
try on such inherently arousing garments. Under the influence of a sexual needs
the touch and feel of the garments is enough to climax.
Dressing
now can stimulate both visual and touching and this to a man that is in the mood,
the man is primed in some way to be sexually aroused by the dressing actions. Thus,
the sight of a stocking covered foot in a high-heeled shoe or of a satin dress pulled
taught across a soft belly, even though these things on your own body still evoke
the usual arousal response. His own physical intimacy and touching also lead his
sexual arousal. One's own body is about as physically intimate as it is possible
to be when dressing. In the already sexually charged atmosphere of a cross-dressing
session, the touch of sensual fabrics against the body, the feel of the smooth lines
and surfaces imprints a pleasurable response, which in the action is addicting.
For over
a hundred years, the American Psychological Association has tried to associate cross-dressing
as un-healthy, and illness, a dysfunction or a disorder. The "Transvestic Fetishism" in the DSM-III-R
(APA, 1987) was an attempt to make all cross-dressing a perversion. The very name
equates cross-dressing with sexual fetishism and social stereotypes of perversion.
It serves to sexualize a diagnosis that does not clearly require a sexual context.
Cross-dressing by males very often represents a social expression of an inner sense
of identity. In fact, the clinical literature cites many cases, considered diagnosable
under transvestic fetishism, which present no sexual motivation for cross-dressing
and by no means represent fetishism (Wise & Meyer, 1980).
When a person
who is sexually aroused by the wearing of certain articles of feminine clothing,
it is said he has a fetish. Unlike the average crossdresser, the fetish will not
dress completely, and will only dress when they wish sexual arousal. In some cases,
the true fetish may not even become aroused unless wearing the article of feminine
clothes that gives him pleasure.
Effeminate
Homosexual
Effeminate
homosexuals (who may occasionally cross-dress for fun), Effeminacy describes
traits in a human male, that are more often associated with traditional
feminine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or gender roles rather than
masculine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or roles.
It is a
term frequently applied to womanly behavior, demeanor, style and appearance
displayed by a male, typically used implying criticism or ridicule of this
behaviour (as opposed to, for example, merely describing a male as feminine,
which is non-judgmental). The term effeminate is most often used by people who
subscribe to the conventional view that males should conform to traditional
masculine traits and behaviors. Generally, the description is applied to
individuals, but may be used to describe entire societies as an inflammatory
allegation. In the Western tradition, as
described below, effeminacy has often been considered a vice, indicative of
other negative character traits and often involving a pejorative insinuation of
homosexual tendencies. In other societies, feminine males may be considered a
distinct human gender (third gender), and may have a special social function,
as is the case of Two-Spirits in some Native American groups. Furthermore, in
contemporary culture, effeminacy has come to be seen by some to be simply one
characteristic or trait which might be a part of a particular person's
"gender role", and in this sense would not be considered a vice or
indicative of any other characteristics. An effeminate male is similar to a fop
or a dandy, though these tend to be archaic identities that are taken on by the
individual rather than insulting labels.
There
have been a couple of relatively large-scale studies of transvestism including
that of Dr Richard Docter and Dr Virginia Prince (California State University,
USA) who surveyed 1,032 transvestites, and Dr Niklas Långström (Centre for
Violence Prevention, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden) and Dr Kenneth
Zucker (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) who examined
tranvestism in a Swedish community survey of 2,540 adults. This, and other
research, has suggested there appear to be at least two distinct sub-groups of
transvestic fetishists (‘periodic transvestites’ and ‘marginal transvestites’).
Periodic
transvestites: These transvestites are said to have psychological
satisfaction with both their male gender and sexual identity, and with the
activity of cross-dressing activity. Furthermore, they have no desire to pursue
any other form of feminization.
Marginal
transvestites: These transvestites experience psychological
dissatisfaction with their male gender and sexual identity. The sexual arousal
experienced from cross-dressing is typically lower than that of periodic
transvestites. They may also engage in other feminization activities including
hormone treatment, bodily hair removal, and (in extreme cases) surgical
reconstruction. Some marginal transvestites may therefore include transsexuals
who cross-dress not only for sexual pleasure but also for gender synchrony.
Virginia
Prince is oftentimes given credit for coining the term “transgenderist” and “transgenderism”
in 1978. In 1977, Prince writes of three types of different types of Trans experiences:
class one, “regular transvestite or femmiphile”; class two—those males who live
as women openly and in society (transgendered); and class three—those who undergo
or who “seriously plan” sex change surgery (transsexual).
Transexualism
Transsexualism describes
the condition in which an individual identifies with
a gender inconsistent or not culturally associated with their
assigned sex, i.e. in which a person's assigned sex at birth conflicts with
their psychological gender. A medical diagnosis can be made if a person
experiences discomfort as a result of a desire to be a member of the opposite
sex, or if a person experiences impaired functioning or distress as a result of
that gender identification. Transsexualism is stigmatized in many parts of the
world but has become more widely known in Western culture in the mid to late
20th century, concurrently with the sexual revolution and the
development of sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Discrimination or
negative attitudes towards transsexualism often accompany certain religious
beliefs or cultural values. There are cultures that have no difficulty
integrating people who change gender roles, often holding them with high
regard, such as the traditional role for 'two-spirit' people found among certain
native American tribes.
Unlike the
average crossdresser who will spend most of his time in the masculine role, the
transgenderist is a person who lives and works in the cross-gendered role full time.
Unlike the transsexual, he is content with his male organs and does not plan surgery
to remove them.
Transgender
is an umbrella term used to describe anyone whose gender identity or expression
situates them differently than the traditional gender role they were assigned at
birth. Some of the countless categories incorrectly lumped together under this term
include cross-dressing, drag, androgyny, and many shadings between these larger
groupings.
"Transgender"
is also used to describe behaviour or feelings that cannot be categorized into these
older sub-categories. For example, people living in a gender role that is different
from the one they were assigned at birth, but who do not wish to undergo any or
all of the available medical options. Or
people who do not wish to identify themselves as "transsexuals", "men"
or "women", and consider that they fall between genders, or transcend
gender.
Some people
who present as female, but with male genitalia may have been born intersexual but
may also be transsexual or transgender, who do transition (taking oestrogens and/or
other methods) to achieve some desired secondary sex characteristics, but not sexual
reassignment surgery. Sometimes these individuals are referred to as ladyboy or
shemale (compare there), but these terms are considered derogatory by many, including
most transgender or transsexual people not working in the sex industry.
Persons with
a gender identity disorder have had strong feelings since childhood that they were
born in the wrong body. They want to belong to the opposite sex, e.g. they want
to be a woman instead of a man and vice versa. This can be seen in children when
they keep on indicating that they want to belong to the opposite sex, want to wear
clothes of the opposite sex and have a strong and continuous preference for playing
the role of the other sex or pretending to belong to this sex. They also want to
play games and have pastimes of the other sex and preferably play with pals of the
other sex.
In 1982,
Kurt Freund reported evidence that there exist two types of cross-gender identity
in male-to-female transsexuals, coined the term "homosexual transsexual"
and hypothesized that gender dysphoria in "homosexual males" (male-to-female
transsexuals attracted to men) is different from gender dysphoria in heterosexual
males. His protégé, Ray Blanchard notes that, "Freund, perhaps for the first
time of any author, employed a term other than transvestism to denote erotic arousal
in association with cross-gender fantasy."
Blanchard's
observations at the Clarke Institute began with four types of male transsexuals
based on their sexual orientation relative to their sex assigned at birth: homosexual,
heterosexual, bisexual, and asexual (i.e., transsexuals attracted to men, women,
both, or neither, respectively.) Blanchard conducted a series of studies of biological
males with gender dysphoria, including male-to-female transsexuals, concluding that
there exist two distinct types. One type of gender dysphoria/transsexualism manifests
itself in individuals who are exclusively attracted to men, whom Blanchard referred
to as homosexual transsexuals, adopting Freund's terminology. The other type includes
those who are attracted to females (gynephilic), attracted to both males and females
(bisexual), and attracted to neither males nor females (analloerotic or asexual);
Blanchard referred to this latter set collectively as the non-homosexual transsexuals.
Blanchard claims that the non-homosexual transsexuals (but not the homosexual transsexuals)
exhibit autogynephilia, which he defined as a paraphilic interest in having female
anatomy.
While often
confused with the crossdresser, transsexuals are NOT considered cross-dressers.
Unlike cross-dressers who recognize themselves as males with a feminine part to
them, the transsexual is a person who is psychologically a member of one sex, and
physiologically a member of the opposite sex. Unlike the crossdresser, the transsexual
cannot be content unless the physiological body is surgically altered to be congruent
with the psychological person who occupies that body. While cross-dressing for personality
expression is far more common in masculine to feminine form, transsexualism is about
equally common in female to male as it is in male to female.
There is
usually a great sense of discomfort with one's own anatomic sex, often with distaste
or disgust with their genitalia. The person seeks to alter the body appearance to
be like the preferred sex. Many transsexuals
will undergo and sex reassignment surgery (SRS) to become the other sex. They are said to be pre-op when taking hormones
to enlarge their breasts and reduce body hair prior to surgery. Post-op after the surgery.
Autogynephilia
is the "mental illness" described by the pseudoscientific theory that
male assigned-at-birth sexual transsexuals who have any sexual interest except exclusively
to men, actually have a fetish with viewing themselves as females. This covers lesbian,
bisexual, and asexual transsexuals. The term roughly translates from Greek to "Self Poon Lovin'." The theory was originated
by Ray Blanchard and Kurt Fruend in the 1980s, and endorsed by onetime celebrity
psychologist J.Michael Bailey (who was later forced to resign as psychology chair
at Northwestern University).
The theory
is often accompanied by the notion that transsexuals attracted exclusively to men
take an identical developmental route as homosexuals, but are so overtly effeminate
that they find it difficult to operate in life as even a homosexual man. And since
these transsexuals are developmentally identical to homosexual men, they are labeled
"homosexual transsexuals."
From the
Science of Relationships web site, www.scienceofrelationships.com, Copyright © 2012, the article Cross-Dressing and
Gender-Bending: Separating Science Fact from Fiction by Dr. Justin Lehmille.
http://www.scienceofrelationships.com/home/2011/10/31/cross-dressing-and-gender-bending-separating-science-fact-fr.html
Dr. Justin
Lehmille writes,
First and
foremost, transvestites and transsexuals could not be more different. A transvestite
is someone who engages in cross-dressing for purposes of sexual arousal, but does
not truly wish to change his or her gender.1 In other words, transvestites dress
as members of the opposite sex simply because it turns them on. Some dress up entirely
as the opposite gender, while others wear only a single piece of the other sex’s
clothing (e.g., a male transvestite might wear just panties or a bra). You can think
of transvestism as a type of fetish where a certain object or action is necessary
in order to “give yourself over to absolute pleasure” (if I may borrow a line from
Rocky Horror).
Dr. Justin
Lehmille continues, in comparison, transsexuals do not cross-dress because they
get a kick out of it—rather; they do so because they genuinely want to change their
gender identity. Transsexuals experience what is known as gender dysphoria, which
means they feel as though they are trapped in the body of the wrong sex.2 It is
for this reason that transsexuals sometimes undergo sexual reassignment surgery
in order to change their body’s appearance to be consistent with their desired gender
(case in point: Dancing with the Stars contestant Chaz Bono). If I may borrow one
more line from Rocky Horror, Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s advice to a transsexual would
probably be: “Don’t dream it, be it.”
Transgender and transsexualism are only regarded
as a disorder if they make a person unhappy and unsatisfied, or cause problems in
relations to other people. If they are happy with it, and it causes no problem,
it is a personality trait, but not a disorder.
Note that
transgender need not include a wish to have sex playing another sex role than born
with. Note also that some people normally use their normal gender role, but sometimes
wish to try out the reverse gender role.
© Emma Michelle Martin and Elevated Therapy - Oct '99 title "A
Guide to Gender Dysphasia" provides a definition including Transvestism, can
find cross-dressing in an article. "A transvestite (TV or cross-dresser) is
someone who gets enjoyment from dressing in the clothes normally associated with
the opposite sex. It may be merely underwear, full clothing, or include makeup,
wigs, jewellery and perfume."
The reader might ask if you do not get enjoyment from dressing
are you a transvestite. The answer is very
confusing. At the American Psychological
Association (APA),
The APA has grouped cross-dresser in with the term "transgender"
and an identity disorder. Transgender was
coined by Dr. Virginia Prince in the mid 1970's to differentiate those individuals
who wanted to live in the opposite gender role without surgery from those that wanted
surgery.
The DSM-IV-TR (1994) does not acknowledge the
existence of healthy, well-adjusted male-identified heterosexual cross-dressers. DSM-IV-TR (1994) does not attempt to differentiate
between the ego-syntonic, not distressed heterosexual cross-dressers and those who
are ego-dystonic, or distressed by guilt other significant distress that disrupts
their daily life.
The APA further labels cross-dresser with a disorder, Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-Text Revised (2000) of the American
Psychiatric Association, which refers to cross-dressing as “transvestic fetishism”,
though it does make it clear that the diagnosis applies to:
“Heterosexual males who have sexually arousing fantasies, urges,
or behaviors involving cross-dressing (wearing female clothing). To be considered
diagnosable, the fantasies, urges, or behaviors must cause significant distress
in the individual or be disruptive to his or her everyday functioning.”
The male-to-female cross-dresser who is not diagnose with “significant
distress” by his dressing, nor has his “everyday functioning” disrupted by it, is
not considered to have “Transvestic fetishism”, or paraphilia unless the dressing
interferes with his “satisfactory sexual relations” or he “recognize the symptoms
as negatively impacting life but feel as if he is unable to control them.”
Other countries have a different approach to the subject, the
International Classification of Diseases-10 (1994) of the World
Health Organization, since the latter refers to cross-dressing as “dual-role transvestism”
and lists it under “Gender identity disorders”. The ICD-10 then defines it as:
“The wearing of clothes of the opposite sex for part of the individual’s
existence in order to enjoy the temporary experience of membership of the opposite
sex, but without any desire for a more permanent sex change or associated surgical
reassignment, and without sexual excitement accompanying the cross-dressing.”
The ICD-10 does not refer to the sexual nature of cross-dressing,
as does DSM-IV-TR. This is particularly relevant to those many cross-dressers who
maintain that they are not sexually aroused by cross-dressing; they are not distressed
by it, and it does not negatively affect their lives in any way.
Separately from historical precedent and social constructs, there
is no valid reason why strong sexual interests, unusual or otherwise, be diagnosed
as mental disorders, nor that cross-dressing be categorized as a ‘sexual disorder’.
Also cross dress is primary a heterosexual activity with only less than a third
having tried a homosexual act.
Defines cross-dressing "someone who enjoys wearing clothing
and accessories intended for a different gender role." Cross-dressing men will
dress for both sexual and non-sexual reasons.
There can be as many definitions for cross-dressing as there are
experts. For the purpose of the book cross-dressing
is the act or practice of wearing clothing associated with the opposite sex. A cross-dressor is a person who derives enjoyment
from dressing in the clothes associated wit the opposite sex.
There are many different categories of men that of cross-dress
and they dress for many different reasons.
The term underdressing describes a male cross-dressers wearing female undergarments
under their male clothes. Underdressing can be as simple as wearing just nylon stockings,
or panty hose or just woman panties. There
are a large group of men on the Internet, "Men in panties" or Men in Stocking"
that will cross-dress occasionally wearing woman undergarments under their guy cloths. These men are mostly straight; some are bisexual,
rarely gay. They live normal lives with their
wives, family co-workers not knowing there secret. The famous low-budget filmmaker Edward D. Wood,
Jr. reported he often wore women's underwear under his military uniform during World
War II. Underdressor my dress this way as a matter of comfort or style while other
Underdressor dress to shock others or challenge social norms.
Some men who cross-dress have facial hair, beards and or mustaches
enjoy dressing in woman's undergarments and woman's outer garments. Their appearance from the neck down is feminine. Sometimes they wear a wig. This type of cross-dressing is called gender bending.
No attempt by the man is made to act as a female, nor does he pretends to be a female.
Many men who cross-dress enjoy and desire they are forced to dress
and they take on a role of a submissive.
They dress as maids, schoolgirls, streetwalker or other degrading female
types. This activity usually involves a partner male or female who assists in the
dressing fantasy. These men are called sissy, and the actions on them by other is
called sissifacation.
She-male is a man who has his breast enlarged. They can be pre-op or have no desire to fully
change to be a woman. They enjoy being half
man half woman and adapt the mannerism of woman. A she-male is in high sexual demand
and many she-males charges for their time.
In summary if, you wear an article of clothing of a female you
are a cross-dresser. If you are distress about cross-dress and it is affecting your
life and relationships then you are diagnose as a transvestite. If you cross-dress to be treated like a woman,
you can be considered transgendered. If you dress in females cloths because you
think you are a female trapped in a man's body you are said to be transwoman. If you desire to change your sex to a female,
you are said to be transsexual. Some cross-dresser
may have a disorder called Transvestic Fetishism if they have recurrent, intense,
sexual urges and sexually arousing fantasies, of at least six months' duration,
involving cross-dressing. However, most cross-dressers are likely a heterosexual
with no desire to be a woman and not having sex with a man.
If all this is confusing then you can understand why society
has a misunderstanding for men who dress in woman clothing.
