Chapter One-What is Cross-dressing
Index
1.
What
Is Cross-Dressing
2.
Cross-Dressing
General Definition
3.
Cross-Dressing
&A Religious Reference
4.
Transvestism
5.
Cross-Dressing
Femmiphile
6.
Female Impersonators Who Cross-Dress To Entertain,
7.
Cross-Dressing
Female Impersonator
8.
Cross-Dressing
Transvestic Fetishism
9.
Periodic
Transvestites
10.
Marginal
Transvestites
11.
Transgenderist
12.
Transgender,
"In Between"
13.
Transsexual, "Woman Trapped In A Man's Body"
14.
Autogynephilia
15.
Cross-Dressing
A Physiological Definition
16.
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.
Throughout
history and modern times, cross-dressing has been used for disguise, by the
performing arts and as a literary trope. See the history of cross-dressing.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cross-dressing
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.
While with the exception
of the transsexual, all men who don feminine clothes can be termed as cross-dressers
in the general sense. A number of other terms
are used today specifically to define cross-dressers by their reason for cross-dressing.
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
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.
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