History's top 5 reasons to cross-dress
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/10/03/mf.cross.dressing/Mark Juddery
10/3/2008
Over the centuries, people have had some very good reasons to dress up
like a member of the opposite sex.
And I'm not talking about people who live this way out of personal
preference, or those who dress up for theater and entertainment.
Here are just five examples.
1. Cross-dressing to join the army
Until recently, women have rarely been allowed to serve as soldiers.
So what was a gal to do if she wanted to serve her country? Naturally,
disguise herself as a man and join the troops.
At least 400 Civil War soldiers were women in drag. These included
Union Army soldier "Frank Thompson" (also known as Sarah Edmonds),
whose small frame and feminine mannerisms (rather than causing
suspicion) made her an ideal spy, as she could spy on the Confederates
disguised as... a woman!
