Cross-dressers are also “T”s

[Carlita]

We point with pride, deservedly so, at the successes of transsexual women and men who serve in corporate executive positions, and in the Obama administration, but can we name one successful cross-dressing heterosexual or homosexual man in either of those places?

No, not in those places ... but the comedian/actor Eddy Izzard has never made any secret of the fact that he is a transvestite and it doesn't seem to have hurt his career at all ... not at home in the UK, anyway. Maybe he tones it down a it when he goes Stateside ...

[zakfar]

Social perception is that CDs are all male.  That is due to the fact it is socially acceptable for women to wear male styled clothing.  If that weren't the case, natal females with a propensity to wear male clothing (this assumes fashions like menswear wouldn't exist and therefore these women would have to buy from the mens department) would be considered crossdressers.  That is something few consider when addressing issues such as this.

Crossdressing is not just about clothing.  Clothing to the CD is a statement of who they are just the same as it is for anyone else.  (I'm not considering anyone who crossdresses as a means to an end, not part of one's personality.) 

Some who identify as crossdressers today may tomorrow come to the realization they are TG or TS.  And some may be forever unable to even consider the idea of coming out to the public for fear of losing what they have.  So you have to be careful when categorizing these people as "just crossdressers." 

Those who think CDs crossdress just for sexual arousal need to consider the fact after the "thrill is gone" they continue to crossdress.  There's something within their personal identity that causes this need.  So it isn't just a sexual thing.

All that being said, I see no justification for not including CDs under the T umbrella.

As far as not being able to name any accomplished CDs, don't expect to find one anytime soon, at least not until society loses its prejudice and bigotry and stops thinking it's okay to punish people who are different.

I agree with Julie.

Transgender - If we define this time, it is simply 'Trans' the 'Gender' - which means someone who identifies/enjoys/likes himself/herself as the opposite sex with which he/she was born. Now, the intensity of the feelings, and the actions taken to achieve those goals is the way of the process. If someone merely wear the clothes of the opposite sex for this purpose he/she is a 'Transvestite'. If the change of sex occurs, he/she is a 'Transsexual'. Based on this concept, there are two types of 'Transgender' - 'Tranvestites' & 'Transsexual'. We're actually confused by normally taking 'Transsexuals' as being the only type of 'Transgenders'. However, 'Transvestites' are also 'Transgenders'. Now, something interested to know here. NOT ALL TRANSVESTITES ARE TRANSGENDERS. Having a 'Transvestite Clothing Fetish' is different than having a Transgender response of mind for Gender orientation, wear and act like opposite sex. This is all psychological aspects, which further confuses the concept.

Now, when we talk about LGBT, although we write the T in it is 'Transgender', more often, we treat this T for 'Transsexuals'. The problem that occurs is that, most of 'Transvestites' normally want to keep their original sex intact. Many of them are heterosexuals (according to their natural birth), and don't want to entertain the rights that 'Transsexuals' require. They don't mind being considered 'Fetishists', as many of them are only 'Transvestites' due to 'Transvestite Clothing Fetish' and not because of 'Gender Orientation'.

Although Transvestites are part of Transgender umbrella, normally there issues, problems, desires, and requirements are lot different than Transsexuals - who has more common issues with Homosexuals and Bisexuals. This is one of the reason Transvestites consider themselves in Fetish umbrella, and it is more favorable for them and everyone as well. Some points mentioned above. Look at it closely. A Transvestite female (originally a male) is heterosexual. Should he be allowed to use the female restroom? (we need to use 'He' for him as he has kept his original sex intact, and only wants to wear female clothes)

Now we can look at the concept from the other side of the picture, and discuss it from there. Based on the concept of Fetishism, and ->-bleeped-<-, there are two types of Tranvestites. One is 'Fetishist Transvestite' and another is 'Transgender Transvestite'.

Most of the fetishists prefer to act Transvestites occasionally, or during the role-plays. Many of them even prefer to hide the fact that they are Transvestites.

Transgender Transvestites can have more desires to go forward. Many of them realize in time that they are actually Transgenders, and they don't have mere Fetish of clothing. They move forward and become Transsexuals.

We can't just make a rule and put all in a box. Even they don't know which category they belong to, whether they should keep themselves in Fetish umbrella or should become part of Transgender community. However, Transgender community should have an 'Opening' for all the 'Transvestites', as we know that some of them are indeed 'Transgenders'.

I hope it explains the concept.

Zakfar.

[Britney_413]

A lot of the terms are actually being used incorrectly when you apply the dictionary definitions to them.

TG or transgender is now being touted as the "umbrella" term for everything else and if I'm not mistaken this site/forum also uses it in such a manner. This is generally the accepted use of the eterm these days. However, the prefix "-trans" is literally defined to mean "change, across, through, beyond." It doesn't mean "hover between the two" or "go back and forth." At least not how I read into it. Then you have the definitions of "gender" and "sex" which also are similar but different.

Gender is generally defined as someone's own perception of maleness, femaleness, masculinity, femininity, and also can include how they dress, socialize, etc. and a lot if what constitutes gender varies between cultures and generations.

Sex is literally someone's biological and physiological aspect of male or female.

Understanding that, transgender would be taken to mean "changing genders" and transsexual would be "changing sex." Trans- is also very similar in definition to transition. There still is a distinction using that definition between TG and TS. A person can change one's gender while biologically keeping the same sex. Only the TS changes sex via hormones and surgeries. Obviously we know that one's sex is also in the brain but I'm referring to anatomy here.

Self-identified TVs, CDs, GQs, and DQs/DKs do not consider themselves to be "changing gender" or "changing sex." This is why "gender variant" in my opinion is a far more accurate term to those groups than "transgender" whereas "transsexual" would be a completely inaccurate term altogether.

Furthermore, it is common these days for a lot of people to come out identifying as TS yet who personally do not want hormones or surgeries but to otherwise live a full time role as their target gender. I'm not referring to non-ops who can't take hormones or surgeries due to medical conditions but specifically toward those who identify as TS yet who choose not to take hormones or go through surguries. Using the literal definitions these people are not TS because while they are "changing genders" via the definition of gender above they are not biologically or anatomically "changing sex." In that case, they would be more accurately described as TG.

Yeah, it's pretty confusing but this is how I see it. In the guise of political correctness these days people want to be able to identify however they want. True, it's their right and I don't generally tell people what to do but there is clearly an improper use of language being used in the mainstream with regards to these terms.

The same goes with gender and sex itself. A man who identifies as CD and is out dressed as a woman and socializing as a female on a Friday night dinner will have a female gender but is still of the male sex. It is important to understand this for certain very critical reasons. For instance, it is why as a pre-op TS myself when I go to the doctor I make them understand that currently my sex is male but I'm transitioning to female. This allows them to socially refer to me and treat me as a female but understand that when it comes to treating me medically that they understand that I am male by sex which could be extremely relevant for certain medical reasons. Anyway, I'm rambling. The point though is that it is important to understand what actually is and is not and not cow down to any PC movement that everyone is whoever they say they are because in technical terms they are not.

[Britney_413]

I also want to make it clear that I am not advocating any type of exclusion or separation of people in case anyone alleges that. No one should be treated as less than anyone else. We all have similar and different needs. Interestingly enough, the top of this page says "Susan's Transgender Resources" but it could as easily say "Susan's Gender Resources" and essentially cover the exact same topics.