TG Information

INFORMATION ABOUT CROSSDRESSING & THE CROSSDRESSER

The biggest question that most people have when it comes to

crossdressing is 'WHY?'. It is hoped that the information provided in this

brochure will help you to understand the answer to that question along

with many others.

WHAT CAUSES SOMEONE TO BE A CROSSDRESSER?

This is one of the most difficult questions that there is to answer, and

for the answer there are only theories. While some researchers believe

that social environment may be at cause, today most are looking to

genetics. (the structure & coding of genes)

THE GIRL WITHIN

The most plausible reason for crossdressing lies in the theory of the girl

within. In it's simplicity it says that every man has a feminine component

to his personality, and every woman has a masculine component to her

personality. Our total personality makeup is a combination of both

masculine and feminine characteristics. Crossdressing can be looked

upon as a tool used by the girl within to bring out and develop the feminine

characteristics.

BUT WHY CROSSDRESSING?

If all men have this girl within them, then why don't all men crossdress?

While all men do have a feminine side, only a small percentage, currently

estimated to be about one to three percent of the male population, express

this side by crossdressing. When crossdressers are asked why, most

say that it relaxes them. Crossdressers when dressed usually try to

emanate the female as much as possible. They take on a feminine name,

they dress in total feminine garments, In essence they attempt to become

a totally different person, one who does not have the problems and worries

that their male counterpart has. It can be said that they attempt to develop

a feminine personality.

But very few crossdressers live totally en femme, Most spend the majority

of their lives in their everyday masculine role. When the crossdresser

returns to their normal everyday masculine role, the feminine personality

integrates along with their masculine personality to help form a more

complete person out of him, one who is more caring and sensitive and

considerate of others.

DO CROSSDRESSERS WISH TO BECOME WOMEN?

Unlike the transsexual the crossdresser does not detest his male body

and does not wish to have it surgically altered to that of the female. He is

content with his maleness and with his masculinity, but also recognizes

he has a feminine component to his life. While the crossdresser does not

wish to become a woman, due to his high admiration for the traits of the

woman he does wish to become womanlike, discovering and developing

the most positive traits of the woman and integrating them into his own life.

ARE CROSSDRESSERS GAY?

This is the worst of all myths about crossdressers. Most crossdressers

are in fact heterosexual people. In all surveys it has been found that only

about 5 percent of them were gay. Most people believe that cross

dressers are gay because the gay crossdresser is generally more open

than the heterosexual crossdresser. For most people their first encounter

with crossdressers will be the impersonator at a gay bar, or the drag queen.

ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CROSSDRESSERS?

While with the exception of the transsexual, all men who don feminine

clothes can be termed as crossdressers in the general sense, a number

of other terms are used today to more closely define crossdressers by

their reason for crossdressing.

FEMALE IMPERSONATOR:

The female impersonator is a person who's prime reason for crossdressing

is employment. They have perfected their crossdressing into a performing

art. It is interesting to note that the late James Cagney got his start in

show business as a female impersonator.

FETISH:

The fetish is a person who is sexually aroused by the wearing of certain

articles of feminine clothing. Unlike the average crossdresser, the fetish

will not dress completely, and will only dress when they wish sexual

arousal. In reality the true fetish cannot even become aroused unless

wearing the article of feminine clothes that gives him pleasure.

FEMMIPHILE:

This is the most common form of crossdresser. In it's simplicity, the

femmiphile is a person who has a love for what our society considers to be

feminine and a very strong desire to associate themselves with the

feminine. Femiphiles have high admiration for the female and wish to

emulate them as much as possible.

TRANSGENDERIST:

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

crossgendered role full time. Unlike the transsexual, he is content with

his male organs and does not plan surgery to remove them.

TRANSSEXUAL:

While often confused with the crossdresser, transsexuals are NOT

considered to be crossdressers. Unlike crossdressers 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

crossdressing 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.

ARE THERE WOMEN CROSSDRESSERS?

Yes, but due to the fact that the woman's fashion world has adopted every

article of male clothing, their numbers are much smaller than the

masculine to feminine crossdresser. Most women who wish to express

their masculine side will do so by taking on a profession that is consider

to be masculine such as a lumberjack or attorney. For them, the easiest

way to express their masculine side is through strength or aggression.

CAN CROSSDRESSING BE CURED?

While many years ago psychologist did attempt to cure crossdressers,

today most have recognized that crossdressing is lifelong and find that

better results can be obtained by teaching the crossdresser to accept

their feminine side. While most crossdressers can control their urge to

cross dress, THERE IS NO CURE. CROSSDRESSING IS LIFELONG.

ARE THERE DANGERS?

While crossdressing in itself is not harmful, there is a danger involved

when a crossdresser is unable to accept his feminine side. Because

society does not socially accept crossdressing in males, many

crossdressers have difficulty in coming to terms with their feminine side.

This inability to accept themselves has caused many crossdresser to turn

to drugs or alcohol, to become violent, and even suicidal. They attempt to

shun their feminine side by trying to display manners that they feel are

considered by society to be macho and manly.

IS THERE ANY WAY OF TELLING IF SOMEONE IS OR WILL

BE A CROSSDRESSER?

In reality, no. Crossdressers come from every religious, social, and ethnic

background and work in almost every profession from doctors and

lawyers, to truck drivers and general laborers. Even when crossdressed it

is not always easy to tell if a person is a crossdresser as many have

perfected their cross dressing to the point that one cannot distinguish

them from the genetic female.

WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE ARE CROSSDRESSERS?

Crossdressers in their quest to gain the positive qualities of the female are

generally more caring and sensitive, are more feeling and have a desire

and need to share feelings. They participate in many community projects

and are more open to the needs of others.

ARE MOST CROSSDRESSERS MARRIED?

To this we can answer a resounding YES. In one survey of crossdressers

it was found that about seventy percent of them were in fact married, and

about seventy percent of those had children.

WHAT ABOUT THEIR WIVES?

Because crossdressing is socially unacceptable, many crossdressers do

not tell their wives about their crossdressing needs. This often results in

marital disharmony. Many crossdressers are afraid that the wife will not

understand and will leave upon finding out about her husbands feminine

desires. Where the wife is aware of her husbands feminine side and has

decided to accept and even assist her crossdressing husband in becoming

more feminine the marriage has in fact been strengthened. Wives have

found their crossdressing husbands more willing to do household chores

and to be more loving, sympathetic, and compassionate.

WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN?

While it is very rare for the children of a crossdresser to themselves

become crossdressers, many wives who accept their husband cross

dressing are fearful that the children will become crossdressers and thus

do not allow their husband to crossdress in front of their children. Many

crossdressers themselves feel that the knowledge of their crossdressing

to be far too much of a burden on the children and simply do not let them

know. Where the father has informed his children of his crossdressing, it

is generally found that when told during an early age, the children benefit

from a father who is more compassionate sympathetic, and involved with

them.

WHAT PROBLEMS DO CROSSDRESSERS FACE?

Because crossdressing is still somewhat socially unacceptable, most

crossdressers experience extreme loneliness and depression.

Crossdressing generally starts during an early age, usually between 6

and 13. With no information on the subject the young cross dresser often

feels that he is the only person with the desire to crossdress. This often

causes much inner turmoil within the young crossdresser and has often

caused many to turn to suicide. Many crossdressers first find out about

others through magazines in adult bookstores. Since most of the ads in

these magazines are placed by people seeking sex, some crossdressers

have experimented with homosexuality in an attempt to meet others like

themselves. Crossdressers who have joined support organizations find

that there is no need for the false sexual relation pretext in order to meet

others like themselves. These groups are in fact social and support

groups that attempt to bring crossdressers together to meet, have fun,

and talk about their crossdressing needs and desires. Many wives can be

found attending these groups also. Other problems faced by the

crossdresser stem from a society that is hostile and prejudicial toward

them. Due to the social prejudice of others, most crossdressers find it

necessary to keep their crossdressing desires a secret for fear of losing

their jobs, their apartments, and social standings. While there is an old

saying 'The others mans grass is always greener', crossdressers have in

fact found that the grass while perhaps a different shade of green, is just

as green on both sides of the fence. Rather than choose sides, the

crossdressers has found that he likes both shades of green equally. The

crossdresser has in fact grown beyond the point of being an ordinary male

and has become a total person. I hope that the above information has

helped you to better understand crossdressing and the crossdresser. &127;

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