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View Full Version : Defining transvestitve and what about post-op



tall sam
10-11-2007, 11:27 PM
I have a question someone out there may be able to answer:
I (we) are crossdressers, ie we are men who enjoy wearing womans clothing. I cant speak for all but most do it part time.

My understanding is that this differs from being a transvestite in that transvestites actually wish to be only female - ie are not happy/comfortable?? with being male.

So, if someone then goes all the way and has gender reassignment surgery, are they still a transvestite or are they now basically defined as a woman?

(I saw a video clip of the worlds sexiest transvestites and they were all very much women ie post-op )

docrobbysherry
10-11-2007, 11:45 PM
I'm hoping to get some answers on this, (these), subjects, too.

GypsyKaren
10-11-2007, 11:53 PM
A transvestite is another term for crossdresser, someone who considers themselves to be of the opposite gender is a transsexual. I will be having SRS in two weeks, I consider myself to be female now, but I suppose by definition I am a transsexual woman, but I will be able to change the gender on my IDs to female.

Karen Starlene

MarinaTwelve200
10-12-2007, 07:50 AM
TRANSVESTITE is usually a TECHNICAL or formal term for "Crossdresser". Used mostly across the pond(UK) and in psychological texts. In common usage it often refers to a crossdresser who CDs usually for sexual reasons--fetish, S/M etc. and is VERY much into it.

A Crossdresser is anyone who ocasionally wears clothing of the opposite sex (especially guys) for a variety of reasons---other than the ocasional Joke, school skit, halloween , etc.

Crossdressing is NOT a condition in it self, like transsexualisim or honosexuality, but an ACT, or SYMPTOM of one or more underlying conditions or desires that wearing the clothing of the opposite may facilitate or enhance.

A trannsexual, for instance, may CD because they FEEL like a member of the opposite sex anyway, and feel the need to be more "complete", An "escapist", on the other hand, may CD to temporally "Escape" his normal identity, a thrill seeker or taboo tripper may CD for the "rush it gives him to violate the norm or take risks. A Fetishist may CD because he has a sexual attraction to clothing, and a S/M type may be into "humiliation" and CD for that.

Contrary to common lore, CD is mostly a Hetrosexual thing--rather than Homo or Bi, both for reasons of the sheer numbers of hetro vs homo guys in the world, and because it involves identity and attraction to aspects of the opposite sex in most respects. Yet many homosexuals DO CD as well as Hetro guys, but likely for many of the non sexuality based reasons (eg. identity and thrill seeking) that hetros do.

Vaerise
10-12-2007, 08:02 AM
Wow.. I think that is a very thorough explanation Marina

Joanboy2001
10-12-2007, 08:05 AM
I believe that Transvestite comes from the latin word for crossdresser

Trans = Cross

Vestite = Clothes or Dress (as in what you wear)

Marla S
10-12-2007, 08:38 AM
Marina covered it quite well.

Another aspect that has to be considered is the different usage of these terms by scientists and by persons concerned.

Scientists will use these terms predominately to cover a range of "symptoms", whereas the persons concerned use them as a term for their self-identification and will reject to be reduced to a set of symptoms.
Confusing these views leads to a lot of heated debates and introduction of new labels.

I.e. for a surgeon a pre-op TS is a man, a post-op TS a woman. He doesn't need to know something about the self-identification, but he needs to know what he has to do.
On the other side the pre-op TS will see herself being a woman already and could get upset by the view of the surgeon.

DianaGomez
10-12-2007, 11:32 PM
I will be having SRS in two weeks, I consider myself to be female now
Wow!!! Lucky you, good for you, hope it all goes well for you!

Khriss
10-12-2007, 11:58 PM
I'd agree with Marina and Marla ..
while such terms are often "clinically" based steriotypes (to often) to reasure ...
those (normal ?) folks esp. Doctors or Clinical Psych'es that such "personalities" can be catagorized and then understood under common
types of behavior ??

LARGELOADofBULLSHIT_realy :thumbsdn:
I think , We're all pretty unique :happy: xx"K"
stayhappyMySisters xx"K"

Suzy Harrison
10-13-2007, 01:24 AM
I wonder if there is such a thing as being a 100% crossdresser or 100% transgender - in the same way no one is really 100% male or female in the way we think.

Not only that, over time we can change as well.
Years ago I would have considered myself a crossdresser - but in the last 10 years I've felt more transsexual ..........and that feeling is getting stronger for me.

jandebs
10-13-2007, 04:31 AM
i've always wondered about this, and for the life of me i can never figure out which particular 'compartment' i'm in. Sometimes I think the way we define ourselves, or get defined, is to do with how much time we spend in the 'other role'. Girls that are only able to, or want to be 'en femme' occasionally, end up falling into the transvestite/crossdresser bracket and those who want to relate to the world full time as female end up in the transsexual category, regardless of how much surgery has taken place. But that's only half an answer because it seems that there are so many of us who'd want to be 'full time' if only personal circumstances would allow it, which tends to fit a more transsexual profile. I agree with Suzy, in that these classifications are much more fluid and changeable.

I always deeply regretted not being born female and for decades thought that full reassignment was inevitable. But now that I've found my way, and am out with it all and accepted, the need for full surgery has diminished somewhat. For me, the final goal is simply to be myself.

Alex R
10-13-2007, 04:49 AM
I have trawled the net over the past year or so seeking an explanation to this question to help better understand myself. There are many to be found: often contradictory. I have found the following to be very helpful.


Physically male gender dysphoric individuals have been described, either by themselves or by others, as falling into three distinct groups: crossdressers, transgenderists and transsexuals.

.............during my work with gender folk I have come to the belief that there is only one cause, one conflict, one condition — but there are many reactions and adjustments to it. .......... the great majority of transgendered individuals create an artificial self which meets this goal. They are often so successful at this that they not only fool everyone else but themselves as well — at least part of the time, in some way.


Dr. Bushong http://www.doctorbushong.com/pubs/what_is_gender.asp

lizbendalin
10-13-2007, 07:26 AM
Great posts and comments. I'll add a few of my cents to the previously mentioned.

Transgender is the term/category that all of us fall under. It refers to anyone who identifies with or expresses a gender that is not in congruence with their birth sex. The crossdresser expresses, the transsexual identifies; but both are transgender.

One of the other things, I just want to mention is that I'm not sure how correct/polite it is to refer to transsexuals as post-op, or pre-op. It makes it sound like one is better than the other, like the post-op is in some way a realized transsexual while the pre-op is a wannabe. What about the number of transsexuals who for one reason or another are unable to have SRS? Maybe we should just say transsexual and leave it at that What business is it of ours, or the general public, what a person has between their legs? That's for them, their doctor, and their significant other. To define someone based on what a person has or does not have between their legs is a rather shallow way of defining a person.

Alex R
10-13-2007, 08:37 AM
......Maybe we should just say transsexual and leave it at that What business is it of ours, or the general public, what a person has between their legs? .......

Here, here!