[SIZE="2"]“I know a lot of people who say their object is to take their place in society. Don’t ever do that. Stay right where you are, and wait for society to form itself around you.” (Quentin Crisp)
Apparently we crossdressers come under the heading “nature’s mistakes.” Well, some people think that way (and feel that way). Recently I was watching a film on TV, a retrospective look at the depiction of homosexuality throughout film history, and the abovementioned phrase was included within a trailer for one of the films – catchy, isn’t it? Of course, all things being equal in Hollywood, any mention or visualization of homosexuality will automatically include drag, transvestism, and their more innocent cousin, namely crossdressing. If you extend this perverted logic to its illogical conclusion, crossdressers are also nature’s mistakes, existing under the broad umbrella of perversion, placed there by society...
Needless to say, ongoing depictions of crossdressing in films or TV shape public perception. With a few notable exceptions, crossdressing is largely included for laughs, and, if it isn’t, the audience may begin to get very uncomfortable with what is going on, all in the name of entertainment. Of course, you can turn away, or switch channels, or close your eyes, thus maintaining your idea of what a mistake is, but why not keep an open mind about things?
I must point out that the semi-documentary film I watched included nearly ALL forms of crossdressing – there was MtF, FtM, full-blown drag, and crossdressing as a means to an end, to name a few, but I only wish to dwell on the subject of MtF crossdressing being seen purely as a “mistake.” Is this fair? I mean, on this site we discuss this “convenient” association with male homosexuality all the time, since we are caught in its gravitational field. When I say “caught,” I mean we are associated with homosexuals, for better or worse, because of our penchant for female clothing, presentation and comportment – the world at large has no patience for detail, or subtlety, nor does it wish to hear our cries in the wilderness. Out of sight (I can hear them say), and out of mind – it’s not worth the effort to take a closer look at the differences between groups, just sweep us ALL under the rug as a group of nature’s mistakes...
One of the things that struck me in this collection of movie clips was the undeclared idea that transvestism (or crossdressing) implies homosexuality, or bisexuality, simply by being there, as if a certain visual image does not require any explanation. Years ago, the word homosexual wasn’t even voiced aloud in films – the unfortunate “victim” of his or her alternative desires wasn’t even allowed to say “I’m gay,” while our hero (or heroine’s) miserable existence at the fringe of society played across the silver screen for all to see, mainly as a warning. In many cases, crossdressing acted as an unsubtle visual code, used to denote underlying homosexual proclivities in one or more of the characters. Not only that, but the choice of clothing, conscious or not, screamed “exclusion” in no uncertain terms, and these unfortunate personages never had a good day regardless of the plot...
So, we are nature’s mistakes, something that was not supposed to happen, according, I assume, to the fictitious plan for humanity that somebody made up, i.e. someone who doesn’t like “alternative” types. Isn’t that silly? A mistake is either doing something in a wrong way, or taking one thing for another (see above). A mistake is also a drawback, a sin, a weakness, a shortcoming, and a deficiency. Put all that together and it adds up to disappointment for whoever or whatever comes in contact with a crossdresser. BTW, a synonym for disappointment is drag, so we have once again come full circle, or perhaps we just aren’t getting anywhere. Personally, I believe that crossdressing is the antithesis of a mistake, since it creates comfort, happiness, and pleasure, but society apparently doesn’t want to see that side of the issue. Is it wrong to have fun, be inquisitive about things, explore one’s sexuality, enjoy tactile pleasures, be compassionate and loving, or all of the above? I’ll tell you, I don’t feel like a mistake, not one little bit. Is it a mistake to enjoy life? Needless to say, calling homosexuality a “mistake” is absolutely ridiculous, just like one group of people expressing their purported superiority over another group is ridiculous, wrong, hateful, distasteful, and, of course, a hideous mistake...
How do you feel about being called one of “nature’s mistakes?” [/SIZE]