I also believe that it's what's going on inside your head. But, if something bad happens to me while I'm out, and I survive, you can bet that what's going on inside my head is "T". If someone is going to beat the stuffing out of me, claiming to be "T" can make it a hate crime. Being "just a CD" offers no protection against a hate crime.
Hi, I'm Steffi and I'm a crossdresser... And I accept and celebrate both sides of me. Or, maybe I'm gender fluid.
Does Crossdressing come under a LGBT etc umbrella? That word umbrella is the key, if using Transgender as an umbrella term yes.
hrc.org describes it as an umbrella term covering gender identity and expression, but gladd.org focuses on the gender identity part.
Obviously from the responses here, there is no unanimous agreement in this community on Transgender being an umbrella term.
So you can use the term either way, and as a CD you can choose to identify as trans or not. It's up to you.
I've always considered myself straight as a ruler, however in a dress (at a Halloween party) with guys groping and such, it was really confusing.
Ahhh, we hate those labels, don't we? Or do we just wish there was one for our very own? We sure like to point out the ones we're not, so I guess they serve some purpose. The string of letters is getting so long that I think it's only some mythical person that is not included in one of those, and that person probably is too, they'd just rather die than admit it. Find you a letter or two and join the movement! For the record, it hasn't been that long ago that I didn't think I had a letter, either. Now, depending on when we're talking about, I think I am or have been every damn one of them. A picture of diversity, I am! Maybe it'll get me a government contract or... I better stop before I get in trouble.
Somewhere along the way, some combination of creams, compounds and elixirs that were supposed to make me look like a Kardashian must've made my skin pretty thick. I am literally unmoved by any of these terms. Even the pronouns. Now, when I'm gendered female I love it (guess that counts as being moved). When I get "sir" I don't like it, but I don't get pissed about it. Tells me I need to try harder, and if it bothers me I better stay in the house.
I'm getting old. Hell, who am I kidding. I am old! I grew up when gay, queer, etc. were "fightin' words". The most offensive terms in the English language. Some still consider them that. To others they're a badge of honor. Some of those terms I still don't quite get. I mean, when I was a kid I knew what queer meant. Now it seems it can mean a lot of things, and when you say it, nobody knows what it really means. It's still amusing to me to see some post or video where some mom refers to her kid as queer. For a second I'm back in elementary school and my 10 year old mind is totally blown to hear that come from a mom. Then I'm back in the present and realize I have no idea what that means anymore. Probably more about what it says one is not, rather than what one is. Hard for an old girl to keep up!
I don't know if every single letter and symbol in that abbreviation applies to me (does anybody even know what it all means?), but the ones that do would make a strong password.
When I started to dress as a teenager. I contacted a local support group. The term LGBT and CD were not mainstream at the time . Most members of the group considered themselves as transvestites or TVs and were heterosexual.I got married, had kids and ditched CD for many years . It came back with a vengeance in my 5os after a bereavement. I tried to re establish contact with the support group only to find it had folded in 2004. I found a LGBT support group, but felt like an outsider and not as welcome .The emphasis was on transgender . There were no hetro CD members. Hence I stopped going. The label has changed from TV to CD as not as derogatory.
It seems like society is incapable of doing anything other than checking off a box. That alphabet string seems to get longer and longer. If anyone were to ask me where I fit in I'd respond with sentences and paragraphs. If you answer with one word then the questioner gets to decide what box you belong in based on their own bias or lack of knowledge. Maybe my answer, if I were to choose one or two words, would be akin to a political poll: "Independent" dresser rather than strictly "male" or "female."
They won't be insulting you. You may feel insulted (why, by the way?), but that is your problem. As for them, they are just doing a mistake, generally in good faith, since the crowd tends to consider CDers to be gay, and you have the liberty to politely correct them if you so wish.Originally Posted by Krisi
As for labels, everyone puts what they want in them, so I'm ok to fall under the T umbrella, and I'm also fine baking in the sun next to it.
[SIZE=1]- - - Updated - - -[/SIZE]
I couldn't agree more.
Last edited by DianeT; 08-10-2023 at 06:03 PM.
"So, I'm a crossdresser. Mmh. What's that thing, again?"
Considering telling your SO? Read this fine manual first: https://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?13841-How-to-tell-your-partner
There is no consensus whether crossdressers fall under the Transgender Umbrella, either on places like Wikipedia or on this board. I went to a transgender conference about five years ago and their definition was that crossdressers do fit under the transgender umbrella, and so in that regards I consider myself to be part of the T.
And contrary to the opinions of some here, 1) the definition of crossdressing is NOT limited to MTF, nor 2) does crossdressing equal sexual orientation (you can be gay or bi or a lesbian and be a crossdresser, although survey's suggest most MTF crossdressers are heterosexual).
And as a guest to one of our meetings once said, "When you've met one transgender person you've met one transgender person." It's not one size fits all.
I am a male who likes to "present female" from time to time, so crossdresser is probably the best adjective for me. YMMV.
I'm Sun-Dee at Kandi's Land; read about my outings here:
https://www.kandis-land.com/author/dee/
The only labels I use, come from my old Dyno label maker!
Reading through all the various responses to Emily's question is absolutely fascinating. All are so wonderful.
What I see is that the phrase "Self Identify" in the transgender definition applies so beautifully. You are what you believe fits you the best which really makes the various classifications pretty meaningless and leads me to a conclusion that it is all a continuum with no real nodes or divisions other than what we, as individuals, create. In some ways LGBTQ+whatever kind of forms a group all of its own that is a wonderful menagerie of really interesting people that are different in various ways from the usual.
But is the "usual" really a distinct unit itself? Who or what forms the boundary between "usual" and the people in our group? Isn't that perhaps just as ill defined in reality as any of the others? And what about people in other cultures than ours who see it very differently?
My conclusion is that with regard to behaviors that are related to self identity is a huge mosaic of different colored chips each representing an individual. But when you stand back you see a silhouette that looks an awful lot like a member of the species Homo sapiens. We are all one family but we have this compulsion to create classifications that don't mean a thing and yet mean so much. Paradoxical!
hello Emily,
I consider myself to be on the T-spectrum.
luv J
When speaking with professionals; medical, electrolysis, counselors, S.A.s etc. I always identify myself as in the transgender spectrum. It seems to mitigate the awkwardness of having to be too specific.
I am a vessel of the goddess. Let me express my calling to a feminine life through nurturing love and relatedness.
Excellent MarinaTwelve200. I agree 100%.
This discussion has been going on for years. Those who want to be part of the larger T group say yes, those who don't consider themselves part of the bigger T group say no. Personally, I see CD as something much different than what true TG people feel, so I say know, but many others disagree. It always struck me as odd that a group that rejects so many traditional notions about M-F roles needs to address labels like this, but to each their own and who am I to tell anyone how to live their life? Best answer I can give you is that if you believe you belong, you can find a place where you do. If you believe you're not part of the group, for whatever reason you have, you're not. Just be cool to those who are and be a supportive ally, nothing else anyone can ask of you.
Crossdressing is a behavior for which the reasons are many and infinitely varied. You could be any of the letters under LGBT or none of them and enjoy crossdressing just as you could be any of these and not even understand why someone would want to wear clothing associated with the sex that wasn't assigned at your birth.
As a behavior I think of crossdressing like a cough -- it is a symptom. Medical folks learn very quickly the distinction between symptoms and the conditions which cause them.
Perhaps there is a 'soft' meaning of transgender which would include persons who crossdress as that behavior alone, without any others, crosses traditional male-female boundaries in a visible way.
I disagree with characterizing crossdressing under Transgender as that term implies specific emotions and feelings that deserve their own consideration. That is emphatically my personal opinion and I don't in any way mean it in a strident way as there is enough of that to go around already. I have enjoyed reading this thread and our insights into our personal mysteries.
Last edited by crobeson96; 08-12-2023 at 05:38 AM.
i too would class myself as a straight, heterosexual male but that doesn't in itself stop us being part of a wider community. The advice often offered here to those seeking to go out for the first time is to go to a LGBT friendly venue. If you're one of the community who goes out and about then it's highly unlikely you're going to walk like John Wayne with a felling axe over your shoulder swigging from a can of beer. For the majority their aim is to present as feminine a persona as they can, hence as Shelly says below, transitioning gender norms.
LBGT isn't solely about sexual preference and I can see for some who dress within 4 walls or class themselves as a MAID the reasoning not to include themselves in that wider community. And while each of us as individuals is free to choose the label they want, it would seem that for society at large, they see us as part of the LGBT grouping. I'm happy with that. For me, that puts us on the side of the good guys.
Who dares wears Get in, get out without being noticed
Heck I don't know. Love reading all the responses here as they help me to understand why I like sitting here in a dress. Physically and mentally I feel better in clothing made for women. They are pretty. Men's clothing just doesn't feel right on me. Even when I find men's shirts in the same materials I still prefer a woman's blouse. And for me it's not sexual. I prefer women over men.
So what am I? Just a boy in a dress or am I in that T spectrum. For me I don't need labels and yet understand some need them to help understand who they are or want to be. So I say labels may be of help to some, not to others, insulting to a few. Just be respectful to each other. Educate yourself as to not offend others. Enjoy what you enjoy.
Posting Permissions
