Does It Run In Families?

[Jilmac]

As many of you already know, I've been dressing almost forty years and I don't know of anybody else in my family who dresses. I'm not referring to just immediate family, but relatives as well. Of my siblings (I have four sisters and one brother) I'm sure that I'm the only one who can be considered a crossdresser. As far as I know, none of my children ever had a desire to dress, and I don't know of any uncles or cousins ever dressed. Perhaps there might be some closeted crossdressing family members that I'm not aware of. That's not to say I'm the only one in my family, I just don't know any others.

Some families are talented, others have chronic ailments, some hand down a smile, hair, good looks, a certian gait, and many other features. I know, with so many of us on this forum, that crossdressing isn't unique to any national origin, I'm just wondering if it runs in families? Any of you girls care to comment?

[Vickii*]

It does not run in families to my knowledge according to my psychiatrist, therapist, and my life.

[Rebecca Jayne]

Seriously Jifem I know I am the only crossdresser in my whole klan, I decided not to be alcoholic, drug dependent, physically abusive, boring, just fem.

I think there are a number of valid reasons we became crossdressers originally,

My belief is Angelic, a gift, and I am special that way, not better, just special.

[Karren H]

My younger brother dabbled in crossdressing most likely because I exposed my crossdressing to him when he was like 8 or 9... I know this because he also didn't have my unique ability to stay under the radar and got caught wearing our step sisters bra and girdle..

And I know of a father and son In Chicago that both crossdress.. They own a TG store there...

[sissystephanie]

Jill,

I have been dressing for about 70 years, and to the best of my knowledge I am the only crossdresser in the family. We have had a few "black sheep," but apparently not CD's! If there were any they were deep in the closet! I don't think it runs in the family! I think it is an individual thing, and not necessarily something you were born with. TG and TS you probably are born with, but being a CD is, IMHO, totally different! Let the bricks fly, my shields are up!!

[Tina B.]

Don't know of any other member of my family that cross dress, but then they might tell that no one in our family cross dress, It' s not that hard to keep it from your family.
Tina

[Kerrylee61]

And every one of them crossdresses practically every day I'd be willing to bet and society thinks it's just fine. Stupid rules of society!!!!

Kerry

[madison lee]

I know that my uncle, my moms closest brother in age, is a crossdresser. There has been speculation and rumours for years but his step-son told me when we were younger that my uncle wore panties. He used to have to do the laundry and kept finding panties and things that were not his moms. He asked his mom about it and she admitted that they were my uncles. I wonder what a psychiatrist would say about that!

[DeeInGeorgia]

My oldest son appears to crossdress. He is 15.

[trannie T]

I came out to my only brother a few years ago and he did not volunteer that he did the same thing, I know of no others in my large extended family.
For some reason I think of my grandmother telling of a member of her church who told a group that the came from a long line of bachelors.

[cd_jamie]

my oldest son is tg. i am a closet cd. and other than that I got a brother who is a porn adict a dead cousin who was gay. ok my family is messed up

[karennjcd]

my oldest son is tg. i am a closet cd. and other than that I got a brother who is a porn adict a dead cousin who was gay. ok my family is messed up

Jamie I would not say that your family is "messed up". Play with the cards you were dealt, and love your family regardless of whatever "faults" you may think they have, just as you would want them to accept you. Nobody was "messed up" because they happened to be TG, CD, Gay, enjoy watching porn, etc.

Karen

[karennjcd]

I'm just wondering if it runs in families? Any of you girls care to comment?

This I think boils down to a thread we had here about a week ago regarding whether the need or desire to crossdress is genetic. There were all kinds of answers to that, and so I think that's one question that will never be answered. As you touched on, if it's not genetics it could just be a matter of coincidence. Or possibly somebody in common was the driving factor... i.e. your wife is also your son's mom -- not that I'm actually "blaming" her but that's an example as you say you've been doing this for 40 years.

Karen

[victoriamwilliams1]

I know of a cousin in my family.

[Jacky Aikou]

Hmm... well, who can say if it's genetic or upbringing but it doesn't surprise me to hear some girls saying it runs in their family.

As far as I know, I'm the sole crossdresser in the family. But my younger sister was always tomboyish and now married to a lovely young woman. It's funny how we got our gender id's crossed up somehow, like a beat got skipped.

I've heard a streak of "oddness" runs through my maternal grandmother's line, but it's just hearsay. It's not like I can go out and investigate! It's hard enough keeping up normal appearances with shaved legs and plucked brows!!

[Brianna in Hose]

I would say that it runs in my family. My dad sorta dress also, mostly pantyhose, heels, and lingerie. I dress and at one point in time my older brother did to. I imagine that if I have son he will probably dress also.

[carrie-ann]

not that I have every heard of

[karennjcd]

I would say that it runs in my family. My dad sorta dress also, mostly pantyhose, heels, and lingerie. I dress and at one point in time my older brother did to. I imagine that if I have son he will probably dress also.

Brianna, I was just wondering how you know your future son will dress also. Are you going to encourage it in any way? Will you hide your CD'ing from him or be totally honest and open about it?

Karen

[Ann Thomas]

I'm absolutely convinced it's genetic. I feel that the genetic makeup triggers things in the brain and/or in the hormones that make it happen. Hormones are incredibly complicated, made up of far more than just the few we hear so much about.

When my dad was not doing well, I took him to the hospital. It was sad, because deep down I knew he'd never return home again. I asked him as we were about to leave, "Is there anything you want to take along?" He said 'no' in a way that made me realize he wasn't ready to face death yet. When I started to clean up his dirty laundry in the next few days, I discovered his stash of clothing. It was clearly his. A few weeks before he died, I told him what I'd found, and that I'd been dressing too since I was young. All he could do is laugh and shake his head. I asked him a bit of his history. He started young, purged, then started in again when a girlfriend asked him to dress in her clothes. When we were finally cleaning out his house after he died, I kept one of his tops as a thing to cherish that side of him that he had never revealed to the family.

Scroll forward a most of a decade ... It was my son's 18th birthday, and I had a weekend to just be together alone - the two of us. I decided I'd tell him my deepest secret - that I was a crossdresser. I told him, and to my surprise, he said he was too. He'd been doing it since he was very young off and on.

I know that doesn't prove a whole lot, but it does to me.

My family lineage has been traced back deeply on some parts of my family - some back to the dark ages, where records are forever lost. Much of my family has been on this continent for over 400 years. If any of you are of lineage that traces back that far in North America (200-400 years), I would ask if you'd share it with me privately (using the PM system on here or by email). I'm curious if our lineage points to the same family lines. Some are well known, having been written of in colonial newspapers that we have located. Many are simply recorded in the various census records. In any event I'm really, really curious about this, and have been wanting to post about this for some time, but the issue just never seemed to come up.

If your family lines are much more recent, would it be possible for some of you to tell from whence your immigrant ancestors came from? I wonder if there's any correlation there as well.

If I do find there's some correlation that merits attention, I live about an hour's drive from UCLA, where there is a group I've heard about studying this. I've written them a few times but never gotten a response, even though they have a small website. So, armed with more information, I might dare to just drive up there and visit the lab. Beyond that, my stepsister also is a geneticist for the CDC, and she also might be interested in the findings, or could guide me to someone who is interested.

Thanks for sparking this question in me. Hopefully something good will come of it.

Hugs,
Ann

[erickka]

I found out positively that my father dressed, about 3 months before his untimely death. My strpmother was trying to cover for him, but the shoes I found were a size 12 ( she wears a 7 1/2) and the bras were a 38c (again she is about 5'5" and 125 lbs.) I blatently asked him, he admitted, and we had great discussions about it. He already knew I dressed, and back when he first found out, I thought it strange that he didn't get angry and tell me to "man up" My answer had come almost a decade ago.

[Kate Simmons]

I don't think an "official" study has been done to determine this. However, I think the "unofficial" rule of thumb is no. Only one "prima donna" allowed per family.

[Laura_Stephens]

I don't know of any other family members -- immediate or distant -- that crossdress. As far as I know, I am the only one. What does that prove? Absolutey nutin.

[allisonrn06]

Don't know of anyone in my family who is a crosdresser, tg/ts/tv. As to the question of whether we are born this way or not, I really don't know. I have heard a lot of theories recently on how people are born gay, TG/CD/TV/TS, etc and none of them sound convincing to me, some theories sound downright ridiculous. Not saying that I don't believe that some people are born this way, just that I haven't heard anything to completely convince me yet.

[serinalynn]

I don't believe any one else in my family is a crossdresser. just me!!!

[sputnik]

And I know of a father and son In Chicago that both crossdress.. They own a TG store there...

That is really sweet.

So far as I'm aware, I'm the only one in my family.