I have been wondering how many people on these forums actually think crossdressing is socially acceptable - to themselves?
Twenty plus years ago, while single, I couldn't see why I couldn't crossdress in public if I wanted to so I simply walked out the door. I still recall the shocked looks on people's faces at the first convenience store I happened to go into. They looked at each other for clues about what to do and I gave them what they needed to know by just being a customer, "Where's the beer in here?"
About five years later I was living a busy married life with my wife and it occurred to me that I wanted some crossdressed time on the town again and asked my wife about setting up some times to go do things. She didn't want to be hassled with it during the work week and said, "If you can find someplace to go, just tell me when and I'll find something I can do on my own while you're out." By then the Internet had caught on and it took like five seconds to find a "CD Support Group" meeting to go to. Ahhhh, people!
Support groups, of course, are heavily used as "an excuse and a place to dress up and go to" so I wasn't too surprised that the group was split between dedicated support group leaders, old timers, and, well, basket cases... The group leaders managed the serious part of the meeting time, the old timers tried to sit still for the hour, and the basket cases either sat in frozen silence, talked about, "this is so weird for me 101," or, cried.
The real value of the meetings were going for coffee afterwards. By then, everyone had gotten over being helpful, bored, or, worried. Now it was just a bunch of people talking, trading stories and business cards, and, trying to make plans to go bowling or meet for lunch on "third Thursdays." I go to some of the same places now that we went to then - Starbucks, restaurants, and theaters and think about that crowd of CDers that had been there on some night or afternoon in the past as part of that first group. The people and the buildings look and sound the same... The world seems just fine.
So, I'm fine being who I am and I'm fine with most other people crossdressing, or, having tatoos, or, being in different political parties. As long as they make no more noise, spill as little or less of their drinks, and, give others the space to be who they are... I really don't pay much attention.
So, how many people reading these words are fine with crossdressing, their crossdressing, and, other people crossdressing?
It is, "OK" to you, as you read this, or, does CDing still seem somehow "wrong" to you?