CD vs. TS

[NathalieX66]

OK, I learned a lot from every day people like yourselves on this forum since I joined about, yea, 6 months ago, whatever it was.

I'm like a lot of you in the sense that I started CD'ing since my single-digit age, and have alway radiated toward and an adrogynous style. The CD'ing is a part of my life, and it's never going to go away. But I am male just the same....I just happen to enjoy the aspects of both genders. I suspect that I will never transition into anything beyond what I am.

However, I am confused at exactly where the line between 1) gender expression....2)fetish motivations....and 3) Gender identity, which seem to have nothing to do with '2'. Somehow I still get the feeling that all 3 are somewhat related more, or less with 1 & 2 . I can't see the folks in the 3 category necessarily inclined to relate with the folks in the 2 category, but clothing, and hairstyle to me seems so superficial, however I feel there is still some connection regardless what is said. People have different ways of expressing themselves because humans have imaginations. Think for a moment, that if the concept of gender didn't exist all.....then what?

All I ask is a better understanding and explanation. :rc:

[JiveTurkeyOnRye]

I think the line is blurry because everyone has their own personal reasons for dressing and doing what they do, so what is "1" for one might include a bit of "2" for someone else.

But the thing about someone who is truly transsexual is that it has nothing to do with clothing or hairstyles. You say in your post that you are male. I am too, so I understand why you feel that way. We can relate to that experience because we share it.

Now, imagine knowing with absolute positivity that you were male. That every synapse that fired in your brain told you, you're male, you're a guy. Yet, whenever you look in the mirror, or in the eyes of any person who sees you, you appeared female. Remove all aspects of social gender expressions such as types of clothing or hairstyles, but rather that your very body mocked you by its mere presence as being the opposite of what you know to be your true sex.

That's what being transsexual is, and that's the difference between a TS and a CD. A CD might like to wear the height of feminine garments, and emulate women, and even feel that a part of their personality is female and they need to express it. A (MTF) TS on the other hand isn't trying to emulate women or expressing the female part of their personality. They are women, born into a male body.

[Sheila]

But I personally don't think the fetish aspect has anything to do with these "spokes of identity". Cross-dressers come in all shapes and flavours and have only one thing in common - that they cross-dress. Their motivation may be financial (female impersonators), sexual (fetishists), satirical (drag queens), fashionable (women in trousers), criminal (bank robbers in disguise), whatever.... But you don't identify a person's sex/gender by their fetish. It's a side-issue if you like.

:yt:

[Kate Simmons]

The physical differences are obvious and are related to reproduction. Everything else is related to expressing ourself as a person. We are the ones who put labels on it, mostly due to sociatal conditioning and misunderstanding.:)

[PaulaJaneThomas]

Fetishism and gender identity are not linked just as sexual orientation and gender identity are not linked. There are a lots of non gender variant people who have fetishes. There are lots of gender variant people who don't have fetishes. I used to know a TG who was into the rubber scene in male mode but dressed in a very smart and ladylike way in girl mode. So even within a single individual the two aspects can be present but separate.