Are you a deviant?

[Frédérique]

That’s something you don’t hear much anymore. I came across this semi-obsolete phrase the other day while researching all the varieties of Japanese Manga in a thick book on the subject. Apparently the word “homosexual” isn’t used much to describe (or indicate) a gay person in some forms of manga, but it’s OK to say “I am a deviant.” That got me thinking about the phrase in regards to crossdressing…:thinking:

That’s right. I’m a crossdresser. I’m a transvestite. I am a deviant…:eek:

That is, I deviate from what is considered normal in a group or for a society. Looking around these days, I’m deviating BIG TIME, but I know there are plenty of others like me…:battingeyelashes:

I’m turning aside. I’m out of the way. I’ve wandered away from the common path. I’m off course, out of line, and diverging from everyone's expectations. I differ from others by choice (after all ,they didn't include me in the first place). I had a choice, and I decided to take it. I deflected. My deviation is my turning aside from a prescribed standard course, and my deviatory lifestyle goes on and on – it’s too late to go back, since the divergence is so…complete. If I tried to go back, I would deviate from what I consider to be normal and reassuring at the present time. I wouldn’t do that, indeed I can't do that, because the whole idea is too far-fetched. I departed from the "straight" and narrow a long time ago, and I’m glad I did. I am different, most assuredly so. I’m unusual, not the same, and definitely not alike*…

So, are you with me? Are you a deviant?

*Can you tell that I have a big dictionary? :heehee:

[Tina L.]

i guess that i am a deviant, that's good to know so when asked i can say yes i am.




Tina L.

[Tanya83]

Yup. :)

[erica12b]

but i feel fine , :eek:

[Kathi Lake]

Yup! And proud to be so.

Why be normal? I've seen normal. I've been normal. No thanks! I'd rather be me. Although the world may view me as a deviant - even as a sexual deviant in some circles - the world isn't me. They don't know just how normal and happy I am just by being me.

Kathi

[AllieSF]

Nope! I am me. Maybe I am a deviant in someone else's mind and opinion, but those do not and should not really matter that much to me. I am happy and really comfortable where I am now.

[Veronica Nowakowski]

It's very hard for me to think of a way in which I am not a deviant.

[ArleneRaquel]

Allie,
My sentiments also. :2c::battingeyelashes:

[NathalieX66]

Hey!
This topic brings back memories of a photo in my sociology class textbook in college.....here it is!
The text on the uppr right reads "This orange juice vendor is percieved as a deviant only after we know that we are seeing a man dressed in feminine clothing and made up as a woman".

[eileendover]

nothing special with me, just a standard deviation, which may make me almost normal - but why be normal?

I may be close to the mean, but I'd rather be close to the nice and friendly. :hugs:

[Stina84]

I am a bisexual crossdresser with a taste for some mild BDSM... Am I a deviant? Probably - but I think I have much more fun being deviant than "ordinary" people do ;)

[AmandaM]

I'm within one deviation of normal, so mathematically, I'm not a deviant!

[jillleanne]

I'm surprised you feel the usage of the word is dying. I suppose it may depend on may things but in my occupation( finance), it is used regularly. It is also used widely in the medical profession, as in, deviated septum( blockage in the air passages from the nose).
As for usage with regards to crossdressing, we do not deviate, but rather express, whereas, the mainstream of society express their opinions based solely on teachings thru sociological enviroments, or put simply, ignorance and prejudice. How could one deviate from something one considers normal to oneself? If I never wore fem clothing, I would only then, deviate from who I am, other things equal.
I have never felt I was deviated, but rather 'gender enhanced'.

[Veronica Nowakowski]

Hey!
This topic brings back memories of a photo in my sociology class textbook in college.....here it is!
The text on the uppr right reads "This orange juice vendor is percieved as a deviant only after we know that we are seeing a man dressed in feminine clothing and made up as a woman".

You're telling me that being known as an orange juice vendor isn't being deviant? I've never seen someone specifically vend orange juice in my life.

[Maria in heels]

you can add me to the list as well

[echo]

HAHahahahhahaha

I realize I will get spanked for saying this but, have you seen the normal people?!?!?!?!?! They are even more off the wall than I am!

Seriously, I am really suprized how many down to earth....honest to goodness... "normal" cats and dolls are on this site. (I had the completely wrong mental image when I first signed up)

Now, the regular people...........let's just say that the regular people who I am friends with or swing with....those are some truly deviant people.

I am not kidding when I say, I have three human pets. Seriously! They litterally are treated like house pets...it's thier kink.

So, I gotta laugh and shake my head to think that the kind and sweet souls I am meeting here are the odd ones......I ain't buying it!

[Veronica Nowakowski]

Who says that odd is bad? You look at Martin Luther King Jr, he was a deviant, but that's also why he's got his own holiday (even if we forget about some important aspects about his message, sadly). You don't make holidays for non-deviants. Deviants stand out, and that could be for good or for bad. Jeffrey Dalmer was a bad deviant, Thomas Jefferson was a good deviant.

[Loni]

would i be a deviant if i did not want to be included in the group called deviants??

please label what is "normal".


.

[jenifer m.]

yep you can include me too.im a devient.

[suit]

I'm within one deviation of normal, so mathematically, I'm not a deviant!

my yard stick has 3 marks on it ...and I'm not telling how long it is !

[docrobbysherry]

Not while the term, "pervert", seems more accurate, and preferred among our populace, when referring to CDs!:eek:

[ArleneRaquel]

A 24/7 CD at that. :Angry3:

[Andy66]

People have no idea just how deviant I can be... but isn't that true of just about everyone?

[Prissy Linda]

I am going to deviate from those who consider themselves deviants, The way I dress on any given day is just normal for me. Sounds like just another label.

[ArleneRaquel]

:)
I am going to deviate from those who consider themselves deviants, The way I dress on any given day is just normal for me. Sounds like just another label.

Bravo MsLinda !

[SuzanneBender]

Yup! And proud to be so.

Why be normal? I've seen normal. I've been normal. No thanks! I'd rather be me. Although the world may view me as a deviant - even as a sexual deviant in some circles - the world isn't me. They don't know just how normal and happy I am just by being me.

Kathi


Right on girl. Deviant simply means one standard deviation from the statistical norm. If we didn't have people that deviated from the norm we would still be stuck in the stone age. Longing to be allowed to pick berries and watch the children while the men of the tribe brought home the mammoth for dinner.

To echo Kathi and use a line pened by Sara J. When I am femme I am in, "a perfect state of being". It is when I feel in alignment body and soul. That is much more important to me than sticking within the lines of the standard deviation of our population.

We are gender revolutionaries and I for one never liked coloring inside the lines.

Freddy great thread! I always love the way you give old concepts never perspective.

[PantyhoseNPumps]

I'm proud to have deviated from "the norm".. I'm proud of who I am. Btw.. this song, "Deviant Ingrediant" has been my personal anthem/Theme Song these last couple of months! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYIw5xdwztQ

[Lynn Marie]

Damn, turns out I'm a deviant. Used to wonder obout those people and now I are one. Yikes, what's a girl to do?

I'm gonna get some more makeup.

[BRANDYJ]

Just another label. Like the term transvestite It is now considered out-dated and not acceptable to many of us that are CD's, as most of us prefer the term Crossdresser Gay used to be called queer. Again, now socially unacceptable to use.
Being me is normal to me. So in that sense, I am not deviant to me. Sure, I am to many. But many people deviate from what others consider "normal". I like being different. So I like being a deviant in that sense.
How boring everyone... and life would be if we were all the same.

[Veronica Nowakowski]

Just another label. Like the term transvestite It is now considered out-dated and not acceptable to many of us that are CD's, as most of us prefer the term Crossdresser Gay used to be called queer. Again, now socially unacceptable to use.
Being me is normal to me. So in that sense, I am not deviant to me. Sure, I am to many. But many people deviate from what others consider "normal". I like being different. So I like being a deviant in that sense.
How boring everyone... and life would be if we were all the same.

Well, queer is very acceptable in some cases. There are people who don't want to be labelled with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Intersex and prefer just being called Queer. I'm getting nutritional help from a girl who considers herself gender queer currently.

[Tina B.]

I used to be a deviant, then I found crossdressers.com, now I feel all normal!
Tina B.

[kimdl93]

yup, defiantely deviant! but then, who isn't

[Vieja]

Gosh before I couldn't even spell deviant and now I are one.


Vieja

[minalost]

Yup! And proud to be so.

Why be normal? I've seen normal. I've been normal. No thanks! I'd rather be me. Although the world may view me as a deviant - even as a sexual deviant in some circles - the world isn't me. They don't know just how normal and happy I am just by being me.

Kathi


Right on girl. Deviant simply means one standard deviation from the statistical norm. If we didn't have people that deviated from the norm we would still be stuck in the stone age. Longing to be allowed to pick berries and watch the children while the men of the tribe brought home the mammoth for dinner.

To echo Kathi and use a line pened by Sara J. When I am femme I am in, "a perfect state of being". It is when I feel in alignment body and soul. That is much more important to me than sticking within the lines of the standard deviation of our population.

We are gender revolutionaries and I for one never liked coloring inside the lines.

Freddy great thread! I always love the way you give old concepts never perspective.


Gosh before I couldn't even spell deviant and now I are one.


Vieja

Couldn't have said it better, ladies, so I won't try...
:hugs:

[Sarah Doepner]

Am I deviant when I feel like I can't share my crossdressing or when I can?

When I'm crossdressed am I deviant when I actually go out in public or when I stay in my closet?

When I'm crossdressed in public am I deviant when I try to blend or when I admit I'm a crossdresser?

It seems I have a problem defining the group size where n = ????

It's not me, it's the people I associate with who define if I'm deviating from the norm. That's why I'm trying to spend more time with like-minded folks and slowly trying to change other peoples minds. Let's move the center of the old bell curve a little more in our direction, ok?

[Edwina888]

I am a normal CD – it’s all the rest of the world who are out of step!

Edwina.

Completely normal.

[LisaMallon]

The technical reply would be that "I'm 3 standard deviations off the norm ... or:straightface is it 4".:straightface:

[Kaz]

The technical reply would be that "I'm 3 standard deviations off the norm ... or:straightface is it 4".:straightface:

Yup... if you take all humankind and plot their exploits against any "variable"... you will get a standard curve. Any deviation from the "mean" ie the average is a deviation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_deviation

That's me!

And that's where I want to be, on whatever variable is plotted...

Are you geared to the exceptional or the average?

Love Kaz xx

[Ruth]

'Deviant' is a nice word because it doesn't seem to me to be judgemental at all. You're off course as it were, not following the same track as all the rest. But it doesn't sound wrong or bad.
But then we all bring our own experience and prejudices to our reading of words.
And 'queer' has gone round the block and come back again, acceptable to many. I like it but it is too much allied with the idea of homosexuality to be really useful as a label for crossdressing people.
What about 'fey'? Could that make a comeback?

[Frédérique]

Just another label. Like the term transvestite It is now considered out-dated and not acceptable to many of us that are CD's, as most of us prefer the term Crossdresser Gay used to be called queer. Again, now socially unacceptable to use.

Yes, it sounds like another label, but standing up and saying “I am a deviant” would be my way of telling one and all that they aren’t dealing with someone who subscribes to their conception of normalcy. Let them figure it out – confusion is good for people. Of course, deviant sounds a little bit…evil…doesn’t it?

I’m trying to avoid getting into another discussion about the word "transvestite," which I prefer, simply because most Americans reject the term out-of-hand for one reason or another. To me, if you put on a woman’s hat now and then, you’re a crossdresser. If you go the whole nine yards, including undergarments, over-garments, hair, makeup, nails, jewelry, and, dare I say, a purse, you’re a transvestite – it’s a special, accurate word for us, and nothing to be scared of…:naughty


Well, queer is very acceptable in some cases. There are people who don't want to be labelled with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Intersex and prefer just being called Queer. I'm getting nutritional help from a girl who considers herself gender queer currently.

Every time I hear the word “queer” I think of quivering Jello – go figure. :idontknow: I also think about my hero Quentin Crisp, who put up with so much homophobic crap during his long life, both here and in his native country (well, not so much here, come to think of it). Mr. Crisp embraced the term “queer” and made it into a lifestyle. Indeed, what else could he do, since he was labeled as queer from the get-go? He deserved better, but the polite and well-mannered way he accepted his own “condition” (his description, BTW) is inspirational to me. Call it surrender – I mean that in a good way. Personally, I don’t like the word queer, because it’s a way of saying “something’s not quite right.” If you live an alternative lifestyle that you feel is “right,” I think that’s when "queer" becomes an inaccurate term, wouldn’t you say?


I will NOT label myself, "deviant"!
Not while the term, "pervert", seems more accurate, and preferred among our populace, when referring to CDs!

I arrange my perversions like flowers – aren’t they pretty? :heehee:

[kimdl93]

I recall from my days working with people with developmental disabilities, that we emphasized putting people first (people with DD vs DD people) Applying the same principle, I guess I'd be OK with being labled a person who deviates, rather than a deviant person :)

[Andy66]

I think "normal" is an illusion. It's just the public face most people try to present. You don't really expect them to admit to anything unusual, do you?

Besides, I couldn't stand myself if I were truly "normal." I would be so booooored.

[Andrea Reynolds]

I have been a deviant long before I was a crossdresser. Only then they called me a non-conformist. No matter how many descriptive words they use, I still feel like me. Andrea

[CharleneT]

Considering all that is "Charlene", the only reasonable answer is

YES

I am a deviant !

. . . more later, only a temp connection to the internet now...

[sherri52]

I definitely am a deviant. I even like the term. When someone asks if I do strange things or act differently I could simply say that I'm a deviant and let it go at that.

[sterling12]

I may choose to live my life differently than other people, but deviant? Puh-leezeeeee!

The term has become pejorative, and for good reason! People often fail to review history, so here are a few facts. Not so long ago, (as attested by that book on Mental Health,) The Psychiatric Community used to apply The Term "Deviant" to a huge grab bag of sexual behaviors outside The Good Old "Missionary Position," and limited to Mom and Dad. To be branded with such a label, could get you locked up in a State Mental Hospital, for as long as they thought you still pursued your "deviant" behavior!

I can also show you many newspaper stories from earlier days, when they went down and "rousted" all "The Fags" down at some Bar for The Perceived Crimes of homosexuality, or Impersonating The Opposite Sex. The Laws they used to justify These Acts were often called "Sexual Deviant Laws." Using those laws they threw people in Jail!

Deviant is hardly ever used anymore, (about human beings) and I would say "good riddance." When I think of terms like "deviants," I immediately get a mental picture of some 3rd World Dictatorship where they are about to commit genocide. "Got to get rid of those Deviant _______'s, don't you know!"

Lets consign The Term "Deviant" for Bell-shaped curves, and economics professors. They can put it to better use!

Peace and Love, Joanie

[LisaMallon]

Actually this push for 'norms' worries me at times. More and more activities seem to be classified as non-normal or (my worse hate) 'addictive', or 'anti-social'.

All nonsense, by definition no one is 'normal', its an artifical statistical construct, useful in stats and analysis, useless in understanding people.

The 'addictive' or 'obssesive compulsive' complex is becoming increasingly a joke. These days Einstein would be classified as an 'obessive physicist' ... time for the pills so he only spends as much time as everyone else on physics:straightface:

[Lynn Marie]

I may choose to live my life differently than other people, but deviant? Puh-leezeeeee!

The term has become pejorative, and for good reason! People often fail to review history, so here are a few facts. Not so long ago, (as attested by that book on Mental Health,) The Psychiatric Community used to apply The Term "Deviant" to a huge grab bag of sexual behaviors outside The Good Old "Missionary Position," and limited to Mom and Dad. To be branded with such a label, could get you locked up in a State Mental Hospital, for as long as they thought you still pursued your "deviant" behavior!

I can also show you many newspaper stories from earlier days, when they went down and "rousted" all "The Fags" down at some Bar for The Perceived Crimes of homosexuality, or Impersonating The Opposite Sex. The Laws they used to justify These Acts were often called "Sexual Deviant Laws." Using those laws they threw people in Jail!

Deviant is hardly ever used anymore, (about human beings) and I would say "good riddance." When I think of terms like "deviants," I immediately get a mental picture of some 3rd World Dictatorship where they are about to commit genocide. "Got to get rid of those Deviant _______'s, don't you know!"

Lets consign The Term "Deviant" for Bell-shaped curves, and economics professors. They can put it to better use!

Peace and Love, Joanie

That's a very good post Sterling. Well thought out with a little history lesson thrown in. Thankyou.

[MarissaSynth]

Yes!.

[Ada Ant]

I am a bisexual crossdresser with a taste for some mild BDSM... Am I a deviant? Probably - but I think I have much more fun being deviant than "ordinary" people do ;)

could'nt say it better my self ^^

[Teri Jean]

Deviant, no but that crazy guy down the street with a block of cheese on his head during the football game may be. Not to pick on the neighbors in Wisconsin but there is a few here in Minnesota also, when does a german wearing a Viking horns painted purple and gold not a deviant? LOL

Teri

[Veronica Nowakowski]

There is no absolute measure of deviance, only a relative measure. So if everyone's doing it, he's not deviant. If a normal guy came on this board, he'd be deviant.

[dawnmarrie1961]

I am a deviation not a deviant.

Be safe. Be smart.

Dawn Marrie

[Miss Anais]

Oh yeah, of course I'm a deviant. But then, our mainstream culture is barely cultured, so at least I have better taste! LOL!

[Barbara Dugan]

Yes I am:hugs:

[NathalieX66]

Deviant? yeah, maybe.

Devious, too!:drink:

[LisaMallon]

Far better to be a deviant ... than die of boredom. God, even in (in between)my non-CD times I was pretty wild.