Who is your hero?

[MaxineF]

I've just been having an very interesting conversation with a good friend and we were brainstorming just who was someone that we as cross dressers can look up to...

Let's face it the media is hardly flowing with good role models of cross dressers...
One person I thought of was Eddie Issard, and a few ground breaking ladies in my local area, apart from that tho there are few I can think of.

Who do you look up to?

Maxine

[Julie York]

I really admire that Whatsname Thingy. You know...erm whatsname. Won the Turner prize and has a name like two train stations and met the Queen in a little girl dress. (Him..not the Queen)..

Anyway him (her). Very nice person and totally together.

Erm.....I'll know it when I hear it. Trent..Brent..whatever.

[Maria D]

Grayson Perry?

[Tiffy]

How about Mandy? I think what she has done with her bike forum is wonderful. I hate that it had to happen that way. But, I think she did do the right thing.

Kisses, April

[Angela Burke]

Xena warrior princess.
She is my heroinne.
I want a leather skirt just like hers!


Love Angela XX

[Katie Ashe]

My hero is my Grandfather. He has nothing to do with transgender. But has shown me, to be true to yourself at all cost. I now understand this.

He is by far the most influential person in my life. God bless his soul.

"They may not like me, but, by God, They'll respect me!!"

[Paula Rae]

I don't get out in the real world very often, so I don't have a popular hero.

But here in Fairyland, I have a bunch of heroes.
Ricki B Good's: Heroes, listed in no particular order, but all the cream of the crop.

Dana J
Julie York
Sharon
Rainbow
Shannon
Darla

[Amelie]

My Heroes,,,, Lord Fanny, a comic book character, from the Invisibles comic.


Lee Brewster, A New York City drag queen, she was an early pioneer for CDs in New York, she opened more doors than anyone that I know of in New York. She fought the goverment with her own money to get anti-CDing laws of the books. She had died a few years ago, but I did have the chance to meet her and talk to her, I even went to one of the last parties she had at 29 Palms resturaunt. She had a store called "Lee's Mardi Gras", which sold supplies for CDs, clothes, make-up, wigs, etc. A friend of mine worked at Lee's,, Miss Shanon.

[Julie York]

Grayson Perry?

Aye that's him! I did actually remember the name at about 3 am. What a nice chap....and a nice woman too.

[Natasha Anne]

Not really a crossdresser, but a transsexual, like me.

I really look up to Jennifer Finney Boylan. She showed me that families that are strong enough can survive the changes in a spouse. It gave me fortitude and hope. Her radio and Oprahg interviews were incredible, and I enjoyed her book too. She is, and was prior to her change, a professor at Colby University and also a successful author.

[mand]

Hello Maxine :) Well hero may be prehaps too stong a word but someone who has inspired me greatly is April Ashley.............her story always gives me a little hope for my own future ;)

http://www.aprilashley.com/


love mand xxx:)

[Barbara B]

Xena warrior princess.
She is my heroinne.
I want a leather skirt just like hers!


Love Angela XX

I'll second that! :)

[TGMarla]

Not really a crossdresser, but a transsexual, like me.

I really look up to Jennifer Finney Boylan.

I'll second that. Not exactly a "hero" to me, but I sure do admire her. Loved her Larry King interview. You can read the transcript here (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0505/25/lkl.01.html).

[Sara Kat]

Real life:

1. My bestfriend. She's a GG and she totally accepts everything about me and actually has fun with it. She loves picking out outfits for me to buy & wear and giving me tips. We haven't been able to go out shopping together yet but she really want to some time.

2. A TG that I once knew. We were pretty close friends and I knew her all through her transitioning. She eventually went for SRS and got married and I've lost touch with her. :( She's helped me accept a lot about myself and taught me a few things about it along the way.

Dreams:

1. Carrie-Ann Moss!! (As if you didn't know that was coming. :D )

2. Gwen Stefani

3. Michelle Rodriguez

[Amelie]

I can't believe I left out my main hero in life:
Crazy Jane from Doom Patrol, we are so much alike, it kinda scares me.

[KittyMuffin]

What about Ru Paul?

[KatieZ]

These two are not exactly my heros but I did enjoy their films.

Divine

Originally born Harris Glen Milstead just after the end of WWII, Baltimore's most outrageous resident eventually became the international icon of bad taste cinema, as the always shocking and highly entertaining transvestite performer, Divine.
Milstead met maverick film director & good friend, John Waters, at high school in Baltimore, and the two combined to star in and direct several ultra low budget, taboo breaking cult films of the early 1970s. Their first efforts included Roman Candles (1966), Eat Your Makeup (1968) and Mondo Trasho (1969)....however, their most infamous work together was the amazing Pink Flamingos (1972), which starred Divine as "Babs Johnson", the "filthiest person alive" living in a pink trailer with her egg-eating grandmother, chicken-loving son and voyeuristic daughter!

Divine also starred as career criminal Dawn Davenport in "Female Trouble", as bored housewife Francine Fishpaw in Polyester (1981), as outlaw gal Rosie Velez with half a treasure map tattooed on her butt in Lust in the Dust (1985) and in Waters' loving (but still slightly bizarre) salute to teen dance TV shows, (as Rikki Lake's mother) in the superb Hairspray (1988).





Ed Wood

Infinitely more famous now than he ever was when alive, Edward D. Wood Jr., was ignored throughout a spectacularly unsuccessful career, died penniless, and was "rediscovered" when promoters in the early 1980s tagged him the worst director of all time - and was given the singular honor of a full-length biopic by Tim Burton. After fighting in World War II (he claimed to have been wearing a bra and panties under his uniform during a military landing), Wood attempted to break into the film industry, initially without success, but finally landing the chance to direct a film based on the Christine Jorgensen sex-change. The result, Glen or Glenda (1953) gave a fascinating insight into Wood's own personality and shed light on his transvestism (an almost unthinkable subject for an early 1950s feature).


Hugs

[Kim E]

The person who I admire the most and am truly inspired by, is Donna Rose. Donna is a post-op transsexual who lived for a number of years in my hometown.

Donna has become an advocate for the transgendered throughout the country. She has spoken before many large corporations such as Starbuck's, Dell and Eastman Kodak, as well as others, advocating acceptance of transsexuals in the workplace.

In 2004, she was chosen to present an achievement award to actress Jessica Lange for her role in HBO's film 'Normal'.
In 2005, she was the first transsexual to be named to the Human Rights Campaign, National Board of Directors.
Donna has also been a speaker at many Southern Comfort Conferences, in Atlanta and the Colorado Gold Rush Conference in Denver, over the years. She is scheduled to speak in Denver at the 2006 Conference in February.

Donna has also authored a book 'Wrapped In Blue', which tells the story of her life and her transition. She is truly a very inspiring woman and the TG community owes her a huge debt of gratitude.

[TVStevie]

My Hero is Ardal O'Hanlon. Not really a CD, but he does wear tights. :D
http://www.downthetubes.net/tv/my_hero/images/thermoman.jpg
(apologies to anyone from outside the UK who don't get the joke!)

[Dixie Darling]

I'm under the impression that the 'heros' we're talking about here are those who are TGs or are associated with same. With that in mind it would seem that Virginia "Charles" Prince would be at the top of a lot of people's list. Virgina was a true pioneer back in the 70's and 80's in getting the word out about crossdressers. Her book "The Transvestite and His Wife" was the very first publication I'm aware of that addressed the subject of crossdressing in a dignified and straight forward format. I'm sure that, had the word 'Crossdresser' been coined in that time frame, the book's title would have reflected that rather than transvestite.

Aside from Ms. Charles, my "heros" are all the GGs who have learned to cope/understand their husband or boyfriend. These unselfish women are proof positive that having a crossdresser as an SO doesn't have to be a catastrophe and can actually be an asset. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for their patience, understanding, and love. My hat's off to all these unsung heros! (or maybe we ought to refer to 'em as 'sheros')

Dixie -- http://www.geocities.com/senorita_cd

[Cathleen]

Dixie is right on the mark with her assessment of Virginia Prince. A Ph.D. in pharmacology, and now in her 90’s, Dr. Prince began her work toward acceptance of crossdressers as far back as the late 1940’s. During the 50’s she attempted to educate the medical profession about crossdressing, and developed a philosophy of “femmiphilia” (love of things feminine). Although she was probably the first to use the abbreviation “TV”, she preferred to refer to herself and others like her, not as transvestites, but as “femmiphiles” or FP’s.

In 1959, she began publishing Transvestia magazine, and succeeded in changing U.S. Postal regulations to permit the mailing of materials on “transvestitism,” which had been classified as pornography.

Virginia founded the first crossdressers club (The Hose & Heels Club) in 1961. As it grew, this organization eventually merged with an another founded some years later by Carol Beecroft, and became the Society for the Second Self (Tri-Ess) – now a world-wide community. Her publication of The Transvestite and His Wife (1967), Understanding Crossdressing (1971), and How to be a Woman Though Male (1971) were watershed events in helping CD’s cope with self-acceptance and with the family issues raised by their dressing.

Unquestionably, the grande dame of our crossdressing universe, Virginia worked tirelessly into her 80’s for the cause of acceptance of CD’s. Her pioneering work has been carried on by many giants in our community, such as Jane Ellen Fairfax, Peggy and Melanie Rudd, Dallas Denny, JoAnn Roberts, Phyllis Randolph Frye, Merissa Sheill Lynn, and dozens of others who all deserve a favored place in the CD Hall of Fame.

For some further reading on Dr. Prince, see: http://www.gender.org.uk/conf/2000/king20.htm

[beckydee]

Eddie Izzard... He just does it and basically says I don't care if you like it or not, get it or not, I do it, get over it! And you know what,I think most people don't care if he appears in a skirt, heels or a sharp drab suit...

And thinking about it, it hasn't really hurt his career either... mind you I guess it's different for showbiz types.

Just my 2p(c)s worth

[Shelly Preston]

Richard O Brien

He deserves credit due to his efforts with

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

[Adele 2005]

No explanations, but my heroines are:

Caroline Cossey
Faye Presto

Heroes:

David Bowie
Ru Paul

Nothing whatsoever to do with the question, but heroes/heroines anyway:

Ian Drury, Captain Sensible, Debbie Harry, Joey Ramone, Bon Scott, Ralph Ellison, Kurt Vonnegut, Dennis Potter, Erving Goffman, Stanley Bowles, Laurel and Hardy...

... and Wonder Woman (what the bullies called me at school in the 70's!).