how many of us are CDs?

[Krististeph]

I'm sure this has been brought up before, but how many, or what proportion of men are what we would call crossdressers.

I know there is ample room for definition of a 'crossdresser', and i know that there are few actual studies, but I would like to know, how many men do you think out of the regular US population are crossdressers?

If you want to give the proportion of a particular state or city, that is fine too. Or even the planet!

What do you think, and or what have your heard? This is an open question- NO WRONG ANSWERS (except anti-CD drivel).

I had read years ago that based on a threat of possible blackmail, TG/CD might be a form of security risk due to blackmail, (this was a CIA, FBI, or SS reply) there was a 'best guess of 1 in 80 or 1 in 100 ratio.

This is way more than I expected, I had figured about 1 in 1000, but I cannot cite nt references as to why that ration should be valid.

Okay dolls- what do YOU say? And why, and any other reasonable comments, please.

[biggirlsarah]

Here in The United Kingdom, I have heard it mentioned that around 5% or 1 in 20 men cross dress to some degree , I don't mean fully, I mean across the whole spectrum that is everything from just wearing underwear , to the full makeover, and everything in between.

[GaleWarning]

I've heard a figure as high as 36%. Perhaps that includes all men who have tried it at least once.

[Kaz]

I would love to know, but it is one of those stats that is unknowable. If a survey of the general population was done you can pretty much guarantee the responses wouldn't be accurate. My gut feel is that it is higher than most of us imagine... but that would include all those who don't anyone to know... even pollsters!

[ColleenA]

Just like Sarah, I've heard a figure of about 5%, which I can readily accept. I expect that many of them are like me - very closeted and out to fewer than, oh, about 10 people.

And that reminds me of a short story I read years ago. Three casual friends in middle school hang out together before, during and at the end of the school day. Midafternoon, though, each heads home, only to pull out his secret stash of panties, bras, and skirts to have some dress up time before Mom and Dad get home. The story closes with each of them sad that they have to hide this part of themselves from everyone - after all, who could accept that they like wearing girl's clothes?

[Traceyjo]

If you consider a crossdresser as being someone who does have a strong desire to dress and does so when the opportunity arises, I can't believe the figure is more than 1 in 100, probably considerably fewer. We have a website based in Autralia similar to this one but is specifically for Australian CDs . I can imagine any serious crossdresser in Australia would have found the site and be inclined to join yet the membership is only 700 odd. That works out at about 1 in 10000 of the adult male population. This site has only 20000 members but has a worldwide appeal and I'm sure is just about the most frequented CD site in the world. Of course there is a huge number of CDs that don't join these groups but I do think those membership numbers do indicate we are a very small percentage of the population.
I always feel sorry for all those guys who miss out on the pleasure and fun we enjoy

[AmyGaleRT]

I've heard anywhere from 2.5% to 10% of all men crossdress. I think the 10% figure is probably wishful thinking, but 5% might be realistic.

This has led me to some interesting thought experiments...the place I work has about 400 employees. Assume half of them are men, this makes 200. Now apply that "low-end" figure of 2.5%, and you get five of them who are CDs. So now I wonder: Who are the other four? :D

- Amy

[Beverley Sims]

I agree with the UK having abut a 5 percent participation rate overall and I think the US is about 2 percent.
Thailand and Singapore have done surveys of their outgoing population that returned near 10 percent.
I think 5 percent seems more realistic.
To Traceyjo, what is the website that you mention in OZ I was trying to steer a Sydney girl in the right direction the other night and could really only suggest Kings Cross as a place to start. I did advise not the best start tho, similar to Castro in San Francisco. Castro is a lot more friendly.

[deebra]

The ratio/percentage at my address is 100%, that's me of course, wonder what's wrong with the rest of the males. Why are we drawn to CDing and the other males aren't????????????????????????

[Kate Simmons]

In high profile security occupations such as those you mention, CD and or TG tendencies are only considered security risks if you feel you need to hide them. For instance, I know that the NSA(National Security Agency) has a TG group (or at least used to) that meets every month to discuss and address specific issues. All of these folks are open and still have their positions. It is what it is.:)

[Rogina B]

With the secrecy of some,how is it possible to ever get a number? Like so many things closeted,many would never fess up to their desires in order to be counted.

[eluuzion]

I am pretty sure that…

7 out of every 4 humans are TG and…
6 out of every 3 TG humans have trouble with math.

But I could be wrong…:D:heehee::D

Ok, so it is not an exact science! Sue me...:daydreaming:

Estimates often intertwine TS/TG “figures” to where you can never really figure out “who’s on First?” :brolleyes:

Anyway, here is just one of MANY places on the internet that are willing to give it their best shot at estimating prevalence…

http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/TSprevalence.html
(TG stats further down page)

Have fun trying to come up with a realistic figure. It is like trying to figure out how many potential serial killers live in your neighborhood. :rofl:

:love:

[Nicola2876]

I once heard 10% of men have tried it to some degree but in recent surveys it was found that 87.265% of statistics are made up!

[Tina B.]

Great question, I love questions that can't be proven either way, it leaves plenty of room for speculations. I like the 10% number, I don't believe it, I just think it's a nice simple number to remember.

[kimdl93]

I have no way of knowing - the 5% figure sounds reasonable, but then I guess I like the idea that we have company.

[EllieOPKS]

I think 0 percent. If you cross dress you are the only one.

[Gillian Gigs]

When I was in college, my sociology Prof used to say this about statistics.

Statistics has proved that pickles will kill you. All people who lived between 1850 and 1860 who ate pickles are now dead. So, based on statistics, if you eat pickles, you will die!

If you count every man who has at one point or another worn a female garment, then the percentage would be quite high. For the sake of the point at hand, I would think about 2.5 to 5 % who regularly wear something that is traditionally considered feminine. Even in our own community some think that an underdresser is not really a CD'er. Then there are some that might say if you don't go the whole nine yards then you aren't either. The important thing to remember is this, panties will kill you, every woman who has ever worn panties will eventually die, so statistically it is a fact that panties kill! LOL

[docrobbysherry]

I put this question rite up there with the other imponderables. Like; How many angels fit in the head of a pin?

[Karren H]

If it were as high as everyone thinks..... you would think that over the last decade I personally would have run into at least one other guy shopping for womens clothing.... which I haven't..... so I'm thinking that its a lot lower... and that the higher numbers (5 to 36%) is more wishful thinking and hoping there are more of us than there really are.... imho..... or maybe the high number counts men wearing womens jeans? lol

[TeresaL]

I must have missed these surveys, because I have never been asked or included.

So which of you have participated in them?

[Karren H]

I must have missed these surveys, because I have never been asked or included.

So which of you have participated in them?

It was on the back side of the census..... at the bottom.... very small print next to the 100% recycled paper logo!

[Foxglove]

How many angels fit in the head of a pin?

Sorry, Sherry, but this is, like, a really dumb question. I mean, it all depends on the size of pinhead, right? On the one I was using the other night, I counted 147,313 of them. But other people would be using different size pins.

As regards how many of us there are, we can speculate all we like. In my town of about 4000 people, you'd think there'd have to be somebody besides me, but who knows? It's one thing I'm curious about: now that I'm out and about the town, and everybody knows about it, will it encourage any of my brothers/sisters in crime to come out and join me?

Annabelle

[aprilgirl]

I'll wager .08% of the male population has done it more than once and truly felt good about it. I appreciate being in select company.

[AllyCDTV]

First of all, you have to determine what qualifies someone to be considered a crossdresser - good luck with that. LOL

I have heard studies indicate that 10% of the males have admitted to trying on women's clothes. Does that make all of them crossdresser?

About all you will get out of any study is the percentage of participants who will admit to crossdressing. That doesn't mean much. People can lie one way or the other. The study might only reach a certain segment of the population.

Direct observation, though might be a way to get a good reading on this. We could dart a percentage of the male population and fit them with some sort of device that detects when they are wearing women's clothes. After a time we could then determine how many of them crossdress.

But then there is still that sticky problem of defining what qualifies as a crossdresser. Maybe the first thing we need to do is set up a standards committee to define crossdressing. Oh and we'd also have to invent a device that detects when they crossdress. And it has to be something that is undetectable by the wearer. Damn these details.

All I know for sure is that, largely thanks to this site, there are some besides me and that's about all I really need to know. :)

[windycissy]

Fascinating...taking the 5% estimate as reasonable, that comes to 7,750,000 guys in the USA alone, which equates to the entire male population of most states and many countries. It's also more than the number of guys who ride motorcycles, for example...the women's fashion industry is missing a huge market!

[UNDERDRESSER]

Pure guesswork here.

Something between 5 and 10% have tried it, probably less than 2% do it on anything like a regular basis.

If it didn't have such a stigma attatched, maybe 20% would adopt female clothing, skirt, kilt, stockings, panties etc

How many would actually try for a female persona? Don't have any idea, but I think not many would keep it up after trying it.

[JenniferR771]

Easy, take the number of breastforms sold...and divide by two.

[reb.femme]

I've heard a figure as high as 36%. Perhaps that includes all men who have tried it at least once.

I'd have to include me in this percentage then......I only tried it once, I just never stopped! :heehee:

Rebecca

[reb.femme]

The story closes with each of them sad that they have to hide this part of themselves from everyone - after all, who could accept that they like wearing girl's clothes?

Hey Colleen,

I don't remember giving rights to publishing my CD life story! :battingeyelashes:

Rebecca

[kimdl93]

Easy, take the number of breastforms sold...and divide by two.

well, maybe the number sold in pairs. Unfortunately, a lot of breast forms are sold to breast cancer survivors.

[Angela Campbell]

It is impossible to know because crossdressing men are better at keeping secrets than the CIA.

As far as breastforms go.....no good. I have 3 sets...

[I Am Paula]

I heard on the radio one morning, and thus no source, that 1 in 8 men will wear women's underwear for a kick, 1 in 10 wear it regularly, and 1 in 100 wear women's clothing. In a conversation with a SA at 'la vie en rose', a canadian lingerie chain, I was told that men shop for themselves daily, and hardly any of them try on. The numbers sound high, but if in my town of 105,000 people, and the lingerie store gets one of us daily, it could be right.-Celeste

P.S. The real meat of the matter- How many men secretly want to? My guess- Lots

[JustWendy]

P.S. The real meat of the matter- How many men secretly want to? My guess- Lots
I agree - maybe that's why we allow ourselves to believe the higher end percentages reported. That and the large numbers we know fly under the radar. The question I keep asking myself is, if there are really so few of us, why is it everytime Payless runs a sale, all the size 11's are gone by the time I get on the site?

Wendy

[Eryn]

I can think of one way to figure out a value if someone really wanted to know.

GG's feet are in a range of shoe sizes that if plotted will form a bell curve.

If only GGs purchased women' shoes we'd expect the shoe sales bell curve to match the curve of women's feet.

We know better than that. Men do buy women's shoes and the shoe sales bell curve is very likely distorted toward the larger sizes.

So, find the proportion of shoes sold that fall outside of the GG bell curve and you have the number of womens' shoes sold to males. From there it wouldn't be hard to calculate the proportion of males in the general population that own women' shoes and that would be a pretty fair representation of the number of crossdressers.

[Jilmac]

I don't know any stats on the actual number of crossdressers, or even an estimate, but I do know one person who is absolutely a crossdresser.

[Ceri Anne]

Not sure what the percentages might be, but when I had my clearance (above top secret) in the 80's, anything of the sort, homosexuality, Cd, or anything out of the ordinary was taboo, and you would loose your clearance, weather you wanted to hide it or not.

[Jenniferathome]

We will all be long dead before any accurate numbers ever substantiated. Just like questioning how many people are gay, some 50 years ago, admission was a dangerous thing. However, today we know to a scientific accuracy that about 10% of the population is gay. In my mind, there is no question that crossdressers are a smaller % than homosexuals. I think we are a fraction of a percent.

[Diana Caballero]

I know some U.S. universities have done studies. One very old I remember saying that 0.004% of the population could be CD, based on surveys of students, but that could rise to 0.04% on fears of a high percentage to confess, and some others should not consider using female undergarments under their clothes out to be CD.
I will try to find those studies and get back to you.

[DebbieL]

I remember reading in a magazine, back in the late 1970s, that one of the studies, might have been Masters & Johnson or Kinsey, suggested that 75% of all male respondents had dressed up in one or more items of women's clothing, and enjoyed it, at least once.

According to http://www.transgenderlaw.org/resources/transfactsheet.pdf


An estimated 2 to 5% of the population is transgender (i.e., experience some degree of gender
dysphoria). The number of people who identify as transsexual and undergo sex-resassignment is
smaller. Recent statistics from the Netherlands indicate that about 1 in 12,000 natal males undergo
sex-reassignment

I suspect that the distribution of the population is also not evenly distributed. There are many states where CDs and Transgenders are better protected, and many states where they have no protection at all.


Jurisdictions with Transgender Explicit Non-Discrimination Laws
States: 16 + D.C. (California, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C.,
Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island,
Vermont, Washington)
Cities and Counties: 143
Numbers of people protected: 119,041,592 (about 44% of the population)
3

This is very likely an under-count due to persecution, in San Francisco, a place known for it's tolerance, we see this statistic:


83% reported verbal abuse
because of their gender identity or
gender presentation
37% reported physical abuse
46% reported employment
discrimination
37% reported housing
discrimination

In another survey - much smaller sample, we see that the Transgender population is a much smaller portion of a much larger group.
from: http://transvestitestoday.moonfruit.com/#/tv-survey-2000/4527944836


Transvestites Crossdressers Transgendered
Perceived identity 71% 18% 11%

If we then do a bit of mathematical extrapolation, we should multiply the transgendered population (2-5%) times the 9 (11% is 1/9th or so).- which could suggest that the total population, including CDs, TVs, and TGs, would be somewhere between 20% and 50%

A Williams Institute Study based on the California survey, suggests an even that there are 700,000 transgender people in the entire united states, but again, we probably need to multiply that by a larger number, perhaps double to get the number of CDs, and times 7 to get the number of transvestites, again using the multiplier of 9, we would get roughly 6.3 million for the whole population. There may be an even larger number who are fetish dressers, wearing only specific items of clothing for sexual pleasure.

I suspect that this is still a low estimate, and that the 75% that covers all of those who wear one or more items of women's clothing and find some form of emotional and/or sexual pleasure from it - would be a plausible number,

CDs and Transsexuals may get sexual pleasure from dressing, but often their desire goes much deeper than that, and gives them emotional satisfaction, comfort, and even spiritual release.

[Barbara Ella]

It is always fun to see the responses to these types of unanswerable questions. I would guess that a man wearing an item of womens clothing on a continuing basis would be at the 1% or smaller. I would think that those who have tried something, maybe once, would be much higher.

But I am unique, so there is only one in the whole statistical pool like me, or you.

Barbara

[Moxie]

http://www.vernoncoleman.com/andwhydosome.htm

This well known British crossdresser suggests 10%.

Personally, and from my own experience chatting with other GGs (including my recent discovery of another CD wife within my own small group of friends!) I'd say you're not as original as you think.

You might just be more vocal :)

[Wildaboutheels]

There is a huge problem with your question that you acknowledge. There are many folks [almost all men] at this Forum who keep claiming [over and over] that a woman is a CDer because she wears pants... or a flannel shirt or possibly any article of clothing that men mormally wear... If 100 people claim it 100 times... it's STILL not true. You would have to specify YOUR own definition of what makes someone a CDer... which would obviously differ for many folks.

My own "educated" guess based on multiple sources is at least 50% of men have "done it" more than once, and probably 75% who have at least tried it. Very few "progress" simply because they don't feel shame or guilt.

The bottom line is that probably 90% of men on the planet [at the very least] are VISUAL creatures, which is THE foundation of the vast majority of CDers. The P&V gallery here offers ample evidence even at this particular Forum.

Women in general are NOT nearly as "susceptible" to their vision as are men. Which is the major reason WHY so few of them are CDers. And also THE reason that most of them will never be able to "understand" a very large aspect of it.

[ReineD]

I had read years ago that based on a threat of possible blackmail, TG/CD might be a form of security risk due to blackmail, (this was a CIA, FBI, or SS reply) there was a 'best guess of 1 in 80 or 1 in 100 ratio.

This is way more than I expected, I had figured about 1 in 1000, but I cannot cite nt references as to why that ration should be valid.


Well, to put it in perspective, in a high school with 1,000 males this would mean that 10 of them crossdress. I have no idea how accurate this is, but it seems high to me. Some people who responded in this thread have suggested higher percentages that include males who have tried it once. I don't compare these males with the crossdressers who participate in this forum, who do crossdress habitually. This is like saying that a person who has smoked a handful of cigarettes in their life is a smoker.

The following is a fairly recent source, in a report dated from 2011. They estimate one third of one percent of the population are transgender (.3%), a significantly smaller percentage than the total number of gay, lesbian, and bi, which is about 3.5%.

The .3% (which is one out of every 333 people) includes people who will and who will not transition. Note that the question identifies transgenders and not transsexuals.

The numbers are based on the Massachusetts Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, which is one of the few population-based data sources that includes a question designed to identity the transgender population. They've assumed that results in other states would correlate.

http://www.lgbttobacco.org/files/How-many-people-are-LGBT-Final.pdf

I've no idea how many crossdressers would identify as transgender. I'm guessing that if a person presents fully as a female on a regular basis, he will more likely identify as transgender than someone who does not attempt to present as a female at all. But, I'm guessing that if the numbers are guessed at by members of the TG community, they will tend to be higher than estimates from people who are not TG.

[deedeen]

That's interesting Reine. If 10 out of 1000 in a high school were to dress, that means there were four others in my highschool of 500! I wonder who they were :).

Concerning the survey, I think you're right. Not all crossdressers would necessarily identify as transgender, which would skew the results. I know I would just put male, especially if anyone was around and possibly watching! I think you are right though, if someone fully presents as female on a regular basis, perhaps when they are taking the survey, then they are more likely to respond as a transgender.

Hard question to answer!

[Gillian Gigs]

Because we will never get the truth out of some men, we will never really get acurate stats on the subject. It is like that old saying, "90% percent of men masturbate, and the other 10% lie bout it". I guess that is why they add things like error factors into information being gathered. The other question that I wonder about is this, is any one culture or nationality, more or less prone to Cd'ing than the others?