Originally Posted by
jenni_xx
In my opinion, yes it does. Both in the eyes of others and in regards to ourselves. The majority, if not all, of the members of this site for example will refer to each other using a female pronoun, and there are many threads which discuss not only our desire to look like women, but also expressing how we want to feel like women. And when dressing in public, numerous members talk about how enjoyable it is for them to be treated as a woman.
In regards to others, our dressing will result in questions about our masculinity and, much to the annoyance of the straight cd's, our sexuality. While one shouldn't necessarily confuse the idea of being masculine with the the notion of being a man, as masculinity and femininity are a little more fluid than our actual gender stipulates, they are nevertheless terms which work as signifiers in terms of how others view us, and indeed how we present ourselves. An effeminate man may not necessarily be gay, but just like many crossdressers have experienced, it will result in others questioning their sexual orientation. For some, such questions are justified by the answer given - that is, some crossdressers are gay, just as some effeminate men are.
But I digress. Personally, I do regard myself as less of a man. I am effeminate, I am gay, and I do crossdress. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that others would regard me as less of a man than an "average Joe", because that's exactly how I regard myself. For other cd's however, it may be as simple as turning on and off a switch - when they present themselves as male, to others they wouldn't be regarded as any less of a man than any other man. But there nevertheless remains a part of them (which is a part that makes up their whole) which does align more to the notion of femininity, the idea of being a woman, and that part (which makes up their whole) is far removed from what being a man encompasses. And it's on that level that I believe your question should be addressed. Not the job we do, or the truck we drive. Anybody, be they male or female can do jobs that are traditionally/socially more commonly associated with the opposite gender. It's from inside ourselves where your question should be answered. When you dress, do you feel like a man, or desire to feel like a woman? At the risk of being presumptious, I would say the latter. And the clothes, the make-up, the external presentation of ourselves when dressing is simply a means in order for us to be able to embrace our feminine side.
