How many on this site consider themselves TGirls as oppsoed to CDers...???

[LisaM]

I have always considered myself TS.

Sometimes I have wondered if I consider myself TS because it feels 'better' than being a CD---I know that sounds silly but psychologically I always struggled with why I wanted to be a woman (my earliest memories are of wanting to be a girl). Being a CD never fit my wants, hopes and desires.

But my SO always confronts me with her opinion that I must be a CD because I never transitioned and it makes her world seem better.

In the end it really doesn't matter---I still consider myself TS. It has never been about the clothes. It has always been about what is inside my head.

[FlygrlChristy]

I feel that I am transgendered, rather than strictly a crossdresser. There is a part of me that really wishes I had had the fortune of being female rather than male. The feeling never really goes away, and stays with me every day and at most times. I have decided that I will not pursue transition and SRS, though. Things are just going to have to stay the way they are physically. I'm too steeped into the life I have now to make such radical alterations to it. But it is an omnipresent regret that I can never experience true womanhood.

Wow Marla, I haven't been on here in a while, but your statement makes me glad I visited again. I couldn't have expressed that any better, my choices in life make it unlikely that I will transition. I consider myself transgendered, and it's not about the clothes, it's those thoughts and feelings that I live with every single day, that make me pray that if I have a second life, that I will be able to live in that life as the woman I can't be in this life. At times I think that when I leave this life, God will let me live as I was meant to be, and explain it to all those who have such a hard time with this!

Christy

[maid phylis]

i consider myself a crossdresser but i associate myself with the tg community.i am not on hormones but i have been dressing for so long that i feel myself being a woman more and more as the she of me takes over.love phylisanne

[tricia_uktv]

Yep, I am a t-girl. No doubt about it.

[MissConstrued]

T-girl is simply an abbreviation. It can be an abbreviation for either Transsexual-girl or Transgendered-girl. The point in an abbreviation is that it is a shortening of a term that is in common use. If several members lived in the Tunisian Republic then maybe we'd start using T-girl to refer to them, too, but the "T" in "T-girl" obviously doesn't mean "crossdresser."

So "T" can be Transsexual or Transgendered, but not Transvestite...? I'm having logic fail on that one.

[Raquel June]

So "T" can be Transsexual or Transgendered, but not Transvestite...? I'm having logic fail on that one.

Sure, that's logical, but in practice, the people I've heard use the abbreviation T-girl are not people whom I have ever heard use the word transvestite.

But if people actually said transvestite then I could certainly see people abbreviating that T-girl (although it's still pretty iffy since T-girl is already in common usage among the TG/TS crowd). Maybe that's more of a UK thing ... seeing as Eddie Izzard is the only person I've heard use the term since Dr. Furter in Rocky Horror.

[Nicki B]

Maybe that's more of a UK thing ... seeing as Eddie Izzard is the only person I've heard use the term since Dr. Furter in Rocky Horror.

Like I said - CD is principally a US term - CD isn't widely used elsewhere. So T-girl is certainly used to cover all of us, just like trans and transgender.

And see - I said that without insulting you once...

[Joan Merrie]

There's not much to bounce off you really... Only YOU know in your heart of hearts what you really are..
I KNOW without a doubt what I am, and always have, but fought it off since early childhood.. But then it became so apparent & overwhelming because I felt like I was losing the battle & the war as time past, so I had to finally face to truth and myself in order to make a decision..Like, Do I really want to continue to abuse my body & mind and ultimately a tormented souls death in mans body by my own hand??, OR do I want to face the facts and choose life...and bring my body into alignment with my brain to live the rest of my life as a woman as I was truly meant to be from the very start, & feel complete in my body, mind & soul..

I decided to go the hard way & chose life over death..

Could not have said it better sis.

[vikki2020]

Sure, I Cross Dress, but putting on clothes is just such a small part of who I'm becoming,so I'm definitely a T-Girl, or whatever label fits. Neither boy, nor girl, we are special!

[CD Susan]

T-girl, crossdresser, transvestite, transgendered all kind of seem the right words to describe me. I am not sure if I am ts or not but I will have to discover this as time goes by. I have never really cared for these different labels. All I know for sure is that I am me and that is all I want to be.

[PaulaJaneThomas]

I guess we have to agree to disagree then. I don't see the differences. Certainly there are cultural differences, but as far as I'm concerned, we're part of the same community. Reading this forum, I see Brits and Yanks doing exactly the same things, experiencing the same emotions.

A Taliban fighter would feel the same emotions as you at the loss of a loved one. Does that mean you regard yourself and him as part of the same community?

I was a member of the Chicago chapter of Tri-Ess many years ago, joined in the mid-1970's as a non-attending member, started attending meetings around 1985 and left in the early 1990's, and they were definitely NOT a homophobic group. No one was ever turned away from support, in that chapter anyway. Many, many people have received a lot of help from Tri-Ess over the years. I would urge you to not judge the organization unless you experience it personally. There's a lot of BS in print that accuses them of being some sort of evil, conservative, exclusive organization, and that is about as far from the truth as you can get. While I have no desire to be a member any more, I will defend them from such drivel when I can.

Yes, Tri-Ess focuses on issues specific to straight CD's and their SO's, but so what? That group has specific issues that other segments of the community don't have. Do you dislike support organizations that restrict membership to TS's only? If not, why not? If Tri-Ess is guilty of discrimination, then why aren't TS-only groups guilty of it too? Let's face it, focused support is NOT discrimination.

I've run a support group for many years. I'm well aware of the "specific issues" you mention and I know as a fact that there's absolutely no reason to exclude or discourage gay TVs in order to deliver that focused support. TS-only support groups may or may be guilty of discrimination. TSs often require specific support and advice which is outside of the scope of what general TG support groups can offer so specialist groups which can provide that support and advice are a good idea and that is how things work around here. We do have TSs (both MtF and FtM) attending our social support group but if a TS turned up seeking specialist advice we would refer them to the nearest TS-specific group.

ILastly, I never said definitively that there was a formal affiliation between the two groups, rather that I thought I remembered something about some kind of affiliation. Evidently, there was no lasting affiliation. I was just making conversation, adding what I recalled from years ago.

OK so you admit you were wrong.

IYou're certainly free to dislike us Americans, but I don't think that this is an appropriate place to be venting your bias.

The only Americans I dislike are the ones who racist, homophobic or religious bigots. I'll leave it your judgement to decide what percentage of your population that includes.

Edit: I just did a bit of searching and came up with some information for you. Prior to Tri-Ess, Virginia Prince's organization was called the Society for Full Personality Expression, or FPE. She published a magazine called Transvestia, and there were a few members of FPE and subscribers to Transvestia in Europe, including the UK. The 3 UK members of FPE decided to form a UK branch of FPE in 1966, and that organization was called the Beaumont Society, so there definitely is an affiliation between the Beaumont Society and the forerunner of Tri-Ess, if not Tri-Ess proper.

Carol

The full story is here. No mention of Tri-Ess. There is no affiliation with Tri-Ess.

[Julogden]

A Taliban fighter would feel the same emotions as you at the loss of a loved one. Does that mean you regard yourself and him as part of the same community?

That's comparing apples to oranges dear. If there's a Taliban fighter/sympathizer in America, then I'd say they're part of the Taliban community regardless of whether they live in America or Afghanistan.

I've run a support group for many years. I'm well aware of the "specific issues" you mention and I know as a fact that there's absolutely no reason to exclude or discourage gay TVs in order to deliver that focused support. TS-only support groups may or may be guilty of discrimination. TSs often require specific support and advice which is outside of the scope of what general TG support groups can offer so specialist groups which can provide that support and advice are a good idea and that is how things work around here. We do have TSs (both MtF and FtM) attending our social support group but if a TS turned up seeking specialist advice we would refer them to the nearest TS-specific group.

I'd say that you're probably right, but in my experience (20 to 30 years ago) in Tri-Ess, it happened quite often that wives/SO's who were just informed of having a CD'ing partner were afraid that their CD'ing partner wanted to be sexually involved with other males, and Tri-Ess policy of hetero-CD's only seemed to be of some comfort to the spouses. Please keep in mind that while Virginia Prince was a bit of a homophobe, her policies were not strictly enforced by all chapters, at least not in the Chicago chapter, in my experience. Keep in mind that Virginia Prince was a product of her generation, born in 1912. Not saying that her policies were completely right, just that she came from a different world than the one we now live in, and her rules were forged in the days when gay people could be thrown in jail for assembling. And I do feel that it's time for Tri-Ess to change those policies.

OK so you admit you were wrong.

Yes, my recollection wasn't entirely accurate. I never said that I was stating hard fact, just a vague memory of some sort of connection between the clubs.

The only Americans I dislike are the ones who racist, homophobic or religious bigots. I'll leave it your judgement to decide what percentage of your population that includes.

I dislike people from any country who are racist, homophobic or are religious bigots. Seems to me that you're singling out the USA for criticism here, and lumping all Americans together as a group. I'd suggest that you reserve judgment. Yes, we have our right-wing wackos here, but they're not the majority. I'd say that racism, homophobia and religious bigotry exists in the UK too, probably as much as here. The American practitioners are just more vocal, self-righteous and organized, in my opinion.

You're badly misinformed if you think that all Americans are the same. Regional differences here are often huge, similar to regional differences between one country in Europe and another. Keep in mind that the USA is approximately the size of Europe, with many states as large or larger than many countries in Europe, and the cultural differences from one region to another are often as different as between countries in Europe.

The full story is here. No mention of Tri-Ess. There is no affiliation with Tri-Ess.

You're splitting hairs. Clearly, the Beaumont Society originally had close ties to Virginia Prince, and was an offshoot of her FPE organization , which eventually became Tri-Ess, and like Tri-Ess, the Beaumont Society initially didn't permit gay CD's to join, says so right on that page.

Here in the USA, Virginia held the reigns, so Tri-Ess followed her lead, at least in theory. There were TS members of the Chicago chapter of Tri-Ess, and I don't recall any of them being asked to leave. They didn't usually stick around very long though, as there wasn't much of value to them in Tri-Ess other than support from other members as friends. There were members who were bisexual too, they just didn't advertise it.

While I may be coming across as a cheerleader for Tri-Ess, I'm actually not particularly a fan of the group currently. I eventually left because my issues were with gender identity and I came to the conclusion that I wasn't getting the help I needed from them, so I joined an open group in Chicago, the Chicago Gender Society. I hung around Tri-Ess a long time primarily because I had made some good, supportive friends there and really enjoyed associating with them. The Chicago chapter of Tri-Ess was a very good bunch of folks.

And I do feel that now that Virginia is gone, Tri-Ess ought to amend their policy and allow anyone to join. Here in the state of Illinois, it's illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity, so I would hope that our local chapter is now open to anyone.

Carol

[cassandra2601]

Definitely CD!

[Melissa Rose]

By my own definition, I am a cross dresser. I do not live my life as a woman, take hormones, undergone surgery or similar things so I do not consider myself to be a T-girl. However, I define myself as transgendered since I would have much rather been born female than male. While this could be considered a regret, it is not one that negatively affects my daily life or manifests itself as depression or anger. I'm very blessed and happy with my current life situation, and I do not want to alter it with such a major life changing action such as SRS. If I was much younger and not comfortably entrenched in my current life situation, I would pursue transitioning.

Not being a woman used to have a more negative influence over my psyche. I have reached an inner peace with the situation and embraced the knowledge that gender is more a mind frame and inner feeling than a physical embodiment. While I do not dress as frequently as I would like, I treat each time like a special occasion. I spend hours getting ready to look my girly best. When I'm done, I feel different...a more softer and gentle version of me. Since I can't be a woman, I have to settle for looking, feeling and acting like one on occasion. I feel blessed to be able to do that and it is enough to keep me sane, satisfied and loving life.

[StaceyJane]

Well my therapist thinks I'm TG and I would have to agree.

[Anna the Dub]

To be specific I am a transsexual, and always describe myself as such when talking to outsiders. I have never, ever used the term t-girl and doubt if I ever will, as I believe it is just too vague a term, and a little bit too flippant. I am quite happy describing myself as just a plain old TS.

[Gerard]

Visiting this forum has helped in figuring out that I am not TG, but a man who likes women's clothes.

It made me help realize that I just need to give in to my feminine side and not bother that people might perceive me as a bit girly sometimes.

Having a more integrated persona because I now recognize that, has made me much happier and more confident.

[thomasina]

i have been cd for as long as i can remember it's just lately i have been buying panties and other outfits and costumes and really enjoy them and dress whenever i can so i think i will stay a crossdresser
thanks

[Empress Lainie]

[SIZE=4]If you have ever read my posts you have no doubt that I regard myself as woman, so TS not CD.[/SIZE]

[Raquel June]

The only Americans I dislike are the ones who racist, homophobic or religious bigots. I'll leave it your judgement to decide what percentage of your population that includes.

A__hole fundamentalists are a pretty small part of the US population. Unfortunately they have plenty time on their hands and 100% of them vote.

[Fondew2004]

Cdr here....but a lovely one at that!

[sherib]

I consider myself a Crossdresser. I get confused with Transgender or transexual. I'm a male that like to dress in womens clothes. Transgender or transexual suggest to me a person that wants to have SRS, I don't. I love females, their bodies, and the way clothes look on them. When I dress, I try to look as good as a GG. I like the feel of womens clothes against my body. I like the feel of the make up on my face and the smell of the perfume. I guess I'll always be a CD.

[Donnadcd]

For most of my life I presumed I was a Transvestite/CD or what ever that label is - but now I realise all along I was transgender/transsexual.

I'm far happier and contented now

It's the same for me - except that I'm not happy or content yet. Gotta take the next step.

[Jaclyn NM]

I am definitely a CDer, and have no desire to change.

[Jennifer Marie P.]

Yes I'm a T-girl now that I started my transition ,taking hormones and seeing my terapist and being Jennifer 24/7 I cant be happier.