Women who cut their hair shorter after assuming a certain age are NOT trying to emulate men when doing so. And while long hair is rare on men, it is not indicative of their sexuality except in the eyes of the extremely ignorant. As for wearing pants....well, it's a lame and tired argument. Whereas the wearing of pants is quite utiliarian and practical, the same cannot be said for the wearing of dresses. Furthermore, we as CDs most often (not always) try our hardest to look and act as women do when crossdressing. The two simply do not equate. Women were never out to get their "homme" on when donning a pair of pants. But we often refer to our dressing activities as "going en femme".
As for conversing with the ignorant, it is true that many men will immediately assume a crossdresser is gay, limp wristed, effeminate, etc. When we dress, many of us want to be effeminate. But gay? That's a whole 'nuther ball game, and a bit of corrective education is in order. A CD might be gay, but then again, is probably not. So feel free to speak up and voice your opinion based on the facts.
