Can you CD w/o being TG?

[ReineD]

I'm responding to a post that Veronica 27 made in another thread, since the topic is a continuation of the discussion here.

Identity, cannot be separated from the role/expression, because by definition it is determined by the roles with which we identify.

Dress and external appearances are a very small aspect of the overall gender role in life, and when you factor in that this is, for many, more of a leisure time activity, it has little impact on their overall identity or awareness of who they are.

Don't these two thoughts contradict each other? If identity cannot be separated from gender expression, doesn't it follow that gender expression is to varying degrees tied to identity even if minutely?

Transgender describes who the individual is, and has a tendency to imply constancy.

Transgender does describe who the individual is, and it also describes what he does, since ultimately we propel our own behaviors. Who else drives our decisions, if it is not our own sense of "I"? It is also true that transgender implies constancy, but so does crossdresser. A man can hardly be called a CD if he has only worn panties a few times in his life while having sex. I do not call myself bi just because I had a threesome in my 20s.

How would you define someone who comes into this forum identifying as a CD who is looking for breast creams to enhance his breasts "just a little bit so it won't show in guy mode, even if only to fit into a 36A"? And what is the difference between this person, and another who is satisfied with only donning breast forms while dressed? Don't they both want to appearance of breasts when they are dressed?

What is the motive for presenting fully as a woman, even if it is only done occasionally? If it is only for pleasure, then the question remains, what is it about crossing the gender presentation boundary that gives you (and others) pleasure or comfort, and how can it not be a sense of identification with the opposite gender even if this is experienced only during the crossdressing?

I believe that we are what we do.

For that reason, I prefer not to apply it to myself, and if any descriptive is needed simply use crossdressing as it refers more to the activity.

This is your prerogative, but again, what motivates the choice to CD particularly, as opposed to dressing like a cat or Superman? We all have likes and dislikes. I dislike fast fairground rides because they make me feel dizzy and they upset my sense of balance. I love to ski because I enjoy the speed, the sound, the swaying and gliding motions, and also feeling in concert with the ground below me. I like puzzles and logic problems because I enjoy challenging my mental acuity. I am among other things, a skier and a puzzle aficionado. I am not a fair ground ride fan. I love to draw and paint and so I am an artist, even if I do not exhibit or sell my work commercially.

Sorry to be repetitive, but you've got to admit that to the rest of us who do choose our fashions based on the way we see ourselves (whether it is goth, prep, business, outdoorsy, biker, emo, extreme, loud, conventional, etc), it is difficult to understand that a man presenting as a woman does this completely divorced from his sense of self. This just seems too disjointed.