CROSSDRESSER CLASSIFICATION

When I first found out there was a Crossdresser classification or label for me, I was happy to discover I was not the only person on earth who shared my interests. Transvestite was the label and once I started to learn more about those people, I found out TV was how they referred to one another. That eventually evolved to Crossdresser and CD as people tried to distance themselves from the clinical Transvestite designation in the DSM. For most of my life the general public has not had a positive image of Crossdressers based on the DSM. The American Psychiatric Association publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) which is their guide for members treating patients.

The Crossdresser Classification in the DSM was the same as Transvestite for many years but modified to Transvestic disorder a while back. For the general public a disorder is a disorder and that is all that matters, nuff said. The DSM designation has dictated most of our behaviors for fear of exposure and all of the negative repercussions that come with it. It is a shame because I have always believed Crossdressing is harmless and not worthy of the perversion reputation it has.

In all of my adventures I don’t experience much in the way of negative reactions from people anymore, but the label still bothered me. I decided it was time to reach out to the American Psychiatric Association to see if I could get them to consider removing their negative Crossdresser Classification from the DSM. I reached out via e-mail to their website, and their server rejected my e-mail. After it bounced back, I gave it another try with the same result. I was not ready to send them a letter and expose my real identity along with my home address so needed another plan. I started doing some research online to build a case for changing the Crossdresser classification if not removing it entirely.

I started searching on Google asking things like why crossdressing is considered a perversion and was not prepared for what I found. I have not heard anyone in the community discussing this, but the DSM folks have been busy in the past few years. The image below is the screenshot I took from one of my Google searches just typing DSM5 TRANSVESTITE nothing more. Read the first paragraph a couple of times for full impact, we’re not nuts after all.

This structural shift in clinical definition was made in May 2013 and published in the DSM5 so cheer up, you’re not crazy. I did another search on Microsoft EDGE today 9/2/26 and got the results below. I added the red line for emphasis.

All the above is great news but we still need to be vigilant with our security strategies because this change will not change some people’s opinion of us. Afterall, it took me twelve years to stumble onto this doing research so most people will never find it unless more is written about it. I posted this in an effort to help us all feel better about ourselves and remove the shame many of us have dealt with all of our lives. In addition, possibly some wives or girlfriends will see it and not judge their man based on outdated Crossdresser classifications. Especially when no treatment is prescribed other than support.

So, my personal takeaway from this is that the term crossdresser while old is not outdated as many say because it is used in the DSM-5-TR publication released in 2022. I will continue to use it because the description best fits me and I don’t meet the paraphilic disorder criteria. Crossdressing is not considered a disorder anymore so enjoy it.

For those that argue some people find the term offensive they can simply go to the DSM-5-TR and read the description and see it does not apply to them. If someone mistakenly refers to them as a crossdresser, just explain the difference between it and your preferred label and move on.

I sincerely hope this new Crossdresser Classification helps all Transvestite / Crossdressers feel better about themselves.