The crossdresser label has been around for over 50 years to my knowledge and transgender not quite as long. I have always identified as a crossdresser and not been fond of being referred to as transgender under that umbrella. The crossdresser transgender or other variation labels should be left up to each of us to decide which is applicable in my view.
Over years the transgender term has become dominant when discussing males attired as females regardless of their gender or sexual preferences. In my opinion it is the lazy media to blame for not having the curiosity to dig into the details that lead to the crossdresser vanishing to some degree. I noticed a big change once Caitlyn Jenner made the news with her transition. We all became transgender in their eyes apparently because it became the universal label for all of us. It doesn’t seem to matter that Caitlyn is on one end of the transgender spectrum and crossdressers on the opposite. I only became aware recently that people like swimmer Lia Thomas are considered transwomen even though they still have all the original equipment from birth. No wonder the mainstream public is confused as to what exactly a transgendered person is. Crossdressers and who they are along with what they are all about is not even on their radar. How can a woman like Caitlyn be in the same group as a crossdresser who has not had any surgery or taken hormones?
This is why I will always reject the transgender label for myself when it comes to the crossdresser transgender issue. Crossdressers vanishing while not happening in reality seems to the vast majority of civilians to be the case. The conundrum that crossdressers face is that we avoid publicity as a rule so setting the record straight on the crossdresser’s vanishing is challenging. One possibility would be for every one of us to examine just exactly where we fit in the spectrum. If you are a heterosexual male crossdresser but have just gone along with the trend and accepted the trans label. Maybe you could help fix the vanishing crossdresser dilemma by using the label for yourself if it is applicable. We have already been marginalized albeit unintentional, so we need to keep crossdressers from vanishing.
Children coming of age need to be aware that being a crossdresser is an option to them and possibly the right one.
I think transgender is someone who transitions from male to female or female to male , every time you present as micki you have transition. we are not totally comfortable or we are more then our sex assigned at birth!
Hi Tonya,
Thanks for your comment I appreciate your views.
There are opinions galore out there as you know but for the purpose of this article, I used a professional organization for the definition.
I am going by the American Psychological Assocation definition article “Understanding transgender people, gender identity and gender expression”. Their definition is below.
Transgender is an umbrella terms for persons whose gender identity, gender expression or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.
Also below is a definition from the Oxford dictionary for the word TRANSITION.
Dictionary
Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
tran·si·tion
noun
1. the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.
“students in transition from one program to another”
Similar:
change
move
passage
transformation
conversion
adaptation
adjustment
alteration
changeover
metamorphosis
shift
switch
jump
leap
progression
progress
gradation
development
evolution
transfiguration
flux
mutation
transmutation
vicissitude
2.
the process by which a transgender person PERMENANTLY adopts the outward or physical characteristics that match their gender identity, as opposed to those associated with the sex registered for them at birth. The process may or may not involve measures such as hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery.
“she had been living as a woman for eight years at that point and had completed her transition in 2001”
verb
1. undergo or cause to undergo a process or period of transition.
“he transitioned into filmmaking easily”
2.adopt permanently the outward or physical characteristics that match one’s gender identity, as opposed to those associated with the sex registered at birth.
“once the decision was finally made to transition, she was overwhelmed with the support from her immediate family”
My gender is male and when Micki dresses as a female it is only a mode of dress without feminine mannerisms or voice. I and many others do not identify with the above definitions.
Best,
Micki
Frankly, I find the term “transgender” to be almost offensive and totally erroneous, since I identify as heterosexual, as do virtually all of my crossdressing friends, with whom I associate on a regular basis. I am fond of Stana’s (femulate.org) term “femulator” but she is a bit possessive of it and rightfully so. I wish there was a more descriptive term for our group, but as I am learning we are in the minority and VERY misunderstood!
Hi Paulette,
I’m not sure if we are really a minority but possibly just under counted because we are not terribly visible. I also think most people are tempted to go with the flow and not buck the trends. I am hopeful that people reading this post will consider identifying as a crossdresser if they don’t fit the definitions I provided in the post.
Best,
Micki
I completely agree. I am a crossdresser and have been a crossdresser since my earliest memories. I don’t get offended and always say just don’t call me late for dinner but crossdresser is how I view myself and would like to be viewed by others.
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for your comment and support. I hope others feel the same way.
Micki