HAPPY TRANSVESTITE / CROSSDRESSER

I got to thinking the other day about my life as a Transvestite Crossdresser which took me to the beginning. I was pretty young at around 6 or 8 years old from what I remember which, is a significant age that I will expand on later. I did not have a label at that age and was alone with my strange little pastime never even experiencing guilt at first. That was installed when I got caught the first time and when I vowed to never do it again. The first time! I would make that vow over and over again many times and getting quite good at it. I got better at guilt management over time as well which, came in handy when the time came to take the inevitable step and venture out in public.

The first time happened a round 20 years old and came in baby steps usually late at night just driving around. It was just as scary for me then as for those doing it today. Society is far more accepting nowadays and I am enjoying freedoms only dreamed of back then. However, I don’t think ladies taking that first step and venturing out en fem the first time today has gotten any easier. I am sure the fear and trepidation is the same because YOU will always have to LIVE with any negative results. Other success stories are fine for other people but we are talking about YOU and your reputation! You can’t put toothpaste back into the tube so once you step out the door its game on.

I have found that attitude is crucial to a successful outing so I hold my head high, point my toes forward and click my way down the hallway. I am not delusional about passing and let that go a long time ago which frees me up to be me. I make eye contact and smile with the people I encounter and just be me using my regular male voice. SO WHAT? I don’t fool anyone when entering one of my favorite restaurants being the only person wearing a dress, nylons and 4 inch heels in the last month. Most places are a sea of blue jeans and tennis shoes so I ain’t gonna blend anyway and its not my goal. I dress for me only and if people like it cool if not that’s cool too I don’t care. They are going to look, they are going to see, and they are going to see me dressing as a female. SO WHAT? The jig is up when I tell the hostess I have a reservation for Mick Finn and people hear my male voice. Everyone within range knows that is a dude in a dress. SO WHAT?

Now the demystification process is well underway and they know I’m not trying to fool them. They also know they don’t have to pretend they are fooled. Hopefully any tension is eliminated at this point and if they refer to me in male pronouns I am not offended. I comes with the territory when I use my male voice which can be confusing for people. Most of the time they don’t and some start that way but change as the conversation progresses and they become more aware. It is mostly women who engage me curious about why I am dressed this way. They know what it takes to get ready and especially walking in heels. Most men avoid contact with me probably for a host of reasons which works well for me. Some listen to the conversation if they are near which works even better for me. They get to learn what I want them to while in their comfort zone.

A TRANSVESTITE CROSSDRESSER

The biggest takeaway for me is letting them know that I am a Transvestite Crossdresser and not Transgender as most people assume. Despite it being an umbrella term used by the media and many others I predate the term. When I discovered there was a label for me in the early 1970’s and other people like me it was Transvestite. In Los Angeles and close by Hollywood TV was used as an abbreviation sort of like a code. In those days probably 99% of the public never even heard either term Transvestite or TV so it was no surprise that I hadn’t. The term Female Impersonator was known but I did not see myself as one. I stumbled upon the term Transvestite while reading one of the popular male magazines of the day that were full of male oriented articles. I never cared for all the Macho stuff in them so didn’t read them but my brother left one in the bathroom. It was a turning point for me and I will always wonder if it was a plant.

In those days the only two publications I was aware of were Transvestia by Dr. Virginia Prince who I eventually met and Female Mimics. Both of which you had to get from an adult book store unless you were brave enough to risk having them mailed to you. Female Mimics was mainly about performers but it showed what you could look like. Transvestia was more educational and dealt with heterosexual Transvestite issues. A few years later the term Crossdresser became favored over Transvestite and TV because of their negative clinical definition. The Crossdresser Heterosexual Intersocial Club (CHIC) was founded in 1975 and I was a member for over 30 years. It was a sanctuary for me in the early days and a benefited a great deal from my membership. I learned a great many things from the older members experiences who shared their knowledge generously. CHIC is where I started using Crossdresser instead of TV.

I first heard the term Transgender at a Texas “T” Party sometime in the early 1990’s. It was being bantered about by many of the ladies at the event and I figured I must have not gotten the memo about the label change. I started using the term until at lunch one day a person named Deana bit my head off for improperly using the term. She went through the whole qualification process of being Transgendered along with all of the emotional challenges involved. One of the other people at the table finally told her to lighten up and leave me alone. It was a mixed blessing though because while Deana’s attitude pissed me off my wife was sitting next to me and came away knowing I was not going to transition like Deana was yearning to do.

I never referred to myself as Transgendered again and never will because Deana was right. I was misgendering myself by not understanding the terms true meaning. The media and many others are lazy and prefer to lump many different groups under one umbrella term. That way they don’t have to invest any time learning anything about the differences. I have found that people are genuinely interested in hearing the crossdresser side of the discussion. People are nice for the most part and don’t wish to be offensive so hold back in conversations if unsure. Once the demystification is complete the conversation can flow and the getting to know you process begins.

I pasted in the AI search I did on Google below for context for my choice of labels. The last paragraph defines the problem that crossdressers have with the Transvestite label. First of all most 8 year olds don’t have a sex drive and don’t figure out how to play with that thing for another 5 years or so. Also there are many older crossdressers that have lost the function of their Willy and continue to crossdress. I am willing to bet none of the people who came up with the term Transvestic Disorder were crossdressers.

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Those just venturing out can make up their own mind what label they prefer and I encourage them to do some research. I urge caution though in doing so because of everyone getting shoved under the Transgender umbrella so they get credit for things accomplished by others. The internet today is full of lazy reporting and outright stupid mistakes by younger writers. I have seen pictures of Air Force officers described as Marines and photos of propeller airplanes in 747 jet articles. The title of article below starts off with Transgender history then references Virginia Prince who identified as a cross dresser but mentioned the terms transgenderal and transgenderist.

If you have gotten this far you can read about Virginia Prince here.

https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/collections/virgina-prince/index.php

You will note that Virginia was from California and formed the Heels and Hose Club. CHIC also in California was formed in 1975 by Heels and Hose members that got fed up with Virginia’s dictatorial ways. CHIC (CROSSDRESSERS HETEROSEXUAL INTERSOCIAL CLUB) is still going and celebrating its 50th anniversary this November.