Have you ever felt misunderstood?
Sadly, there’s a lot of ignorance out there! That’s why in this blog post, I want to debunk common myths about crossdressers and transgender women.
Let’s start with one of the biggest misconceptions that’s unfortunately still hanging around:
Myth: Transgender women, crossdressers, and drag queens are all the same.
While all these are valid ways of expressing one’s gender, they represent distinct groups, and it’s important not to use these terms interchangeably.
To clarify, here’s how the GLAAD Media Reference Guide defines some common transgender terms:
- Transgender women – People who were assigned male at birth but who identify as women. Many transgender women are prescribed hormones or undergo surgery, but transgender identity is not dependent upon medical procedures.
- Crossdressers – Men, typically heterosexual men, who occasionally wear clothes, makeup, and accessories associated with women. This activity is a form of gender expression and is not done for entertainment purposes. Crossdressers do not wish to permanently change their sex or live full-time as women.
- Drag queens – Men, typically gay men, who dress like women for the purpose of entertainment.
- Gender non-conforming – A term used to describe some people whose gender expression is different from conventional expectations of masculinity and femininity. The term is not a synonym for transgender or transsexual and should only be used if someone self-identifies as gender non-conforming.
- Non-binary and/or genderqueer – Terms used by some people who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the categories of male and female. The term is not a synonym for transgender and should only be used if someone self-identifies as non-binary and/or genderqueer.
Now that the record has been set straight, let’s look at some of the most common myths about crossdressers and transgender women.
7 Myths About Transgender Women
- Being transgender is a choice.
- Transgender people are gay.
- Transgender women aren’t “real” women.
- Your sex is defined by your chromosomes and/or hormones.
- You have to have surgery to be a “real” transgender person.
- You aren’t transgender until you start hormone therapy.
- Kids and teens are too young to know if they’re really transgender.
7 Myths About Crossdressers
- Crossdressers are gay.
- Crossdressers are perverts.
- Crossdressing is a psychological problem.
- Crossdressing can be cured.
- Crossdressers want to change their sex.
- Crossdressing is a destructive addiction.
- Crossdressers can’t be good husbands or fathers.
Have you heard any of these myths before? They’re frustrating and hurtful, aren’t they? It’s time for the world to wake up and realize this truth:
Your gender is who you are on the inside. There are countless ways to express your gender, and all are completely valid!
To help spread this truth, check out these excellent resources from GLAAD below. They’re a great way to increase awareness about transgender issues.
Recommended Resources from GLAAD
Now let’s hear from you…
What’s the truth that YOU’D like to set straight? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments below!
Love,
Lucille
Born He,
Discovered She within,
Express her, teased, laughed at, pain,
Hide, act like the other little boys,
Smile, battle the pain, just be happy.
She moves within the shadows.
A shimmer of light, home alone,
A chance to grow, express her,
Caught, rejected, pain,
Hide, act like the other young men,
Smile, battle the pain, just be happy.
She moves within the shadows.
Married, wife, children, life is wonderful,
Baseball, Barbie’s, basketball, XOXO
Hide, act like the other husbands/dads,
Smile, battle the pain, just be happy.
She moves within the shadows.
Marriage issues, stress, depression,
Open up, wife confused, sad, sicken,
Rejected, pain, world collapsing,
Hide, act like the other husbands/dads,
Smile, battle the pain, just be happy.
She moves within the shadows.
Divorce on the horizon, feels like death,
Pain, hide, be strong in front of kids,
Smile, battle the pain, just be happy.
She moves within the shadows.
Seek help, Jesus, therapy, Tininty UMC,
Strong growing support, acceptance,
Others with pain, be Her,
Smile, battle the pain together, finding happiness.
She moves out of the shadows.
Divorce still on the horizon, still feels like death,
Kids all young adults, happy, healthy, informed,
Out, accepted, love I’ve only dreamed of,
Smile, battle the pain together, finding happiness.
She moves out of the shadows a little more.
To Be Continued . . .
Michelle Renee Edwards
A beautiful bit of poetry, with truth in it.
Thanks Laurie, for taking the time to read and respond to my poem. If you would like to read a few more I have some posted on Hellopoetry.com just search my full name, will take you right to them. Best wishes on your journey. Hugs
Be Strong
Thanks Brittney, for taking the time to read and respond to my poem. My kids keep me strong and give me reason to keep going. If you would like to read a few more I have some posted on Hellopoetry.com just search my full name, will take you right to them. Best wishes on your journey. Hugs
I have know i was a girl/woman since i was 3 to 4 yrs old. As a child of the 50’s i would get the sears xmas catalog and first look at the girls toys and outfits, the my father would come by and i would have to flip to the toy solders and male kid things. At grade school recess i would put tennis balls under my shirt and that look gave me peace. then high school (60’s now) i had to be a guy in all ways, yet i would still dress up when mom and dad were gone for the day, back then it was my moms pedalpushers and silk blouses. felt complete,
Then we i got in the real GG Girls i had learned how to drive down the female in me and go on dates etc. Some girlfirends i had i told about my feelings, and well like now they ran from me.
I had suppressed Robyn in me for so many years, When i wife passed , at 54 and now i was 55. So i tried to step fully in to Being Robyn, I found the girls like me, here in seattle, joined them and found out in certin ways i was still different. I am not gay and want to be and look like a woman, yet most of these girls , still wanted to look overly sexy, in dress and makeup , Yet here i was feeling like i was a woman and being a woman. So a few years later i asked me father if they wanted a boy or girl way back then, (1951) my father said that my mom wanted me to be a girl and bought pink clothes in anticipation, but alas i came out with a boys body but still a girl. fast forward to now, I am in the VA program because they diagnosed me as Gender Dysphoric. i am on HRT and in 4 months get breast implants courtesy of the VA , However with all this out in my life, I am still shunned by real GG’s and by the Lesbian group because “I still have my …._)
that is what this writing is all about,, Many of intelligent males, females news reporters and the ones who are scared of us do not see us as women but still as men dressed in womens clothes and we have something hanging between our legs
Thank you for reading ,
Im close to your age and I agree , I do have 2 lesbian friends But they still look at me as male There are very few GGs who accept us , especially if we get dolled up and still look like a man . But there are a few and I do mean a few who will friend us . I have found we seem to only be able to make friends within our own group . To be blunt LGBT combined all those society shun against and we accept it . However we are our own seperate groups when it comes down to it .
I cannot thank you enough for all the tips on my desire to be feminine. I am treasuring each moment that I can dress in the women clothing especially lingerie. I have learned the fundamentals but know that I need more . I cannot stop with my feminization needs and desires and it is because of women like yourself who help us each day overcome our masculinity and enter the world of women hood. I know I will never be a man again nor ever a women and fall into the category of sissy but it is wonderderful whatever it is. Thanks again.
I am not sure which category I fall into. I love to get dressed as a woman. and I cannot stop myself masturbating after that. While doing that I feel like I am a woman. I play female role while imagining. and love that. I am not attracted to men at all. But whenever I see a hot chick I feel jealous about her as I feel envy for what she has and I don’t. So please help me out finding my category…
Your in early stages of denial , I was that way when I was young But after a while the excitement stops and you can go either way . But now your leaning towards TG with a Lesbian tendancy . In other words if you were to become female you would want to be with a female or eventually you will cave and either become Bi TG or you will go further and change your sex and eventually go out with men .
My belief is that sexuality in general is a continuum. 90% (or so) of folks happen to be at the straight end.
Knowing exactly where you are is unnecessary (IMO) and unimportant. It’s just an arbitrary box anyway. What’s important is how you feel. More of being told how you are supposed to feel is just not helpful.
I am 76 years old & have been cross-dressing off and on since early childhood. I never really did have a concern with this proclivity but like all of us felt the need for secrecy. My wife and I have been married over 55 years and she has known about me since the first month of marriage. We go out as two girls frequently and have never had a negative experience in public. I suppose part of that is due to the fact that I am only 5′ 3″tall and weigh 155 lbs. I have gained insight into what a GG has to contend with when exposed to the general public and can relate to some of the fears that confront her in various situations. On the flip side I have experienced the pleasures of having men hold doors open for me and other considerations afforded a real woman. On my own I have been on over a dozen tour bus excursions over the past several years including three separate outings with the Red Hat ladies groups on riverboat cruises. I firmly believe that the absolute worst thing a cross-dresser can do is act like you are trying to hide yourself. Nothing raises a red flag quicker. Just be relaxed and secure in yourself in the knowledge that you are doing nothing wrong. You are not out of step with society-they are out of step with you when someone passes judgment based on preconceived notions or their own personal bias. I would love to hear from all you t-girls with your thoughtsand comments. Love, Vikki
inspirational, though at 6’1″ our istu is obviously different. Your comment -” I firmly believe that the absolute worst thing a cross-dresser can do is act like you are trying to hide yourself. Nothing raises a red flag quicker. Just be relaxed and secure in yourself in the knowledge that you are doing nothing wrong. YOU ARE NO OUT OF STEP WITH SOCIETY-THEY ARE OUT OF STEP WITH YOU when someone passes judgment based on preconceived notions or their own personal bias” was a great ‘ah ha’. Thanks so much. Love to hear more from you.
I seem to fall in between the lines transgender vs CD. I am and have been taking female hormones and strive to look as womanly on outside as I exist on the inside. I know that I would not complete the journey to SRS, but at age of 63 I proudly allow all of my femininity rise to the surface.
Falsehoods that you have to be a queer/fag if you dress in women’s clothes!
Falsities and in no way, a great blog Lucille. A great job with getting our attention. As a TG/CD person I am not interested in going all the way yet I’m comfortable (in my own skin) at the level I’ve attained.
We are part of a huge spectrum within the trans community it’s diverse and many of us strive to become the best woman you can be, that best describes me. 🙂