What's so funny about cross-dressing?

[Kersten Lee]

Hi,

I found this and find it quite in line with my views. It is very long, but I enjoyed reading this. Those of you not wishing to wade through it all, the conclusion is in the last three paragraphs.

Kersten Lee
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:: What's so funny about cross-dressing? ::
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Source: http://www.newhumanist.org.uk
by Charlotte Suthrell

May 04, 2004

Our attitude towards transvestism says more about us than we realise, writes Charlotte Suthrell.

Even in these supposedly liberal times, reference to transvestism provokes hilarity or mockery. Men who wear women's clothes are seen as indulging in a clandestine, minority activity, and largely written off as a rather unsavoury group of sexual deviants.

...

But even if we allow for the influence of such religious instruction upon our tendency to see the world in binary gender terms, it still seems odd that a society which is now so accepting of pre–marital sex, homosexuality, and the ready availability of sexually explicit images should still be so prepared to censure by ridicule those men who wish to cross–dress. Why should we continue to allow ourselves to be locked into a world of regularities? Why would we want to? As sociologist Holly Devor comments: “We have begun to acknowledge the extraordinary bio–diversity around us in the world — together with an understanding of the need for its survival if the planet is to thrive — but unfortunately we have been very slow to generalise this concept to our understandings of gender, sex and sexuality. We tend to think of people whose gender, sex or sexuality are unusual as ‘mistakes’ of either nature or nurture.”

Perhaps what our attitude to transvestism tells us about most clearly is our deep–down attitude towards women. Masculinity is still the ‘must–have’ factor in so many of the achievements that our culture prizes. In such circumstances, how can we possibly understand those who would voluntarily surrender this valued asset? We may have abandoned many of our preconceptions about the nature of the female but we still can’t understand why on earth any man would want to be taken for one. Boys who want to play with girls’ toys are somehow ‘downgrading’ themselves.

Some comfort may be derived from this research in that many transvestites, despite the adversities that they have had to overcome, can still acknowledge a positive side. Like Shakespearean heroines who grow through the experience of becoming temporary males, those who cross gender boundaries report that it gives them an experience of the ‘other’ which widens their view of the world and their place within it. What a pity that we should regard their wish to go on behaving that way as either ridiculous or incomprehensible.

[Jan W]

Good find Kersten. Great article! Agree with 95%.

Charlotte Suthrell is a clever researcher and a good interpretor of the facts. For one who is not transgendered she has gained a good knowledge of our situation.

Would love to read more of her work.

(BTW who is the girl in the photos?)

[Beauty]

Hi Kersten,

That was a great article and I really liked that they had a rather pretty CD'r in pictures accompanying the article. That was rather refreshing.

The article is from 2004, but I still think it's great for us to get this kind of positive article considering the world seems to not want to investigate what makes us tick.

Thank you very much for posting such a positive article.

Beauty

[Anita]

Good ppst, Kersten. I'm surprised at the lack of comments--two in a year's time.

I agree with a lot of the article, and I feel it was positive overall.

Disagreements? I don't think that the Indian example of intersexed people was a reflection of how the rest of the world is more accepting than Western society. I think one could make a strong case that the situation is worse in other parts of the world.

She also interviewed one individual, who did not dress for any kind of erotic thrill. That may be the case for that CD, but I don't think she represents how a majority of CDs got started. I don't think it's helpful to sidestep that whole issue, even though it muddies the water. It would have felt better to me if the writer had said something like, "some transvestites do dress as an erotic stimulant, but many do not." or something similiar.

Overall, it's good to see someone writing about the whole issue.

[Kersten Lee]

Anita,

I do agree it had a slant and point of view and did not see how the Indian references applied.

I was looking for clothes sites and came across this accidentally. I found it was nice to read someone, who to a degree, believed biodivercity is good for all.

I have always believed in the innate value of all life, even when I could not see that value. It is so strange to look back just a year or so and not have been able to see my own value in this life just as I am.

I still feel so thankful for all of you here who helped me to see my own worth and the value I have as me. Life is better not having to live as someone I am not.

Hugs,
Kersten