Ann Landers Columns on CD'ing

[Alana]

I don't know about the advice, I just copied Ann Landers' column in its entirety.

As to the role that high testosterone levels may play in crossdressing, I consider it a possibility. A year or so before I started crossdressing I was treated with high levels of testosterone as treatment for a rare blood disease. I have no recollection of crossdressing before the treatment. Further, in some of my research I have found reports that excess testosterone is converted to estrogen. Might that have a role in crossdressing? Now I'm not an endocrinologist and I haven't done a lot of research into the causes of crossdressing, but for me, this column hit a chord.

As I understand it, the causes of crossdressing and the theories of causes are varied. There could very well be some hormonal action at play that we don't fully recognize or understand.

If nothing else, these columns show that crossdressing or the desire to, creates numerous and varied responses and reactions in people. They also provide a starting point for more discussion and/or understanding.

Love,

Alana

[Lydia]

Never heard of anything about testosterone converted to estrogen. Nor the other way around. True, both substances are similar in molecular structure, but conversion from one to the other is most probably not possible.

I speak with some knowledge, having taught a course in endocrinology - albeit it was many years ago.

As for Dr. Money - I'd say he is pretty much not on the money - more on the "quack".

Lydia

[Lydia]

I Googled "John Money". Very revealing. I particularly recommend the Wikipedia biography. If he was not an actual quack, he came pretty close to it.

This is not the first time that the "Ann Landers" writers used questionable authorities to advise their clients. Consider the fact that "she" was primarily interested in entertaining "her" readers, not necessarily to help the clients.

Lydia

[Melyssa Anne]

First off--lets think about when Dr. Money was researching and in practice. Most of his work was done in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. He died in 1988.

I just read a number of articles on him and his work, and its a mix. some of the concepts he came up with are things we tend to promote / believe in here and in the general public. But at the time, he was a revolutionary. Some of his concepts are not so good. But we still arte all trying to figure out this whole human sexuality thing --its still a long way from figured out.

Hindsight is always easier. Its interesting to read old articles to see how things have changed -- good or bad -- over time.

Thats my two cents.

[Danette]

All I can say is a little over 2 years ago, I was diagnosed with low testosterone and took shots once a month for 6 months. Now I've been dressing for so long now that I forgot when I started. LOL
So Alana I don't know how much faith I would put in that theory.

Hugs,
Danette

[CJ]

Hi all,

Thanks for reprinting the columns, Alana. They're fun to read. "Entertaining," as Lydia said.

Elizabeth wrote: This is the first I have heard of this... that the urge to crossdress is caused by testosterone levels being too high. Once again it implies this is a sexual urge only. For many it is not a sexual urge at all and blocking all the testosterone in the world will not diminish the urge. This is just silly and bad advice.

It's not my intention to wax polemical here but there is a huge difference between saying that for many CD's it isn't a sexual urge at all and saying that for most CD's it isn't a sexual urge at all. I agree with you, Elizabeth, that it isn't sexual for many but I do think it is sexual for most. Even on this very forum we've had polls suggesting that such is the case and it would be disingenuous to propose the contrary. When people deny crossdressing has roots in, or a connection to, sexuality, they prevent the expression of shame and that shame needs to be dealt with if a CD is to eventually flower as a person. Sexual urges are, in fact, related to testosterone levels in the body. If this weren't the case, why then the existence of chemical castration (the reducal of testosterone levels) as a treatment for violent or dangerous sex offenders?

As to John Money (whom I once wrote a letter to, when I was in my early 20's), he was, like his contemporaries Richard Green and Robert Stoller, in many ways a pioneer. However, many of his views are now outdated in the wake of Queer Theory, where so much cultural gender deconstruction took place.

All this to say: it's okay to think or even to say that crossdressing is a sexual thrill for most CD's. Because it is. Why are people so afraid of that? Sometimes, it's beyond me. I think that the need for sexual thrills diminishes with age even though the urge to crossdress may not, simply because that urge fills all kinds of needs in CD's, not just sexual ones.

It serves little purpose to be offended by the idea that crossdressing often includes a more fetishistic (and therefore sexual) dimension. It does. There is no difference in the degree of nobility, if you will, between dressing as a woman for sexual purposes and doing so for identity purposes. One is no more--and no less--a "deviation" from the norm than the other (even if it's been established, for example, that fetishism is likely more prevalent in males than is transsexualism).

I love this kind of thought-provoking thread. Thanks again to Alana.

Love,
CJ

[Lydia]

Hi All,

As usual, CJ, you hit the nail just so. Sexual arousal, no matter how great or small, is an inseparable factor in cross-dressing, and it is nothing to feel guilty about. As a matter of fact, sexual arousal can occur quite independently from hormone levels. Elimination of testosterone - as by castration, as a extreme case - does not always stop sexual desires and attempts at sex behavior. Castration in early childhood clearly produces the classic eunuch. They used to do this to boy singers to keep their voices as sopranos, i.e., the “castrati”. However, complete castration after adulthood has variable results and depends on the sexual experiences of the individual prior to castration. The elimination of testosterone from the physiology of a pedophile, for example, does not always eliminate the pedophilic desires or behavior. I must admit that much of this evidence comes from experiments with animals (dog, cats, rats, mice, etc.), since it is not easy to find willing human subjects.

As I have often said, the endocrine system with its interaction among gonads, pituitary, adrenal, etc., is complex and not to be fooled with.

As to the basic questions of why we cross-dress? Some want to be a woman; some just want the clothes; some (like me) just want to look like a woman; and so on. I think there are as many reasons as there are cross-dressers.

Hugs,

Lydia

[Alana]

Dear Ann: I am a hetersexual transvestite male who owns high heels and sequined evening gowns. I don't wear them in public, because I don't wish to call attention to myself. I just want to enjoy this part of me privately.

Doctors debate about whether cross-dressers are born with this compulsion or if it is developed. In my case, I started out by trying on my sister's clothes as a teenager 40 years ago. I enjoyed it and it helped me relax.

I have no sexual interest in males and never have had.

After 30 years of hiding my wardrobe, I finally found the courage to tell my wife. Although it took her a while to accept it, with the help of a counselor, she came to understand that transvestism is not a sexually-orientation problem.

It takes a mature, secure woman to accept her husband's cross-dressing . We have found that this harmless activity allows me to get in touch with my softer side and has made me a better husband. It's relaxing for me to come home, hang my three-piece suit in the closet and put on a pretty negligee.

I hope your readers who are going through the guilt and frustration of being cross-dressers will seek help, find the courage to tell their partners and get joint counseling if they need it. -- Mr. X

Dear Mr. X: According to the experts, cross-dressing does indeed provide a release of nervous tension, and while some cross-dressers are homosexual or bisexual, some are not. Thanks for writing.

[Stormy(SO)]

It's absolutely great to find validation in a public medium - isn't it!!!

AMEN!!

Stormy

[Alana]

Dear Annie: I am a cross-dresser and have been since my pre-teen years. I would like to discuss my behavior with my mother in order to find out if something happened in my early years that may have contributed to this.

However, from other discussions with Mom, I know she is very opposed to "deviant" lifestyles. I'm afraid she'd flip out if she saw me cross-dressing.

I really would like to get some information, but I don't know how to approach her.

Should I forget about it or bring it up and prepare myself for the consequences?--- Confused in Skirts

Dear Confused: We don't recommend talking to your mother while you are wearing a skirt and makeup. That may be more than she can handle.

Instead, schedule some time when the two of you can have some privacy. Mom will undoubtedly be upset at first, but in time, she may be able to accept the situation.

For advice on how to approach the subject, contact Tri-Ess, an organization for cross-dressers and transgendered individuals: Tri-Ess National, 8880 Bellaire B2 PMB104, Houston, Texas 77036-4621 (tri-ess.org).

[Lisa(SO)]

Dear Mr. X: According to the experts, cross-dressing does indeed provide a release of nervous tension, and while some cross-dressers are homosexual or bisexual, some are not.

It was my understanding that most crossdressers were heterosexual. Am I misinformed? It is great to have these issues brought to the mainstream but I wish it was done with correct info.

[Stephanie W]

Fear not Lisa, you are not misinformed. Most of us are indeed hetero, although it would be nice if these "experts" were a little less ambiguous in their replies.

Stephanie

[Alana]

Lisa, in the loosest sense, a crossdresser is someone that wears the clothes of the other gender. It doesn't matter what their sexual orientation is. However, as indicated in these colunms and in the forum, not all crossdressers are homosexual or bi-sexual and not all homosexuals or bi-sexuals are crossdressers.

In my roaming in books, magazines, and the internet, I've found many different terms regarding gender dysphoria and am still not totally sure what is what. I don't know if the term "cross-dresser" has a more definite meaning, although I sense that some may give it one. I had always equated it with"transvestism" which I now believe tends to imply a fetishism. If any one can help define these terms better, I, for one, would greatly appreciate it.

I love to occasionally dress up and present myself as a woman. I am sexually attracted to women, not men. While my early crossdressing had a sexual rush to it, that aspect has diminished over time. Pure and simple, I am a heterosexual male-to-female crossdresser and I enjoy it!

Love,

Alana