LETTERS: FIRST PAGE
 
 

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Dear Vickie,

 I was in Las Vegas a couple of years ago and watched a wonderful show out there with guys dressed as Famous Singers. They were really good and it was very difficult to tell they weren't the real thing and I had a front row seat!

Are these guys generally gay? Or is this just a job and they hating dressing as women? What would your guess be?
Kelly, Kansas City

Dear Kelly,

 I certainly hope it was difficult to tell they were not the real thing. Otherwise they were doing a very lousy job.

Now as to whether the performers were gay...maybe so maybe not. Many people who dress in clothes of the "other" gender are heterosexual. In other words, they prefer the gender one would expect based on THEIRS'. I made this distinction because there are women who dress as men also alto that is less "famous" if you will. So basically, gender presentation does not necessarily tell you anything about who the individual wants to go to bed with.

Think of it as two sides to a chart...one is preference and ranges from same to opposite gender. The other has to do with how one enjoys presenting oneself.

Hope this answers your question, Kelly. Thanks for asking. If you have any further questions feel free to write again.
Sincerely,
Vickie
 

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Dear Vickie,

 Can you explain the different terms to me please. What is transgendered? Cross dressing? Transexual? Transvestite? Drag Queen? It's a little confusing.


Carol, Arizona

Dear Carol,

I will be glad to. Now before I start let me first tell you that not everyone agrees about these terms...even within the "transgendered" community. I put that word in quotes because I want to emphasis that that is what the community is usually called. What does the "transgendered" community consist of then.

First of all there are the transsexuals. They are individuals that feel that they have been born in the wrong body. The goal they have is to become the desired gender. So you have men that want to have sex change surgery to be who they feel they really are inside..ie women. You have from the other side those born female to all outer appearance that feel male. Their desire is to move in THAT direction. As I mentioned in a previous letter, they are not usually as much discussed..at least in some circles but they are definitely out there.

Transvestites and cross dressers, I myself have a hard time separating out. Most people who have an answer seem to feel that the cross dresser is more likely to want to just dress up and stay at home, while the transvestite wants to get fully dressed, meaning with makeup and ALL of the clothes of the complementary gender, and go out and be seen. (the person who stays at home but wears panties around the house is by this definition a crossdressers).

Drag Queens are performers. They dress up as women (being male) and do shows. There are drag queens that are from all the categories above. Some are doing this as part of their efforts to become the opposing gender while others are also transvestites. I myself started out as a Drag Queen...because I was performing. Now that I am "semiretired" from that arena, I would be classified as a transvestite using the terms in the way I have in this response. By the way, there are "Drag Kings" as well. They are women who dress as men for the purposes of performing.

Let me emphasis again that these are MY definitions that I have come up from my conversations with those that I have talked with. However many will define the terms differently. In addition, there are those that fit the DEFINITIONS above but use a different term. This is most often found in the division between cross dresser and transvestite.

Thanks Carol for writing and asking. It is only through asking that we learn. And yes, I agree it is confusing. Even I get confused and I am part of the community.


Vickie

And now to illustrate that very point, a dear friend of mine Anna felt that my definitions did not cover all the bases so here is her rebuttal. I still dont think there is any difference between drag queen and female impersonator and that either can be "gay" or not be, but here without further comment is her rebuttal. Thanks Anna.

Hello Vickie,

 I do hope your new site is successful and that you can make some coin at it as well.

I did have a peek through the site and found the sections to be interesting. However, I think the *Terms or Labels* letter could have used a bit more info. In this day and age of labels being flung all over the place and everyone making up their own ideas about it, here is my take on them as come to over the years.

Transvestite (clinical): One who dresses in the clothes of the other gender, mostly, but not limited to, for sexual purposes. Example: Wearing panties under a male suit at work. The fetish aspect seems to be on the feel of the clothing which holds a sexual interest.

Cross Dresser (general): Almost the same as Transvestite but without the clinical aspect. Cross Dress was created mostly for Straight people who didn't want the focus to be placed on sexual. However, most people if not all people cross dress at some point in their lives. IE: Hallowe'en, Silk shirts for Males, Pants and t-shirts for females, etc. Dependant on how society views fashion.

Transsexual (clinical): One who believes in their own mind that they are the other gender. May go through to HRT and SRS depending on the person and financial and emotional resources available to them. But again, it is what is within their own minds that is important.

Shemale (adult): A term created by the Adult Industry to denote a Transsexual who has had Breast surgery but not SRS.

Transgender (general): That middle of the road area that has been left void for a long time. Normally a person who dresses completely as the other gender with a desire to pass as that gender. Can lead to HRT and SRS but the focus here is more on the appearance to and the expectancy from society, then on the final outcome.

Drag Queen (general): A Gay Person who dresses in the clothes of the other gender mostly for Entertainment purposes.

Female Impersonator (general): One who dresses in the clothes of the other gender for Entertainment purposes. Doesn't mean they are Gay, but sexual preference is not key.

GEM (general): Gender Enhanced Male. This has taken longer to catch on as it doesn't really make sense in a gender transfer situation. As it sounds, it suggest that a Male will enhance his Gender, either through body building, steroids or some other method. However some T-People have used it to denote their travels into the femme side.

And I'm sure there will be more labels and such down the road. While people are quick to latch onto a label so that they feel that they belong, it can also be dangerous as they tend to be *lumped* into one group. For the most part, the thoughts and actions of a person who wishes to transcend the genders is just that, a question of gender. The sexual aspect tends to be secondary.

As is with life, people will think what they want. They will also tailor the labels to suit their own needs. However, there has to be a starting point so that people can create their own thoughts, regardless of what the terms generally mean.

I'm trying to get a new label accepted by our group. That of a HB, or Human Being.

Hugs to you hon!

Anna
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