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Don't know about prostitutes but estimates of MTF to FTM transexuals vary from 3:1 to 1:1. No one really knows because it requires surveys of health care providers who deal with tpeople. And not everyone wants to transition.
Society has very rigid ideas of what constitutes male and female appearance and behavior. The idea that some of us might be comfortable in a role that is almost a "third gender" makes a lot of people uncomfortable, including a lot of gays and lesbians. Notice that even in the gay community there are masculine and feminine roles, and in the lesbian world there are butch and femme roles. These groups are often hostile to transgirls.
Women often wear articles of men's clothing in the USA and no real notice is made. So it's kind of difficult to draw a comparison. There are "Drag King" competitions at GBLT clubs and they attract all kinds of gender benders. One study I saw said that up to about 10% of men have tried crossdressing, and about one out of ten of them ever go out as femme, so that's 1%. Some say it's even less - .1%. BTW you can usually tell the "real" crossdressers on Halloween because they will have on lingerie, the guys just doing it as a Halloween gag will not.
I have no idea why I started crossdressing, which began at age 9 or 10. It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually became comfortable with the idea that I am someone who is "in between" on the scale between being a "regular" male and someone who intends to change sex. In the support groups I've been to most of the people there also started at a young age. Crossdressing has made their lives more difficult in many ways so it's not something any of us sought out. Stories of boys being forced into dresses and such are fantasy. I will say that I learned quickly it's a lot safer to be a convincing female than a guy in drag.
Because of these pre-concieved gender roles, most people really struggle with the idea of transgender or transsexual. Even supportive friends have expressed puzzlement at why I would want to present in a feminine way. As mentioned my ex-wife was tolerant if not quite supportive, and try as she might to accept me, she freaks out over seemingly innocuous mannerisms.
As far as the "shemale" prostitutes you mention, there is a sadder tale to tell there. To become legally female you must have sexual reassignment surgery, which is not covered under most insurance plans. To get SRS you generally have to live full time as female for a year under care of a doctor. During that time many patients take female hormones, testorone blockers, and may have FFS (facial feminization surgery) and or breast augmentation. So there can be a period of two or three years where someone does not present as male but is not legally female. This creates employment problems (in many states it's illegal to discriminate against gays but not transexuals) and one of the only ways that someone transitioning in the US can raise the money needed is as a sex worker. Breast augmentation is relatively cheap, readily available without any commitment to SRS, and makes these sex workers more in-demand in our breast-obsessed society, so the phenomena of "shemales" is directly related to the availability of plastic surgery in my opinion.
I've never tried to understand this subject therefore I don't have an opinion about your cross dressing behavior. I am interested in knowing why you choose this lifestyle??
I have absolutely no interest in ever dating a cross dresser. I dated a man once until I found out he was a male stripper, who worked at a gay bar and was dodging other men on our dates. Not dating male strippers and cross dressers is on my cardinal dating list.
I've never tried to understand this subject therefore I don't have an opinion about your cross dressing behavior. I am interested in knowing why you choose this lifestyle??
I have absolutely no interest in ever dating a cross dresser. I dated a man once until I found out he was a male stripper, who worked at a gay bar and was dodging other men on our dates. Not dating male strippers and cross dressers is on my cardinal dating list.
How do you reconcile the red with the blue since they both are contradictory. You evidently do have an opinion about crossdressing.
Here is some help on differentiating a tautology from a contradiction to sharpen your thinking skills. Contradictions (not paradoxes per se in moral stories) are a pet peeve of mine.
How do you reconcile the red with the blue since they both are contradictory. You evidently do have an opinion about crossdressing.
Here is some help on differentiating a tautology from a contradiction to sharpen your thinking skills. Contradictions (not paradoxes per se in moral stories) are a pet peeve of mine.
Whoa are you serious right now? You don't need to come at me with your links concerning contradictions and tautologies, as I have no interest in that either. LOL.
I said I don't have an opinion about HIS cross dressing behavior. And then stated that I HAVE NO INTEREST in dating a cross dresser. Read that again. And then fume off the deep end about logics. I suppose there is some law concerning color coding messages I'm ignoring as well.
I've never tried to understand this subject therefore I don't have an opinion about your cross dressing behavior. I am interested in knowing why you choose this lifestyle??
I have absolutely no interest in ever dating a cross dresser. I dated a man once until I found out he was a male stripper, who worked at a gay bar and was dodging other men on our dates. Not dating male strippers and cross dressers is on my cardinal dating list.
Most women assume that cross dressers are gay. It appears you are one of them, since you equate dating a male stripper (was he gay, too? Most sex workers are in it for the money). In my experience about 80% of women feel the way you do - even though 80% or more of crossdressers are straight. I, too, have little interest in discussing the issue of whether or not gender is binary with someone who has already made up their mind and doesn't want to discuss it. It is unusual for a woman who truly feels this way to read a 38 page thread about the subject, though, don't you think?
Ironically married women are much more interested in "knowing why you choose this lifestyle??" Perhaps because since they are already married it is less threatening to their own sense of femininity and the idea that someone would want to express themselves in a way that is "GenderQueer"* doesn't cause their heads to explode. I get at least as many compliments as insults, and nowadays I even get invited to dinner parties!
"Costumes"? The man wears St. John! He has good taste. I'd date him just to get a chance to borrow his clothes!
This guy has self-esteem to spare, no need to worry about that. If you don't like his thread, you don't have to look at it. He's just having some harmless fun. I actually liked the cheerleader outfit on him better than the St. John suit.
Yeah, I have an amazing collection of women's clothes, and it would be a dream to find a pretty woman near my height and my clothes size 4 to 8 so I can dress her up in my clothes. I probably have 12 to 16 St John outfits.
I wasn't hurt by exposing myself here as a crossdresser.
Quote:
Originally Posted by skyegirl
Oh my. Good luck with all that. BTW, I am 5'3" and weigh 110lbs. and wear size 2/4. There is NO way you are fitting in a size 2, 4 or 6 at 145lbs. Nope, not happening.
I'm overweight today and I still fit in my size 6 skirt suits, at 161.6 lbs. At 152 lbs I can fit into my tighter size 4 skirt suits.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CountryFisher
Crossdressers are freaks.
Not all crossdressers are freaks, some are men that just like the feel of female clothes. But Dennis Rodman had to make fun of his crossdressing and freak out so that maybe they couldn't blackmail him for being that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pixie stix
Why do you cross - dress?
I've never tried to understand this subject therefore I don't have an opinion about your cross dressing behavior. I am interested in knowing why you choose this lifestyle??
I have absolutely no interest in ever dating a cross dresser. I dated a man once until I found out he was a male stripper, who worked at a gay bar and was dodging other men on our dates. Not dating male strippers and cross dressers is on my cardinal dating list.
I crossdress because I love the feel and look of wearing women's clothes. I have also wondered what it was like wearing a nice skirt suit, cheerleader outift, swimsuit, schoolgirl uniform, and etc.
I feel that crossdressing is a harmless habit that other people should tolerate and accept. It's just that they surmise bad ideas about what crossdressers do, - like have sex with men or give blowjobs. Now all crossdressers are like that.
I can't quit this lifestyle as I'm addicted to women's clothes, and I would rather be a beautiful woman instead of a good looking guy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilyflower3191981
Seriously, just how "open minded" "liberal" do you expect a woman to be?
Dating and marrying a cross dresser? Come on.
I post a Craigslist ad for women, and I stated I was a crossdresser and I even posted a few femme pics. 3 women responded with pics but they weren't pretty enough for me.
Most women assume that cross dressers are gay. It appears you are one of them, since you equate dating a male stripper (was he gay, too? Most sex workers are in it for the money). In my experience about 80% of women feel the way you do - even though 80% or more of crossdressers are straight. I, too, have little interest in discussing the issue of whether or not gender is binary with someone who has already made up their mind and doesn't want to discuss it. It is unusual for a woman who truly feels this way to read a 38 page thread about the subject, though, don't you think?
Ironically married women are much more interested in "knowing why you choose this lifestyle??" Perhaps because since they are already married it is less threatening to their own sense of femininity and the idea that someone would want to express themselves in a way that is "GenderQueer"* doesn't cause their heads to explode. I get at least as many compliments as insults, and nowadays I even get invited to dinner parties!
People have their prejudices. I once flirted around, very briefly, with the BDSM scene. But really only on the periphery of the scene. So, I met various people. One night I met a middle aged man that was dressed in drag as he's a crossdresser. We had a friendly conversation and that was it. It was like how civilized adults should interact. Mutual respect. At least courtesy.
I may not think women should be dressed in burqas. I may not think men should be dressed in female clothing. I may not think homosexuality is a correct way, the best way, to express one's self sexually with another. But I'm pretty tolerant of allowing others to live their lives and pursue their own happiness.
But my views of homosexuality are probably the symmetrical of most the women in this thread views about grown men that crossdress. That is I don't call for criminalization, incarceration, public floggings, or really putting my nose in every other person's business. Plus, I have more than a few lesbian and gay relatives. But what might differentiate me from most women in this thread is that I see crossdressing men and homosexuality, different, but equal in a sense. In the sense crossdressing deserves no more scorn than homosexuality. But crossdressing men don't have a lot of political lobbying power. So, they can't muster social change for their favor.
Plus, I'm some what curious as to what drives so many males to unorthodox gender and sexual roles. Especially, sense something like crossdressing seems so much more pronounced among men than women. There must be a reason for this.
In the crossdressing forum I'm on most of the members want to be women, so that's one main reason they crossdress. But only a rare few go through a sex change.
/Plus, I'm some what curious as to what drives so many males to unorthodox gender and sexual roles. Especially, sense something like crossdressing seems so much more pronounced among men than women. There must be a reason for this.
Many theories are postulated, nothing compelling.
One issue though is the definition of "crossdressing." There are a lot of butch lesbians that effect what many consider an excessively masculine persona and appearance, but are not called crossdressers - at least, not safely! ;-)
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