This myth is fairly common among (unaccepting) loved ones of crossdressers and subsequently many crossdressers themselves. In online transgendered communities, countless times crossdressers have expressed guilt about being themselves sighting this exact myth as the source of their guilty feelings.
Myth: Crossdressing is a purely selfish act and the time spent crossdressing could be better spent doing more productive things. Fact: Crossdressig is no more selfish than time spent reading a good book, watching TV/movies, exploring a personal hobby, or any other activity of personal interest.
We’ll start out by examining the meaning of the word “selfish” and then get into why there is little merit to this myth.
Continue reading Crossdressing Myth #6: It’s a Purely Selfish Act →
A lot of people seem to think that crossdressing is an addiction because most crossdressers cannot stop crossdressing even if they tried. Sadly, there is a good number of crossdressers who feel that their own crossdressing is a terrible addiction they need to rid themselves of. We all grow up learning about how “wrong” crossdressing is. It’s driven into our heads repeatedly throughout our lives.
Myth: Crossdressing is an addiction like alcoholism or any other drug dependency that must be overcome. Fact: Although crossdressing may be addictive to some, crossdressing itself is not an addiction, but rather a personal trait like being right or left handed.
Continue reading Crossdressing Myth #5: It is a Destructive Addiction →
“A man dressed up like a woman?? Why… he MUST be crazy! This man needs help! He should be institutionalized! Hurry – get him off the street before anyone else catches this terrible mental disease!” Oh please. This attitude and severe lack of knowledge is so pre-1950’s. Crossdressing is a mental illness, babies come from storks, and the world is flat, right?
Myth: Crossdressers are mentally ill and that is why they have the urge to crossdress. Fact: Although it is possible for a mentally ill person to also be a crossdresser, crossdressing is not the result of a mental illness, but rather one of many personal traits that some people have genetically woven into them. This particular trait just happens to be widely misunderstood and have a social stigma attached to it.
Continue reading Crossdressing Myth #4: It Is a Mental Illness →
Although not the number 1 cliché, this idiotic myth is probably the most damaging to crossdressers than any of the other myths combined. This one alone plays a significant role in society’s general unacceptance of us. Myth: crossdressers are perverts. Fact: Most crossdressers are certainly NOT perverts, but rather regular guys who have a strong feminine side. Only a small percentage of crossdressers are perverts. It is probably proportionate to the number of non-crossdressers who are perverts.
I’m not exactly sure how this myth originated in terms of what line of thinking was involved. It is probably due to many factors, from general misunderstandings blown out of proportion to things that are completely just made up. I’d like to explore a few possibilities that may have lead to this terrible assessment of crossdressers.
Continue reading Crossdressing Myth #3: Crossdressers are Perverts →
It is a popular misconception that because a man dresses like a woman, he wishes he was born as a woman or wants to have sex reassignment surgery (SRS). This is often the second question asked when crossdresser comes out to someone – just after being asked, “are you gay?” Myth: If a man dresses like a woman it is because he wishes he was one and plans to have SRS. Fact: Most crossdressers do not want to be a woman or have SRS, but rather crossdress in order to explore and express their feminine side.
Continue reading Crossdressing Myth #2: They Want a Sex Change →
This is probably the granddaddy of all crossdresser myths: crossdressers are gay. More often than not, it’s the first question asked of a crossdresser after coming out to (or being outed by) a non-crossdresser – “Are you gay?” It does get tiresome after a while. Myth: Crossdressers are gay because they dress in women’s clothes. Fact: Most crossdressers are straight, and some are gay. Ever wonder where this myth came from in the first place? I’ll explore that later in this article.
Continue reading Crossdressing Myth #1: Crossdressers are Gay →
Exploration of society through a transgender perspective