What is Transvestism

A Transvestite, sometimes called a crossdresser is a person who feels a strong desire or compulsion to wear women's clothing. In Western society they can be found in almost any social group, profession or walk of life and any age. Actual numbers are hard to come by as the subject is not often freely discussed but some estimates have put the occurrence as high as 1 in 30 men or up to 1,000,000 in the United Kingdom.

Transvestites are most often heterosexual and quite often macho in their everyday lives. The incidence of homosexual attraction in Transvestites is believed to be no higher than that found in the population at large. Many transvestites will only dress up in private, possibly as a part of fetishistic sexual activities, or they may feel the need to express a strongly felt feminine side to their personality which they feel unable to express in their everyday male life.

Transvestism is not a mental illness and therefore not subject to cure. Males may find themselves developing tranvestite feeling at any age, though often the onset occurs between the ages of 5 and 25. Feeling of guilt, shame and self disgust can often be expressed by transvestites about their compulsion to crossdress. Such stress and anxiety have been known to lead onto problems such as alcoholism, severe depression and sometimes suicide.

Transvestism is commonly misunderstood and poorly tolearated by society which can lead to the crossdresser needing to live a secret life, feeling lonely and hiding his feelings for fear of ridicule, rejection and job loss. There are a number of groups providing support and self help for transvestites offering helplines and support for wives and girlfriends who may feel distressed or worried about their partner's feelings. The simple knowledge that there are so many others who feel the same may bring comfort in itself possibly leading to understanding, peace of mind and self acceptance.