How to Understand the Difference Between Transgender, Cross-Dresser and Drag Queen
You might think people who don clothes of the opposite gender are all alike. There are actually differences in the reasons a person dresses in clothing of the other gender, and there are also differences in how people who dress this way identify themselves. The terms transgender, cross-dresser and drag queen each have their own meanings and nuances.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Capacity for subtlety
- Willingness to suspend beliefs about stereotypes
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Understand what transgender means: It is a state of being in which the apparent or biological gender (usually determined at birth) does not match the person's subjective gender -- that is, the gender the person identifies as. While transgender people usually have distinct female or male genitalia and matching chromosomes, even as young children they "know" that they are in bodies that do not match their subjective gender identification. For example, a woman who identifies as male and wears male apparel may be referred to as transgender.
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Know that cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothing typically associated with the opposite sex. Cross-dressers are not necessarily transgender, although in the strictest sense a pre-operative transgender person presenting as the opposite sex is technically cross-dressing. Cross-dressers do not necessarily identify as a gender other than their biological gender. To use this term to refer to a transgender person is considered offensive.
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Distinguish these terms from the term drag queen. A drag queen is a male who cross-dresses for the purpose of entertaining others, often lip-synching songs by popular divas at drag shows. Females who dress as males for the purposes of entertainment are called "drag kings." Drag kings and queens may not be transgendered or homosexual and may identify as heterosexual.
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Tips & Warnings
When speaking with transgender people, use pronouns that match the gender of their dress.
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Comments
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I'm a lesbian. I like girls. I dress as a boy. but do not want to be in male body. but want to have male pronouns. what would you call me?
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I seeeeeee!
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Basically a cross dresser can be anyone who cross dresses by wearing clothes made for the opposite sex. They can be called transvestites if a man goes all the way with it and dresses 100% like a woman and tries to pass off as one. Some men just put on feminine clothes only and are not transvestites or trannys. They are just cross dressing. There are males all over the spectrum. Who can range from wearing kilts to gowns to just female underwear to skirts to female pants and blouses to going further and wearing wigs, growing hair out, jewelry, heels, lipstick and make up and so on. But a transgender wants the big operation to become the opposite sex. They are one sex but want to be another and can with an operation. However, many of those start as trannys. And finally a drag-queen is anyone who dresses like a woman just for entertainment like Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire or RuPaul, but also people at drag queen contests. Drag-kings are the female version. Tomboys are women who just dress like boys or do not ever wear skirts or dresses like tv's Sara Gilbert. Some women are like tv's Chelsea Handler and wear a skirt and dress so infrequent that they can be confused as tomboys because while they don't mind wearing dresses or skirts, they would not wear them all the time. Some men mix clothes between both genders, as do women, but they get away with it so much that it is null and void. But when a male does it he is often ridiculed. But some men do mix clothes between genders. There also is a group that just crossdresses in private and will never do it it public. They want to be seen as men in public or are too afraid or know the problems of doing so. Others take the plunge and have no problems wearing in public feamle clothes or looking like a woman.
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Basically a cross dresser can be anyone who cross dresses by wearing clothes made for the opposite sex. They can be called transvestites only if they go all the way with it and dress like a woman. Some men just put on feminine clothes only and are not transvestites or trannys. They are just crossdressing as men. But a transgender wants the operation to become a woman or man. They are one sex but want to be another and can with an operation. however, many of those start as trannies. and finally a drag-queen is anyone who dresses like a woman just for entertainment like Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, RuPaul, but also people at drag queen contests. Drag-kings are the female version. Tomboys are women who just dress like boys or do not every wear skirts or dresses.
