My goal with this website is to educate people about crossdressers based on the definition as I have lived it. Not out of a book somebody wrote after interviewing people who identify as such. If I am successful a male who enjoys wearing women’s clothing will have a better idea where he fits in the larger scheme of things. A woman who has recently become aware of her husband or some other significant person enjoys dressing as woman understands the different classifications. Younger generations will also become aware and hopefully ease some of their burden maturing into adults.
I am not advocating anything just educating people about the different groups especially because crossdresser’s are effectively being erased as a result of misclassification. Being shoved under the Transgender Umbrella is a disservice to everyone under it in addition to the general public. The terms Transvestite and Crossdresser predate Transgender which started being used in the 1980’s. Males dress in female clothing for very different reasons so seeing someone you perceive as a guy in a dress is not enough to put a label on them.
The only time you will see the Transgender and Transsexual terms on this site is when they are used for comparison or reference on the topic of Transvestism or crossdressing. I have little experience in that area so will stick to Crossdressers with some references to Transvestite history.
The majority of my experience with crossdressers comes from my association with the Southern California Club commonly referred to as CHIC which is the abbreviation for Crossdressers Hetrosexual Intersocial Club. The club was formed in 1975 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary November 8, 2025. I was a member for over 30 years and served as its president 4 or 5 terms during that time. I was also treasurer for several years, board member, newsletter editor, and webmistress for the website I designed for the club over a 20-year period. I was involved in the management of the club in one way or another the majority of my time with the club. Because the club has been such a large part of my experience you will see the name many times. Some of the pages on this site were originally on the CHIC 50 site I created to search for past member.
I found some good information while searching the LGBTI News internet site that I thought was clear and concise. I did a post on my personal site Micki Finn which I thought did a great job of highlighting the differences between the different groups. If you click on the link above you will find much of what I got from them but the chart below gives some basic information that I will elaborate on later.
Key Differences Between Transgender, Transsexual, and Transvestite
| Term | Gender Identity | Medical Transition | Expression |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transgender | Yes | Not always | Broad spectrum |
| Transsexual | Yes | Often includes HRT/Surgery | Physical alignment |
| Transvestite | No | No | Clothing-based |
The chart above is very simple but based on my experience referenced previously I will share what I have learned on each which, admittedly is limited. I think a simple way of looking at it without too much detail is that for male gender Crossdressers getting dressed is a periodic event of a few hours then back to everyday life. How often is dictated by desire and opportunity sometimes with months in between. There are similarities with Crossdressers and Transgendered people from a dressing standpoint, but Transgender people identify as the female gender and sometimes live full time that way. Transsexuals identify as female regardless of how they are dressed. They live full time as a woman, and most have had changes made to their bodies in support of their goals.