This document discusses issues related to crossdressing from multiple perspectives. It provides background on how gender and sexuality are traditionally viewed through religious and medical lenses. It then explores reasons for crossdressing and struggles faced by crossdressers from societal expectations and lack of support. Finally, it recommends addressing these issues through education, advocacy, and anti-discrimination policies to gain greater acceptance and legal protections for the LGBT community.
This document discusses issues related to crossdressing from multiple perspectives. It provides background on how gender and sexuality are traditionally viewed through religious and medical lenses. It then explores reasons for crossdressing and struggles faced by crossdressers from societal expectations and lack of support. Finally, it recommends addressing these issues through education, advocacy, and anti-discrimination policies to gain greater acceptance and legal protections for the LGBT community.
This document discusses issues related to crossdressing from multiple perspectives. It provides background on how gender and sexuality are traditionally viewed through religious and medical lenses. It then explores reasons for crossdressing and struggles faced by crossdressers from societal expectations and lack of support. Finally, it recommends addressing these issues through education, advocacy, and anti-discrimination policies to gain greater acceptance and legal protections for the LGBT community.
This document discusses issues related to crossdressing from multiple perspectives. It provides background on how gender and sexuality are traditionally viewed through religious and medical lenses. It then explores reasons for crossdressing and struggles faced by crossdressers from societal expectations and lack of support. Finally, it recommends addressing these issues through education, advocacy, and anti-discrimination policies to gain greater acceptance and legal protections for the LGBT community.
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1/ 7
Chapter II
Review of Related Literature
In this chapter the literatures and studies cited discusses the different issues and topic
regarding the study. This chapter give assumptions and conclusions and various of ideas that can
give improvements regarding to the past studies and to present which guide researchers in
developing their study. Some of those shown in this chapter also help familiarize with important
as well as crucial information.
Crossdressing, Gender and Sexuality
Gender is a fundamental part of personal identity (Hawley, 2011), providing a sense of
being a man or a woman. While there is tolerance for tomboy-girls, crossgender behavior in boys
is strongly discouraged for fear of the consequences, fear of developing homosexuality, only
with boys facing higher peer pressure to live up to their gender role.
A secure sense of self-identity requires that one’s internal sense of self is mirrored and
confirmed by others (Chapman, 2012). If this is not the case, it can cause a loss of authentication
that makes the self a shameful secret.
Religion has traditionally played a major role in constructing gender and sexual identity
in a reproductive and binary way, with only two genders corresponding to two biological genders.
For those who do not ‘fit’, this can result in religious guilt creating feelings of worthlessness,
combined with anger towards God, which in turn aggravates feelings of guilt (Vasegh, 2011). Psychological and medical perspectives have traditionally viewed transvestism as a
pathology and categorized it within ICD-10, as ‘deviant’, ‘fetishistic’ and a ‘mental and
behavioural disorder’ (World Health Organization, 2011). This view of transvestitism as a
mental disorder and as a vehicle for sexual excitement has made it extremely difficult to come as
a crossdresser, in part because of the discrimination they face. According to the Scottish
Transgender Alliance (2010), however, it is relatively rare for people to self-identify as a cross-
dresser if their ‘dressing’ is purely erotic. Within the transgendered community, it is now
generally agreed that self-definition is the most important determinant of sexuality and gender
(Scottish Transgender Alliance, 2010).
Reason for Crossdressing
Crossdressers are people who wear the opposite sex’s clothing or adornments such as
make-up and accessories, presuming that a biological male may dress in “female clothes” and a
biological female may dress in “male clothing”. There are reason for doing this act.
First is gender is traditionally represented as male or female in most parts of the world.
Unconsciously, many people acknowledge this dichotomy and do not give it a second thought,
but gender is far more complex than male and female. Gender is like a broad spectrum which is
just as unique as a fingerprint for an individual (Understanding Cross-Dressing, 2014).
Second is, according to the website of Go Ask Alice, a heterosexual male or female can
cross - dress because they feel that their gender identity does not match the sex they were given
when he was born. In some cases, the individual may just enjoy the fashion and associated
options offered in the society, regardless of the typical gender groups (2014). Struggles of Crossdressers
There are various interpretations and perspectives regarding crossdressing. Crossdressing
is defined as wearing the clothing of the opposite sex (Vencato, 2013). Crossdressing is further
defined by Annemarie Vaccaro, Gerri August, and Megan S. Kennedy (2011) as, “Cross-
dresser/cross-dressing. The most neutral word to describe a person who dresses, at least partially
or part of the time, and for any number of reasons, in clothing associated with another gender
within a particular society. Carries no implications of 'usual' gender appearance, or sexual
orientation. Has replaced transvestite, which is outdated, problematic, and generally offensive
since it was historically used to diagnose medical/mental health disorders.” (p. 124). Male to
female crossdressing provokes more anxiety than female to male crossdressing, due to the
inequality of gendered power relations (Kaiser, 2014). Male crossdressers struggle more than
female crossdressers since the society has already accepted female wearing male uniforms. Some
females are one of the military and they are obliged to wear the uniform same as men but when a
male wears a female clothing he will be judged and discriminated by the society.
In the article “The Psychology of Crossdresssing” (2015) said that “It appears absurd,
pitiful, and plain sinister that a man is delighted to put on a pair of stockings. We assume that
marriage would most definitely end the day that a wife found hr husband in her underwear, and
if the manager’s coworkers knew of his mascara and lipstick enthusiasm, a manager would lose
all authority”. People or the society put some certain expectations for a man and a woman. If a
baby boy is born he is expected to be a military, pilot, or any professions for a male, the parents
won’t expect the child to be a make up artist or a hairdresser. Society will be judging you if you
fail to satisfy the expectations they made.
The main barriers of the organization were the poor support from the government along
with the lack of funding and workforce. The lack of legal protection, mental health issues and
discrimination supportive towards LGBT and showed powerful influence an many aspects,
including education and politics.
Addressing issues of crossdressing
To address these issues, educating and sensitizing more people, and engaging LGBT
individuals into advocacy were mostly expected. It is recommended to the government to act
positively to pass the ‘anti-discrimination bill’ that was already prepared. Other several
recommendations were made for different stakeholders including the government, community
and universities. (Xijia Tang, 2018).
Summary
Crossdressing is a general term for those people or person those people or person that is
likely to wear clothes from the opposite sex. Philippines is one of the most gay friendly country
in Asia but there are still some people who are against LGBT which includes crossdressers since
Philippines is influenced by the catholic church which their bible states that lesbian, gay or
LGBT is wrong. Most of the time or most crossdresser is male who wears female cloth. For
some reasons when they wear lingerie they would feel feminine and most of all they feel excited
enough to show the world who they are, But despite of their willingness to show to the others
their true colors there is discrimination that they will have to face. LGBT members often seen
joyous and free but they also have everyday struggles that they face everyday. They crossdress
because they think that their biological gender and their gender identity does not match. But
LGBT members also suffer from getting the acceptance they’re expecting. Most of the people
are saying they are human and they are one of them but there are still limitations for accepting.
People do not fully or completely accept who they are and what they truly are. To address these
issues, educating more people, and engaging LGBT individuals into advocacy were mostly
expected. It is recommended to the government to act positively to pass the ‘anti-discrimination
bill’ that was already prepared. Other several recommendations were made for different
stakeholders including the government, community and universities.
Bibliography
The Book Of Life. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2019, from The School Of Life:
