Crossdressing

WARNING: This topic may not be suitable for all audiences. Read at your own discretion.

Crossdressing is a "vacation" from our own normal lives to dress and live as someone opposite of our birth gender. Many people misconstrue crossdressing as a concept and what it actually entails. Crossdressing has its own appeal and charm to those who take part in crossdressing. The reasons for taking part in crossdressing vary- casual crossdressing, professional crossdressing, and yes- even for sexual pleasure. No matter what, it is a lifestyle and a culture that most people either disregard, disrespect, or misunderstand. In my attempts to try to better educate my audience and to provide something useful on crossdressing and crossdressers, I offer the Internet this blog post.

Before I Begin and a Special Hello...

If you are a crossdresser or know someone who crossdresses, and if you're viewing my blog post; I'd like to welcome you to "John's Blog Space!" I hope you can enjoy this blog post here as much as I've enjoyed working on it. This is a positive place online. I am not posting this just to get some laughs or draw a reaction. This is a factual post on crossdressing from multiple perspectives. The majority of this post relates to male-to-female crossdressers (M2F crossdressers), but there are also female-to-male crossdressers (F2M crossdressers).

I have certain goals I hope to accomplish with this blog post:
• factually discuss crossdressing/transvestism.
• gain a little more understanding of crossdressing/transvestism to better service my audience.
• (maybe) gain some respect among my LGBT readers, especially the "T" part for this post.
• (maybe) meet some loyal readers who may be among the LGBT community.

I am not a crossdresser, nor have I ever done so. I am basing all of my material on things I've learned on this topic through factual proof and research as well as personal commentary.

--- Crossdressing at a Glance ---

Those who have been on "John's Blog Space" before may have read some past posts of mine that touched up on transgenderism before. Many others have seen me make mention of males wearing feminine fashions. What you are about to read here is a proper post regarding crossdressing. Because I need to continually provide quality content for this blog and to re-direct my blog traffic to more relevant posts, I present to you my post regarding crossdressing.

What some people disregard is that there is a HUGE difference between transvestism (clinical term for crossdressing) and transsexualism. A transvestite (TV) or a crossdresser (CD) is someone who temporarily lives and dresses as a member of the gender opposite of his/her birth gender. A transvestite does not want to have surgery to permanently become the person's opposite gender. A transsexual has full surgery to permanently live as and become a member of the gender opposite of one's birth gender. Could a crossdresser/transvestite consider having surgery to permanently become a member of his/her opposite gender? Sure- especially if that person feels he/she was born in the wrong body.

Some people who engage in crossdressing will spend money towards buying great clothes to help unleash their inner person. Some others even go to the level of purchase certain items like wigs, hosiery, and even health supplements to help enhance themselves in becoming crossdressers. In addition to products, there are also certain techniques crossdressers use to help them transition better. I will not discuss those tactics in this blog post, but I will make a mention things like (for M2F crossdressers) tucking- which can be an integral part in M2F crossdressers wearing body-hugging or body-conscious clothing.

Reasons for Crossdressing.

I briefly mentioned reasons why others crossdress. Here is a brief look at each:

• There are those who casually wear clothing from the other gender, and there are those who crossdress for profession. A male may choose to wear feminine clothing and completely transform himself into another person. A man named Michael (for hypothetical purposes) may have a hidden person waiting to emerge named Michelle (again- hypothetical purposes).

• There are those who professionally crossdress. Female impersonators, drag queens, and even actors/actresses dress up as members of the opposite gender to play roles, compete in contests, and other purposes in making money.

• And so I don't forget, there are those who crossdress for sexual thrills. Some people are sexually aroused either wearing clothing from the opposite gender. Such people have fetishes wearing clothes from the other gender.


Regardless, crossdressing is a very risky lifestyle that has its own rewards for those who enjoy doing so.

A Past Experience.

I probably mentioned this in my blog, but there was one time back in 2007 when I became friends with a transvestite. One time after class at my community college, I noticed a male in a Men's bathroom who had beautiful long hair. I eventually got to know him a bit. He was a male named (I try to be VERY careful giving deep details) Darrell. While being the handsome Darrell, his transvestite alter ego is Brittney. I met "Brittney" one day around campus. I was friends with this person as he was having some problems. I let Darrell know that he could chat with me if he had issues. To this day, this person is the ONLY transvestite I've ever known in person.


That concludes this look at crossdressing/transvestism. Time to move on to other material.

--- Crossdressing Misconceptions ---

Everything in life has misconceptions. Crossdressing is no different. Each bullet features a certain misconception followed by my own commentary.


• "All crossdressers are gay."
So if a male casually puts on a skirt or a dress, he is automatically considered gay? Here's a fact- males who crossdress may be straight. They may be happily married men/women as well as proud parents. You can't automatically call someone gay just because they crossdress. Certain people are only gay if you think only gay people dress up in clothes most average or what "regular" people wouldn't wear.

• "Crossdresser? Transsexual? Same thing, right?"
Uh... NO! If you read the previous section, there is a HUGE difference between transvestism/crossdressing and transsexualism. The common factor is in living as and dressing up as a member of a sex opposite of our birth gender. The biggest difference is in the desire to PERMANENTLY become a member of our opposite gender. Transsexuals are permanent members of their opposite sex; transvestites/crossdressers are part-time members of their opposite sex.

• "Transvestite/Crossdresser = Intersexed."
Being intersexed is a completely different concept. Intersexed people have both male and female chromosomes and internals. It is COMPLETELY different from someone who crossdresses or has had surgery to become a member of one's opposite gender.

• Crossdressers are "freaks."
The only way they can be real freaks is if you think of them as monsters and not as people. Fact is- crossdressers are every bit of human beings as you and I. Maybe their lifestyle is different from the norm. There are people (for example) who indulge themselves in subcultures like Goth or punk. Are they "freaks" just because they live a lifestyle vastly different from everybody else? Well, neither are crossdressers.


These are some misconceptions I came up with. Can you think of any others?

--- Crossdressing and its Reasons ---

Here now is a look at crossdressing from various perspectives. Each section is complete with my own thoughts on each bit of crossdressing.

Crossdressing: Casual.

^ from: www.sexandgender.net (best I could find) - She may not be a real woman, but this guy surely enjoys being this girl on a part-time basis.

I will define a casual crossdresser as anyone who crossdresses for reasons other than profession or sexual thrills. I am talking about the person who lives as one person, but sometimes emerges as someone of his/her opposite gender. Someone who casually crossdresses has a tendency to want to be someone else. Remember my "Michael" example? You know, the hypothetical Michael who has a female alterego (also hypothetically) named Michelle?

Someone who casually crossdresses just enjoys going out as one's gender opposite of his/her birth gender. Such people enjoy the feeling and the joy of being that other person. A male-to-female crossdresser (or M2F crossdresser) would enjoy wearing feminine garments out and about. He feels a sort of empowerment and comfort being and dressed as a female. On the other end, a female-to-male crossdresser (or F2M crossdresser) enjoys living and acting as a male while wearing masculine clothes.

A casual crossdresser simply enjoys the thrill and joy of temporarily being someone of one's gender opposite of his/her birth gender. That person is confident in his/her dress and personality that he/she is actually able to pull off being a crossdresser.

Crossdressing: Profession.

^ from: thesun.co.uk (best I could find) - Drag queens are among the most famous of those who crossdress as a profession.

Acting roles, pageants, competitions, and more... I will define a professional crossdresser as someone who crossdresses for a profession and/or for money. The most common professional crossdressers are drag queens. Drag queens are beautiful women with immense glamour and charm... only they are not real women. They even give themselves interesting and unique stage names to set themselves apart from other drag queens. Drag queens wear all sorts of clothing and accessories, even including certain intimates and parts I can't mention here. Perhaps one of the most famous YouTube crossdressers is Jessica De Leon, better known as "JessicaWhoHD." Here is a sample of JessicaWhoHD:


^ "My YouTube Story Part I - Why I Make Videos"

Want more of Jessica? To visit Jessica De Leon's YouTube channel, visit JessicaWhoHD on YouTube.


Some male actors have taken on female characters. Some examples in the realm of TV and entertainment include the likes of Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire, Tyler Perry playing as Madea, Martin Lawrence as Sheneneh, and Martin Lawrence as Big Momma, among various other roles. Anyone who knows drag queens know one figure as a deity- RuPaul.

Some people dress up as fictional characters of the opposite gender. I am mostly talking about those who cosplay as certain characters of the opposite gender. For example, a genetic male may dress up for a convention or a contest as a female character he loves. Likewise, a genetic female may dress up as a male character she loves.

When you consider there are people who love crossdressing and make money doing it, you gauge how special it feels to do what you love and profit from it. This goes back to me talking about lifestyles and professions people may not necessarily like. If such personalities enjoy crossdressing and are profiting from it, who are you to argue against or tell them how to live their lives?

Crossdressing: Sexual Thrills.

It is obvious I should open this section by saying that this section may be discomforting for some members of my reading audience. So skip to the next section or read carefully.

There are some people who enjoy crossdressing for sexual pleasure. Such crossdressers enjoy crossdressing by engaging in kinky sex acts or engaging in various sexual behaviors. I want to keep my blog as world-friendly (my term for "safe for work/school") as possible, so I will not delve into any deeper details.


No matter what one's crossdressing desires are, one thing is important- the ability to return to going back to one's normal life and one's normal self. Crossdressing is a "vacation" where we become someone of our birth gender to live and dress as someone of the gender opposite of our birth. It isn't permanently being a member of a certain sex like with transsexuals.

--- Crossdressing Roadblocks ---

It is easy to be a crossdresser, right? No. There are certain obstacles that prevent or hinder most would-be crossdressers from doing or enjoying crossdressing. Here are some of the multiple roadblocks:

Inconfident About Emerging.

If you are educated in some way about transgender people, you might have heard expressions regarding "closet" transgenders. The expression regarding closet transgenders relates to those who crossdress but don't crossdress outside of home. So they mostly wear clothing from the opposite sex mostly around the house or in their bedroom. Not every crossdresser confidently leaves home dressed and living as a member of one's opposite gender. And therefore, not every crossdresser is confident enough to come out and let that inner person emerge.

Family Issues.

A male may be able to comfortably wear clothing from a female family member; but of course, certain family members may reject the notion of a male wearing female clothing. This can be an issue among family members. A crossdresser's desire to wear clothing could begin by wearing clothes from (in the case of M2F crossdressers) a male wearing clothing from female family members. Certain family members would detest of siblings or other family members crossdressing. These desires can be a roadblock for those who are crossdressing with clothing from other family members.

Romantic Issues.

This is perhaps the most damaging part of crossdressing desires. If you are a male wearing your girlfriend's/fianceé's/wife's clothes, your better half will likely be disgusted. Remember the misconception I posted about crossdressers being gay? It isn't easy for males to try to crossdress in fear of upsetting their lover or spouse. Certain relationships can fall apart thanks to things like this. Understanding lovers usually can set something up to where a crossdresser can enjoy crossdressing while still being together. A crossdresser can still enjoy being that other person while still being a good lover/spouse or even a parent.

Fear of Being/Looking Awkward.

Being passable is a quality many transgendered folk dream of. Some do not want to try crossdressing for fear of looking awkward. It takes confidence to wear such clothes and to act a certain way out and about. If it were easy to crossdress with confidence, we all would be crossdressing and love doing so!

Fear of Being Abused or Attacked.

One transgendered person's worst fear is in being abused or beaten, especially when one is unaware of someone not being born of a certain gender. While this is more prevalent among transsexuals, crossdressers could also suffer the same violent fate, especially if someone wants to be with someone else to whom is oblivious one is a transvestite or a transsexual. Not disclosing info about your gender can lead to violent consequences among those who exhibit violent behavior towards transgenders.


These are only among some of the many different roadblocks of crossdressing.

--- Final Thoughts on Crossdressing ---

Crossdressing is a misunderstood concept for many people. Throughout my entire explaining of crossdressing, never have I mentioned that it is right or wrong to crossdress. I have never criticized or attacked people who do crossdressing. All I have done through this post is discuss crossdressing on a professional and unbiased manner.

Crossdressing is a lifestyle that people will either appreciate or disapprove. It is as much worthy of like or dislike as any other lifestyle or culture. Among the many aspects of crossdressing, many people disregard or misconstrue certain aspects of crossdressers and crossdressing. Among the biggest ones is that crossdressers are not transsexuals. They are transgenders, but there is a big difference between crossdressing and transsexualism. It is also vastly misconstrued that all crossdressers are gay just because they live and dress as members of their oppposite sex. Transvestites simply take a vacation from their birth gender to live and dress as their opposite gender. And just like any vacation, any crossdresser wants to go from being one person to go back to being their own normal selves.

Taking part in crossdressing is because of certain factors ranging from casual crossdressing, to professional crossdressing, and even going to crossdressing for sexual pleasure. The reasons and pleasures vary among those who crossdress, but it has its appeal for all who take part in crossdressing.

--- Crossdressing Resources ---

I said this was a factual post on crossdressing. I never said, however, it was the definitive post on crossdressing. All of my information was based on however much I know and understand about crossdressing. I had to do some research for some extra information. Remember that this blog post is a proper post about crossdressing and not just simply wearing clothes from the other gender. It's about dressing up as and living as a member of the opposite sex here. And with these resources online, you crossdressers (or those who want to know more about crossdressing) will find various resources to help you understand or enhance your crossdressing.

If you want to learn more about crossdressing or find some various resources, I can help you right here. I've looked all of these sites and can tell you that while some may feature material that may not be suitable for all audiences, no adult sites are featured here. Each of the featured web sites are offered for educational and entertainment purposes.

Crossdressing Resources: Basic Resources.

These sites offer advice, educational content, online communities, and more for crossdressers and those wanting to know more about them. I advise that anyone looking to learn more about this and looking for more factual proof visit these links.

• Laura's Playground (Crossdresser link)
Laura's Playground is the Internet's most well-respected resource on almost anything transgender. The link (relevant to this blog post) links you to the Crossdressing resources of Laura's Playground. It is recommended you click on the link if you want to read specifically about crossdressers. If you want to read about transgender issues for youth (including crossdressing), use this link: Laura's Playground (Teens link). If you want to visit the main site, which links to information on all varieties of transgenders, use this link: Laura's Playground (main site).

• Susan's Place Transgender Resources for Transsexual/Transgender Communities (Crossdressing link)
Including both resources and an online message board, Susan's Place has many resources for transgender people. It even includes resources for crossdressers, which the above link takes you.
You may visit the main site by using this link: Susan's Place Transgender Resources for Transsexual/Transgender Communities.

• www.crossdressers.com/
A online forum devoted to crossdressing.

• Crossdresser Heaven
A website offering tips and resources for M2F crossdressers.

• Crossdressing Freedom
A website with many resources including stories, pictures, videos, advice, and more. It is run by a crossdresser who calls herself Zoe Freedom.

• UltraCrossdresser
Called "the ultimate crossdresser/transvestite guide," this site features many resources for crossdressers both new and experienced. Gain some knowledge and some insight if you are crossdressing or want to know more about crossdressing.

• A Crossdresser's Secret Garden
A resource site for crossdressers/transvestites and those who know them.

• The Gender Society
A social network and resource site devoted to transgenders (including crossdressers/transvestites).

Crossdressing Resources: Stores.

These are online stores with items for sale for those seriously into crossdressing. Be warned that some of these sites may not be comfortable for all audiences. Each site is a look at what certain online stores offer for crossdressers. However, no adult sites are featured.

• Cross-dress.com
This is one of the different sites to visit where you can get some accessories and items if you're a crossdresser.

• Crossdressing: Lingerie for Men, Men's Lace, Men's Satin & Panties
This is an online store with many items for M2F crossdressers.

• Crossdressing, Transgender, and Crossdresser Clothing and Accessories
An online store with various items for crossdressers.


I may include more links to better service my audience based on traffic or interest to this post. If you would like to suggest some sites to me that may be of interest to my readers, please contact me via E-mail. I review sites and will feature only material that I think my readers can benefit from and are not suspicious sites of any kind. Use the table at the conclusion of this post to contact me.





That concludes my blog post on crossdressing. I hope you were able to have a different understanding of crossdressers/transvestites after reading this post and checking out some of the resources I've posted. I may consider doing a related topic to this one in the future. So make sure you're subscribed and/or Following John's Blog Space. Not followed, but you love my blog? Then PLEASE subscribe to my blog!

More than ever... thank you for reading!

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Fashion Freedom

Fashion freedom is a concept in which there are no gender limits to wearing certain garments. There are some people who feel like they should be able to wear anything- including clothing from the opposite sex. Think of men in high heels. Think of men in skirts and dresses. At least in the minds of most fashionable males, a male would be confounded as to why he would be considered crossdressing if he wears feminine clothing, yet a female could be able to wear masculine clothing without penalty and not be called a crossdresser. This is part of the reason why I mostly discuss feminine fashion more than I do masculine fashion- fashion is more versatile for females than it is for males. This versatility (and the fact I'm a bit more comfortable discussing feminine fashion) is why I mostly discuss feminine fashion. If you are someone who feels strongly in favor of fashion freedom, this is your blog post.

I want you to know that this blog post may lead to separate blog posts on the same related topic, so make sure to keep reading John's Blog Space for this and other posts on the same topic. Most of what this post pertains to is about males wearing feminine fashions. While I did an entire blog post on this topic, this blog post is a more in-depth look at fashion freedom.

WARNING: While there is no seriously objectionable content, some of the content matter in this blog post may not be suitable for all audiences.

--- Fashion Freedom as a Concept ---

Fashion freedom would ask questions about fashion that mainstream society would frown upon instantaneously. For instance...

• Why should only females wear skirts (or even dresses)?
• Why should only females wear high heels? Why should only females wear makeup and nail polish?
• Why is it that if a female attempts to wear male clothing (a la boyfriend fashion), she is seemingly okay; but if a male attempts to wears female clothing, he is considered crossdressing?

These questions and more are questions that those into fashion freedom would ask. The key point is in feeling able to wear clothing even from the opposite sex without fear of being considered gay or a transvestite by society.

--- Fashion Freedom: You Can't Wear THAT! ---

In the minds of those who feel they can wear whatever they want, there should be no reason why anyone should have to have restrictions on what they should and should wear. How come a male shouldn't be able to wear a skirt if he wants to? Why shouldn't a male wear pumps or some feminine heels if he wants to? We tend to live in a society where everything is taboo. Anything left of mainstream society is grounds for taboo and gossip. For example, a male who wants to wear a silky camisole top with a pair of chic jeans and either high-heel pumps or high-heel sandals should feel he can wear such a look without penalty or cruel stares. One male makes such a fashion choice and ends up having all sorts of mostly negative attention to him. Not everyone wants to wear something just to be noticed in a negative light.

The male should have no problem wanting to go out sporting this look, right? Wrong. With the society we live in, there are those who would cringe at the sight of a male being left of socially acceptable. Females wear pink. Do males wear pink too? Absolutely males do. I've even known a few guys who wear pink, or even some variation of pink. To those who believe in fashion freedom, there should be no reason why a guy should be hated on for wearing something that would easily look cute/sexy/fierce on a female.

"I Want to Wear Whatever I Want."

Some people feel they should be able to wear whatever they like, and the feeling tends to be especially hard for school students. One such case was that of a (even I must say) very cute young male named Jonathan Escobar. In 2009, Jonathan Escobar- a (then) 16-year old from Miami who enrolled in North Cobb High School (Kennesaw, Georgia, USA) was kicked out of his high school since he wasn't allowed to dress up as a girl. An interview on television saw Jonathan dress up in a black wide-brim hat, a gray blazer, indigo blue skinny jeans, black nail polish on his fingernails and toenails, and a cute pair of platform high-heel sandals. It was concluded that the dress code strictly enforced students didn't dress or act in ways that would disrupt school functions... including crossdressing. Here was the news segment from 2009:



Imagine something as simple as wearing certain clothes as a barrier of getting a good education. Sad.

Double Standards in Fashion?

Fashion poses a number of double standards. In case you need a refresher on what a double standard is, it means that one such situation is perfectly fine for one party but troublesome for another party. One can make the case for the boyfriend/menswear trend. For instance, it's perfectly fine if a girl wants to dress up as a guy or wear masculine-cut clothes. However, a male would be heckled or be frowned upon if he wants to wear feminine garments. There are females who dress and look boyish. Not every girl wants to wear sexy dresses and sky high heel pumps. But then, not every male wants to wear masculine clothing.

Remember I discussed the versatility of feminine fashion from the outset? Well, fashion favors females more than males. Because of this favorable nature, a number of people would frown at the notion of a male wearing feminine clothing. Imagine that a guy wants to wear a flirty leopard-print elbow sleeve top, dark blue skinny jeans, and some black round-toe pumps. Not out of taboo, but because he wants to express himself through the means of fashion. Do you allow him to dress up this way, or do you admonish and criticize him because he doesn't dress up like other average males?

Homophobic Fears.

One thing people do not want to have happen to them is being considered gay just because of a few fashion choices. More than anything, this is perhaps the biggest fear and biggest deterrent for most males trying on certain feminine fashions. The fear is that someone is considered/presumed gay just because he/she isn't "like everybody else." A certain preference in fashion does not make anyone gay. A lot of people would assume (especially males) to be crossdressers simply because they wear feminine clothing.


So therefore, the concept of fashion freedom is a risky one. Many people take different things in different ways.

--- Fashion Freedom: How Others Would Feel about Fashion Freedom ---

(NOTE: This section is all opinion. It is not based on any scientific research I've done on this topic matter.)

How Most Females Would Feel About Males in Feminine Fashions.

Most females would object to the notion of a male wearing anything feminine. To some females, males should stick to masculine clothes, and females should happily wear feminine clothing. This would be flawed logic by most males. The flawed logic would be that if a girl could get away with wearing guy's clothing, how come guys can't get away with wearing girl's clothing? The double standard here relates to how females could wear male clothing, but males somehow can't wear feminine fashion if a male chooses to do so.

I've seen in pictures and in blog posts about girls looking boyish or even wearing menswear clothing. Many females can pull off such looks. However, a male who wants to wear feminine fashions is somehow unable or disallowed by others. Many average males would think of such males as gay or as crossdressers just because they are wearing feminine clothes. So if males wearing feminine fashions are gays/crossdressers to some, how come no one (or a certain few) refers to females wearing masculine clothes as lesbians/crossdressers? Males who are in favor of wearing feminine clothes would feel strongly opposed on how much more freely females can wear masculine clothing as opposed to males wearing feminine clothes.

I have said all along that fashion is a form of art. As a form of art, one should be able to express himself/herself however he/she chooses- including fashion. That even includes males who want to dress in a feminine way. Think of Jonathan Escobar from earlier in this blog post. It is okay to be disgusted or feel uneasy about a male wearing feminine fashions. However, you have to appreciate such males being able to pull off certain looks and proudly wear them, even if at the expense of looking awkward.

The next section will make the case that males should be able to wear feminine or feminine-inspired pieces about as easily as any girl could easily wear.





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--- Fashion Freedom: Males in Feminine Fashions ---

This is not necessarily about fashion freedom, but more along the lines of males who have no problem wearing feminine fashions and posting about their looks. The most important thing to remember is that these are males who wear feminine fashions and do not wish to have any sort of transgender surgery to permanently become the opposite sex. You are invited to visit their blogs and see these males showcase their style in feminine fashions.

Click on the hyperlinked headings to visit their respective blogs or sites.

The Art of Avant Garde.

As one of the most unique fellows you'll ever come across, Eli is an androgynous fellow who proudly puts together some lovely outfits. His beauty and charm shows that males can greatly wear feminine fashions if a male so choose to do so and can pull such looks off. His sense of style has as much appeal to fashion as Lady Gaga to music and art. So visit "The Art of Avant Garde" and check out Eli's style.

FASHIONpaak.

Paak Chan is a male from Hong Kong who has no problem wearing skirts, heels, or platforms. His style is unique as you see him sport a number of styles. Now, Paak is not androgynous or anything. He just shows that certain feminine fashions can look great even on males.

high heels for men.

This blog is run by a woman showcasing males wearing high-heel shoes. They can range from average males to androgynous males. The males featured range from wearing masculine fashions to more feminine outfits. So you get a little of everything here. Most importantly, though, there are NO transgendered folk to speak of. All of the males featured are all males wearing high heel shoes.

Hottest Heels - Heels Are Hot! Anything Else Is Not!.

This young blogger from New York City commonly posts on celebrities wearing high heel shoes. Sometimes, this fellow even showcases himself wearing high heels. This person very much shows that if a guy wants to sport some high heels, he should be able to do so and be confident wearing them. Even if pictures of him in high heels don't tickle your fancy, at least visit to see various celebrities wearing high heels.

Androgyn.beauty's Blog (Wordpress).

This is a Wordpress blog of an androgynous male beauty from Spain. He posts a variety of different posts where he mostly shows you his fashion style. This fellow has androgynous beauty with such smooth legs. Fashion items he wears are mostly casual and mostly chic. There are also skirts and dresses he may wear, as well as a handful of feminine shoes. His blog and his beauty will impress a lot of you. One last thing (and maybe a word of warning)... I would be disgusting most of my reading audience if I mentioned this, but he even has a few pictures of himself wearing lingerie. His looks and charm are surprisingly so lovely that he looks very passable even in lingerie.

Fashion Freedom for Men (Wordpress).

This blog highlights on fashion freedom for men. It showcases a level of style when males wear feminine clothing. It also features various fashion insights. If you are someone who feels strongly that males should be able to wear feminine fashion if they so choose, this site is for you.


I won't go crazy on videos, but I will show one video of a male wearing feminine fashions. Let this be some inspiration for you males to wear feminine fashions if you feel fashionable and confident enough.

Before I show you this video, I would NOT recommend you wear this in this situation. Anyhow, Gregory GORGEOUS shares with you this outfit. Any sexy girl would look hot in this outfit, but leave it to the Canadian to wear with outfit proudly:



Note the painted fingernails. Remember- this is a GUY wearing this outfit. Almost any female confident enough to wear such an outfit would have no problem wearing it. However, this fellow proudly wore this outfit.


If there are any other male fashion blogs or videos relevant to this topic, I will feature them in future edits.

--- Final Thoughts ---

This Final Thoughts section is a two-part deal. I will provide some lasting thoughts as well as what I would wear if I were to try feminine fashions for my own frame.

Final Thoughts on this Topic.

I have expressed this topic from a journalistic standpoint throughout this post. When you really think about it, those who feel strongly in favor of fashion freedom feel that males should have as much versatility and freedom in fashion as females do.

I know there are social stereotypes on any thought regarding fashionable males. You know, almost as if males should only dress up in masculine fashions and only masculine fashions. Society would mostly draw cruel stares at males who constantly are image conscious and take great care of themselves much like a lot of females. There is nothing wrong with a male who wants to look his absolute best, even to being real high maintenance with his looks. However, there are males who would think that if females can wear masculine fashions without penalty or complications (for those females who can comfortably and confidently wear masculine fashions), how come males can't wear feminine fashions if they so choose? This double standard in fashion has some fashionable males feeling disappointed.

This is more about fashion versatility and comfort than addressing any gender stereotypes or homophobic fears.

Would I Try Any Feminine Fashions?

A few times thinking about topics like this, I often imagine what it would be like if it were me sporting some of these fashions. Going out and about, I'd lack the confidence to go with anything really feminine if I were to try any looks mentioned here. You have to be confident in what you wear, even if you appear to look mostly awkward to many people.

The challenge for men trying feminine shoes is in finding a pair of shoes that will fit. One rule of thumb is that for males wearing feminine heels, your feminine shoe size should be added by two. I could fit in a 10.5 D(M) US shoe or even a 11 D(M) US size shoe. So for women's shoes, they'd have to be either 12.5 B(M) US or 13 B(M) US. So here's a little reference:

• Male seeking female shoes = your women's size is two (US) sizes up.
• Female seeking male shoes = your men's size is two (US) sizes down.

So if I was crazy about getting feminine shoes, you shoe retailers better have some lovely shoes in a men's size 10.5 or 11! :D What I just mentioned is just a general rule of thumb. The only way to really know if a pair of shoes fit you best is by actually going out and wearing these shoes for yourself.

What I'd go with has to be completely casual. That's why I'd be okay with something like a long denim jean skirt and maybe some mary jane wedges. I haven't really thought of what kind of feminine top I'd try on. Then too, I doubt I'd look great wearing any sort of feminine top or dress for a frame like mine. So I'll just stick to bottoms and shoes here. I rarely wear sandals outside of the house, so I am not sure if I'd actually want to wear feminine sandals or any open-toe/peep-toe shoes. I wouldn't try slingbacks unless wearing any bottoms that extend above the ankles. Trying some VERY feminine shoes takes MUCH more confidence than wearing something like ballet flats or flat gladiator sandals.


And those are your Final Thoughts from me, including a "What If?" if I was trying these looks myself.





Some of the topics mentioned in this blog post may resurface as separate discussions. I posted this entry to set off a potential series of individual blog posts from this topic. So make sure you're subscribed to "John's Blog Space" to keep up with the latest material of mine.

How do you feel about the concept of fashion freedom? You are welcome to share your thoughts here. Thanks for reading!

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My Salute to the LGBT Audience

This post is my salute to LGBT readers who visit John's Blog Space. For those unsure of what LGBT stands for, LGBT relates to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and people like that. Many topics in this category have been posted by me. I don't know who all visits my blog, but I do want to salute this audience for those who are interested in my content and content under this label. Also, I've never given a proper introduction to this label. This post, then, is a dual-purpose blog post. I will salute the LGBT audience who reads my blog and also provide insight on discussing topics under this category.

--- My Salute to the LGBT Community ---

Having an audience follow and respect your work is always what any publisher of any quality content want. I have to be mindful of various audiences who visit and share my material.

So I would like to honor anyone and everyone lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersexed, genderqueer... whatever terminology within this category that defines you. I hope my material in this category is to your liking. None of the material I post is of any taboo. Part of my own influence has been in actually meeting such people. I can honestly say I've gotten to know at least one of each- a gay male, a lesbian female, (maybe) I've met someone bisexual, and I've eventually gotten to know a transvestite. So after teaching myself about certain issues facing LGBT folk and even gaining insight from certain LGBT folk I've contacted (mostly online), I was able to offer my comments and posts online to contribute to this category.

I do not release a label or a blog post if I don't feel able to generate some sort of following or gain some sort of respect from others. Not as many people actually comment (NOTE: I said people; not spammers) on my posts, so I don't know if my material has actually struck a chord with the LGBT community. I do know a significant amount of my audience has been interested in my blog post regarding androgyny in fashion and art. However, I want to know if my work actually has resonated with the LGBT audience in any such way. And if so, how many actually care about my work?

Regardless, I want to honor and thank all of you LGBT folk who support my work. This is more about transparency than anything else.

--- Why Post These LGBT-Themed Topics? ---

You could ask this question for almost every topic and every label I've introduced to this blog. I've actually introduced the LGBT Issues blog label in my blog post about Kim Petras. There are many people who have their own preoccupations and thoughts on people among the LGBT crowd. I have two options as someone who posts about various topics- either tune out a certain audience (and subsequently lose out on expanding my audience), or offer some topics with LGBT themes for those interested in this topic. Guess which one I obviously went with.

Everything I post for "John's Blog Space" is with the intent of providing content that is educational, entertaining, inspiring, informative, or any combination of these items. That even includes LGBT issues. I don't post anything until I feel I can comfortably discuss them. That ultimately leads me into discussing LGBT topics on John's Blog Space. I post these topics because I know there is an audience who has even remote interest in these topics. My general rule of thumb is to never release anything online unless you are completely confident and comfortable in what you post. And I'll be honest- some topics I post on are some that I am not comfortable putting in my blog or discussing. However, I post these topics anyway with a good degree of confidence because I have things to discuss, and people want to know what I think about certain things. Remember that I am responsible for myself. I am not posting material just because someone is watching over me or hoping for me to mention something. I am also not posting anything and trying to word everything in a certain way so I can make somebody happy.

Most of my posts in this category simply feature worthy elements related to or featuring LGBT issues. For example, I may make mention to some sort of same-sex elements or something along the lines of kissing someone of the same sex or something along the lines of crossdressing. Whatever I post is with the intent of being opinionated and factual; NOT along the lines of posting taboo. As an important element of discussing issues, I have to mention "the other side" of things. It adds credibility to posts and comments. I am not saying that taboo and just-for-fun material is bad; I am just saying that it's sometimes refreshing and different to look at things from a different perspective.

--- Final Thoughts ---

As important as any audience, I am always honored to meet new people and receive new support from others. That even includes

For the purpose of this blog post, I want to thank all of you LGBT folk whom have supported my work and read John's Blog Space. I want to post more content in this category/label to further interest the LGBT audience. But again- I don't know how much of my audience is that of LGBT folk. But for the gay/lesbian audience reading this blog and its posts, I salute all of you in this blog post.

You may be a male who prefers the company of other males. You may be a female who prefers the company of other females. You may be male or female and equally love males and females. You may be an androgynous person. Perhaps you are one person, but enjoy crossdressing; or you may be a permanent member of your non-birth gender. Perhaps you are intersexed, genderqueer, or whatever. Whatever the case, if you are proudly among the LGBT audience, and if you read/love "John's Blog Space" or any of my other online material; I salute you and thank you for your support!





Of course, I salute all of my readers for reading my post; but I wanted to take some time and salute the LGBT audience who reads my blog for this post here. Thanks to all of you for reading! If you're an LGBT blogger and want me to shout out to you, feel free to contact me. I'll be sure to make a mention to you. I actually wanted to create a section in this blog post where I salute certain bloggers in the LGBT realm who love my work. But since I don't get too many loyal readers (meaning anyone who doesn't post suspicious material and links to my blog in comments), I don't really know where my audience is that really supports my work. So PLEASE support me if you love my work!

Thank you for reading!

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Yes... You ARE Beautiful!

(UPDATED: March 12, 2012)

"...girl, you're amazing just the way you are."

-Bruno Mars

Despite this lovely part of the chorus of "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars, many females feel under extreme pressure to be and remain beautiful. What most people fail to realize, though, is that everyone is beautiful in their own way. Every girl (and I use this loosely) seems like they have to be Barbie doll perfect- tall, sexy, slender, charming, fashionable, and most of all... beautiful. That is what can happen when you rely too much on ideals- you disregard reality. Ideal society says that every beautiful woman is between the ages of 18 and 25 and are both immensely sexy and alluring. Reality, however, says that not every woman is slim and slender and super-sexy. Some girls even hate fashion or don't consider themselves fashionable. Some don't even care if they are beautiful or not.

When you're feeling ugly, always remember:


^ from: rainbowballz.tumblr.com - Feeling ugly? Remember- you're beautiful!

--- Inspiration(s) for This Blog Post ---

Some of my blog posts have been popular to where I've earned the respect of a certain group of individuals. Two of my most popular blog posts are my "Plus Size Fashion" and "Sweet Petite!" blog posts. I can say that I've earned some kind of respect from readers for both posts. I never thought my "Plus Size Fashion" post would garner respect from curvy ladies as well as in meeting new friends on Facebook. I never thought my "Sweet Petite!" blog post would get some love from petite women.

Besides focusing on fashion, I created those two posts to try to meet new people and try to offer some respect. There are not as many options to cater to plus size women or petite women. Most fashion designers and stores mostly cater to average-type women. Because there are not as many options for plus size or petite women, these two departments of fashion are basically their own industries. There are even blogs and websites highlighting on these two departments of fashion.

One of my TRUE inspirations for this blog post, however, was when I read a post called "You are Beautiful!" on Principessa Gabriella. Gabriella talks about how she's disgusted when girls who lack confidence on their looks complain online about their image. Gabriella, as a voice of reason, convinces ladies to be more confident in their looks. To get Gabriella's perspective, check out: "You are Beautiful!" on Principessa Gabriella.

To follow Gabriella's lead, allow me to offer my own perspective. Read on.

--- The Mirror Test ---

Take a look in a mirror, females. Do you like what you see, or do you think you can look/feel/become more beautiful than you are right now?

I have learned to appreciate that everyone and [almost] everything in life are beautiful in their own respective ways. Most people think that someone who is flabby or unattractive just isn't beautiful or not considered to be beautiful (or have qualities deserving of being beautiful). When you are not confident in your own skin, you feel down and disappointed. You feel unloved and disregarded. You feel even more like looking and remaining beautiful is of the utmost importance.

--- Yes... You ARE Beautiful! ---

There are a number of situations where some people (let alone females) don't feel beautiful all the time. Allow me to offer some calming and encouraging words if you fall into any of these categories. To give you advanced warning- a few of these talking points are a bit awkward in their content matter in helping you feel beautiful/handsome, so be warned. My hope for these portions is to help people in certain categories who don't feel handsome/beautiful. I also hope this expands my reading audience somewhat.

Each section may feature posts you may be interested in based on past blog posts of mine. These are old blog posts relevant to each section, so feel free to see these posts if you've never seen them before.

Lacking in the "Three B's."

There is what I often call the Three B's- belly, butt, and breasts. Some females don't have a beautiful midsection for when wearing a bikini or exposing midriff. Not every female has the backside that immediately draws attention from onlookers. Also, not every female has copious chest to feel totally sexy.

Whereas most people would immediately write off and disregard such ladies that don't have such features that make them immensely sexy, many people just fail to realize that you don't need these things to feel sexy and attractive. Too many people focus entirely on these parts of the body to have sex appeal or feel beautiful. Even for a male like myself, I know what makes a girl attractive does not involve just these features. What makes one lady immensely appealing is confidence. Why confidence? Because confidence is sexy. A confident woman is a beautiful woman. Lack confidence, and you don't feel beautiful. So remain strong and be confident in yourself.

RELEVANT POSTS THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU:
• Exposing Midriff - showing off your midriff
• Attention to Booty :) - a post about looking good from behind.

Plus Size Beauty.

One of the most popular blog posts on "John's Blog Space" is "Plus Size Fashion," which I discussed fashion for curvy females. The mindset for mainstream society is that curvy does not equal beautiful. Someone not as slim and as slender as a Barbie doll is not considered beautiful to most people in common culture. Such people feel that being overweight is not only unhealthy, but also unattractive. So you can imagine the sort of depression most plus size females feel when they feel shoved aside and disregarded because of their body size. For example, there are a lot of people who love the music of Adele, but many people (usually on YouTube) knock on her just because she's full-figured. It's almost as if people are being judged for their exterior more than who people are within.

A certain blog in particular caught my interest and is purely relevant in helping the female audience become more confident in their looks. I came across one young lady after reading a blog post from "Principessa Gabriella" here on Blogger/Blogspot. This girl named Georgina Doull of "Cupcake's Clothes" is one who caught my interest. What makes "Cupcake's Clothes" a fun blog to visit is because of Georgina's playful and girly style. When I read the bio about her on her blog, Georgina talks about not being confident enough in her looks. Trust me- when you look at her blog and see her colorful sense of fashion, she is just a super-cute ray of sunshine.

As long as you feel confident and beautiful despite being full-figured, that's all that matters. I've come across many beautiful ladies online and away from the computer who are plus-sized. It's just sad that many people feel it is best to tease and disregard plus size females, calling them things like "fatty" or whatever. There are a number of beautiful curvy ladies out there ranging from Jordin Sparks to Nikki Blonsky and many others. Even if you are not any of the aforementioned ladies, you don't have to be any of them to be beautiful.

RELEVANT POSTS THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU:
• Plus Size Fashion - my popular blog post highlighting on plus/extended/curvy fashion.

Petite Beauty.

There are some petites who don't feel beautiful since most fashions are catered towards more average-size, average-height women. I can tell you that petite women can be just as beautiful (if not more so) than most average-size women. One of my friends from Middle School is 4'8", and not only is she a good friend of mine, she is also very lovely. So don't let being vertically-challenged deter you. You are as beautiful as any average-size, average-height woman even if you are short. Or as some petites would say, "I'm not short; I'm fun-sized!" :)

RELEVANT POSTS THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU:
• Sweet Petite! - my blog post on petite fashion.

Mature Beauty.

I am talking here about women 35 years old or older who don't feel beautiful. Some older women tend to feel sad that they either (A) don't look as attractive as a slender High School girl or a young college girl, or (B) wished they could look as attractive as they did when they were younger. You can still be beautiful for your age. Some ladies 35 and older even wear youthful fashions from some of the same popular brands (like Hollister and bebe) and look every bit as cute as any teen girl or any college girl. This may sound a bit strange, but there are many women 35 or older (and even 50 or older) that are as beautiful, if not more so than most celebrities between the ages of 13 and 25. I consider 64-year old (as of September 15, 2011) Paula Deen to be beautiful as say... 21-year old (as of September 15, 2011) Taylor Swift.

The one thing to remember is that you can still look and feel fabulous regardless of your age. In pop culture, the whole influence on cougars (single mothers who actively pursue much younger men) have helped to make most older women feel sexy and attractive. You are still beautiful even if you aren't a slender teenage girl. You are just more classy beautiful than anything overbearing and over-the-top.

Girls' Beauty.

Please note that this section regards helping children feel beautiful. If you have a little daughter or know a little girl who doesn't feel beautiful, it can be damaging psychologically down the road to her psyche and her self-confidence. I recall a Dove commercial where a little girl looks at a poster at a bus stop and doesn't feel beautiful. Thereafter, Dove talked about how they've set up workshops to help little girls feel confident and beautiful.

A little girl should be feeling festive and cute rather than dislike herself for not being as beautiful as other girls. Peer pressure, more than anything, is surely a deciding factor in battling low self-esteem and in battling a lack of self-confidence. This is something little girls should not have to feel terrible about as such a young age. Parents and others will need to help such girls feel better about themselves and realizing they are beautiful.

I've tried to embed the video to this blog post, but embedding was disabled. So please click on this link to see the YouTube video I tried to make mention to: "Dove Commercial (Girls are under pressure)" on YouTube.


Now for a few awkward additions to help people feel beautiful.

Masculine Beauty.

My Fashion and Style blog posts are mostly suited towards my female viewers. However, there are some males who don't feel handsome in their looks and in their style. Not as many guys are as image-conscious as females are. There still can be a lot to be said to help out guys here. I am a male myself, so it's pretty awkward that a guy is offering other guys advice on being and feeling handsome.

The most important thing to remember is to just be yourself. You don't have to be the dashing bloke who will reluctantly sweep any single lady off her feet. You only need two things: swagger and charm. As for looks, just dress well and look handsome. No girl wants a guy who is shy or has the sex appeal of a Toyota Prius. Even if you are not a hard-bodied hunk (I am not one at all), it all boils down to if you still feel handsome... even if nobody ever says you're handsome. I can attest to this myself. The only people whom have ever considered me handsome are my mother and a few of my female friends.

If you are an androgynous male, you still have to have plenty of charm and charisma. Dressing up nicely can help in this department along with being confident in your own skin and body. Just stay true to yourself and be as handsome as you like.

Transgender Beauty.

For those who are transvestites, transsexuals, or intersexed; there are a number of you who don't feel confident in your own skin. The problem most (especially) transgendered folk face is that they don't feel as beautiful as their genetic counterparts. An example would be a male who crossdresses as a female and doesn't feel beautiful while crossdressing. Such a transgendered person would probably doubt himself/herself because he/she doesn't look and feel as attractive as any genetic female/male. This can also pertain to the transsexual (regardless of pre-operative or post-operative) who still doesn't feel as charming as his/her new self.

As much as I expressed having swagger and believing in yourself for males, this also pertains to transgendered or intersexed persons. You have to know and feel in your heart that you're beautiful. You can't be shy and passive- there has to be a certain level of charm you must exude to be and feel beautiful. Having that aura and that inviting charm will help you to be better and feel beautiful. If it helps, try going with clothing to make you feel more comfortable and look hot.

RELEVANT POSTS THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU:
• Males Wearing Feminine Fashions - while not about crossdressing, it chronicles males wearing feminine fashions.
• Androgyny in Fashion and Art - the unique charm of androgynous fashion.
• Transgender - a massive blog post concerning various aspects of transgendered folk.

--- BelieveMeWhenISay.com ---

(ADDED: March 12, 2012)

I was approached on YouTube by a YouTube channel recently. A YouTube channel named "mattyclum" introduced me to the "I Am Beautiful" campaign. Here is a video about beauty courtesy of "mattyclum." Have a look:



For more information, visit www.believemewhenisay.com.





Various external influences and pressures help us feel less than what we really are. We have to feel like we have to be like everybody else (or at least those who are considered beautiful/handsome). The fact that not all of us are equal makes us feel bad inside. You just have to block these things out and remember that you are as awesome as you want to be and feel. If it helps, try exercising to lose weight or any other sort of measures to help regain your confidence. Feeling beautiful again is different for many people, but it's doable. Always remember- YES! You ARE beautiful!

Thank you for reading!

Love John's Blog Space? If so (and if you haven't yet subscribed or followed), Subscribe and/or Follow! Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
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Lady Gaga

(UPDATED: February 17, 2012)

Lady Gaga is someone you either love or loathe. You either regard her as a superstar that transcends music or think she's just a singer with no true musical talent. You either think she's a bit strange with her outfits or think she's a complete nobody who doesn't deserve media attention. In my view... I wish people would stop hating on her so much. I'm not going to say "stop hating on her so much" in terms of singing ability, but I wish people would stop hating on her so much for her personality and character in music. Her songs and her style catch on like monkeys grasping on tree branches. This blog post is all about Lady Gaga.

This initial blog post is mostly a digest on her. I may edit this in the future with more content depending on traffic and interest from others.

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

FEB 17 2012 - made several edits

--- Lady Gaga ---

Unless you've been hiding away for a couple of years, this is Lady Gaga:


^ from: chismetime.com - Lady Gaga is one of the most unusual, yet most unique pop stars out there. She incorporates art and certain dances into her routines.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta is better known as Lady Gaga. This (born: March 28, 1986)-year old Italian girl went from struggling to get noticed her native New York City, New York, USA scene to being a world-renowned music superstar. She is a sweet petite- standing all of 5'1" (or 155 centimeters). Despite her diminutive frame, she is big on talent. What I respect most about Lady Gaga is how much she transcends music, often incorporating elements of art into her music and her routines. Another way she transcends herself from music is in her philanthropy and humanitarian efforts. She has also donated to various charities (including raising $1.5M to support fund the Japanese Disaster Relief through Zynga from the Sendai Earthquake and Pacific tsunami) as well as being an advocate of various LGBT causes. She calls her fans "monsters." And if that's true, then there's a whole world full of monsters that love and respect Lady Gaga and her music. Her success is insane. Lady Gaga has amassed the amount of success she has gotten including those one billion or so search engine hits. She's completely real and genuine despite being so Avant-Garde.

The biggest part of her rise to stardom has been the amount of support she has received from the LGBT community. She has garnered so much support from the gay community to help her rise to fame. Her "Born This Way" song even became respected as a gay anthem. "Born This Way" is up there as a gay anthem about as much as "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross.

One thing certain people questioned about Lady Gaga is if she's a real woman. Some wondered if she is a hermaphrodite or a man. A curious incident was shown in a video that went viral. At a show in Glastonbury, England; Lady Gaga was sitting on a motor scooter wearing a red mini dress and a pair of slouchy, calf-length black boots. She faintly mentions that she wasn't wearing panties. The moment she got off, well... the rest was history. At a future show, Lady Gaga jokingly answered if she had a (certain male genitalia). What was her answer? Have a listen to her sarcastic answer:

Lady Gaga in Style.

While a lot of other female pop stars are predicated on skimpy styles, Lady Gaga is more artistic. I once read in a magazine about how she's sexy in her own way. She doesn't have to be scantily clad just to arouse even the most discriminating male. I think she's a lovely lady. Sweet smile and cute face with some lovely hair. Speaking of hair, I made mention of her and a hair bow using her own hair in a very old blog post called "Hair Bows and Headbands."

The fact that she incorporates art into her music and routines really sets herself apart. She's different for a reason, people. I am an art person myself. Speaking as an art person, I can appreciate what Lady Gaga brings on the front of art. Lady Gaga even says she is an artist and not a celebrity. She is not at all a fan of being at hot parties, but she is definitely a party girl.

Lady Gaga is even known for her many strange outfits. At one point, she's dressed up with an outfit that has a lot of bubbles on it, and then there was her controversial meat dress. Each outfit has a story. For example, that meat dress was worn to represent gay military soldiers discharged from the military because of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. That's what she told Ellen DeGeneres in an interview. Some may even remember Lady Gaga emerging from an egg at this year's Grammy Awards. She is just not someone who dresses up for the heck of it. There is meaning to her outfits and routines. So it may be weird to you, but it really shows the level of creativity Lady Gaga has with all of her material.

Lady Gaga in Music.

I honestly wish people would stop hating on her so much. Maybe she won't be liked among the "real music" lovers, but I actually respect her music and her work. Her music and style catch on. It all began with "Just Dance." Hearing this track got me hooked to Lady Gaga. Here are some other songs of hers as I remember them...

• "Let's have some fun, this beat is sick..." you know what song I'm talking about. "LoveGame" is one of my favorites of Lady Gaga.

• I think "Poker Face" is an alright song. According to Wikipedia, this song was about her bisexuality.

• "Paparazzi" is perhaps her smoothest song. Sweet vocals and an overall fun style make this one wonderful. The video to this song is quite strange.

• Another fun song of hers is "Telephone" with (Houston's own) Beyoncé. This is like "Paparazzi," but a bit more upbeat.

• "Bad Romance" was overkilled on radio here in Houston, so I got tired of it rather quickly. It's a cool song, but when you've heard it about five times a day or something, you tend to want to hear something else. The song itself is cool- don't get me wrong.

• Maybe my least favorite song of hers is "Alejandro." Just didn't connect much to it.

• The hottest track of late is "Born This Way." A powerful message is delivered in this positive song. Maybe the most questionable part of the song is "don't be a drag, just be a queen."

• One of Lady Gaga's latest songs is called "The Edge of Glory," which I've heard for the first time on May 16, 2011 in preparing this blog post. She has a powerful singing performance almost like some of Whitney Houston's finest songs in this song along with great vocals. It is really a great song. Have a listen to what I recently heard on YouTube:

^ (courtesy of: LadyGagaVEVO on YouTube)


I don't really have a favorite song of hers as I like most all of her music. Lady Gaga has a great singing voice. Her music is very electronica-driven. That's the main reason why I resonate with her music so much. If you feel the need to dance to her music, it's justified. Her music is great to dance to, and I'm not talking about dancing to her music playing the Just Dance games on the Nintendo Wii.

--- What I Would Tell Lady Gaga (if she were to read this) ---

Lady Gaga, you are one of the most unique superstars out there today. I respect you most for your personality and your character. Hardly anyone is on the same caliber of what you bring to music. Your popularity is well-established. I only wish you the very best throughout your career and through all of your humanitarian efforts. Many more awards and honors are in the future for you. But as I'm sure, you'd rather work towards these awards and honors rather than just randomly earn them out of the blue.

Keep up the great work and keep working hard! Also, I appreciate your benevolence and humanitarian efforts. Keep that up too!

Would I Want to Meet Lady Gaga (if given the chance)?

Wouldn't you? Someone as world-famous and popular as Lady Gaga is surely worth meeting. You would probably (do something illegal) just to meet someone like Lady Gaga.





Lady Gaga is someone that I think people shouldn't keep hating on all the time. Argue about a synth voice in songs. Argue about any actual talent. But if there's one thing you definitely can NOT fault Lady Gaga for or argue about, it is that she is 100% real. In no way is Lady Gaga someone overly annoying or always in the news for something bad. Even the LGBT community have helped her to get noticed. She even owes a lot of her success to the LGBT community. Outspoken. Straightforward. Distinctive. Real. Benevolent. There is only one Lady Gaga. There may never be another superstar to reach the level of stardom going from one Stefani Joanne Angeline Germanotta to Lady Gaga, and especially not in the way she has reached this level of superstardom. Some may come close, but not to the level of the very Avant-Garde Lady Gaga. She's by far the most interesting music superstar so far this century.

You likely can't get enough of Lady Gaga if you are a fan of hers. So feel free to get social with Lady Gaga by checking out these links and resources:

• Lady Gaga Official home page
• Lady Gaga Now, a fan site
• Lady Gaga's official store
• Lady Gaga on Myspace
• Lady Gaga's Facebook Fan Page
• Lady Gaga's YouTube Channel, as well as Lady Gaga's VEVO YouTube channel
• Follow Lady Gaga on Twitter!

If I find more material, I'll post links to those items as well.


Here's some Lady Gaga stuff on Amazon. Feel free to look around:




I always say this and I mean it, but I REALLY mean it for this one: thank you for reading! It's people like you all over the world that keeps me going blogging. Share my content with the world so maybe they can enjoy my content as well. Thank you for reading!





Love John's Blog Space? If so (and if you haven't yet subscribed or followed), Subscribe and/or Follow! Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
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Transgender

(UPDATED: April 3, 2012)

WARNING: This blog post and its content matter may NOT be suitable for all audiences. Read at your own discretion.

The transgender realm branches itself into a number of topics and subtopics. There are a lot of people who have a lot of views about varying degrees of transgendered folk. Some think they are the scum of the earth. Some are disgusted by them. Some don't fully know or understand transgendered folk to respectfully discuss topics concerning them. Because of this, one of my real aims of this blog post is to properly and professionally discuss transgender and all of its connotations. When I created the "LGBT Issues" label, I created it with the intent of discussing issues involving LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender) issues and topics. I will CERTAINLY discuss the "T" to "LGBT" in this blog post!

This very long blog post is a look at transgendered folk from a respectful standpoint. Prepare to experience a lot of reading because I will try to mention as many topics regarding transgendered folk as possible. It is all in an attempt to better educate my audience. I wanted to discuss a few subtopics regarding transgendered people, but I have possible related blog posts in the works related to different aspects of this huge topic. If you are even going to think about this topic, at least be properly educated and introduced to transgendered folk. My massive blog post may hopefully get you started.

BEFORE I BEGIN...

I have blogged about many topics that may please or displease my readers. One of my most ambitious blog posts is sure to be one that I am sure will either be acceptable to my readers or be a completely unacceptable topic to read about. It is nothing new for my blog. I discussed a few topics sure to get some people uncomfortable or not result in any sort of negative reaction. I sometimes bear an important responsibility by introducing certain things to readers. I bear a greater responsibility discussing something truthfully for educational purposes. Remember that my blog is about anything and everything I choose to discuss with quality. So if I don't post anything of quality, I am doing a disservice to myself and my readers/visitors who visit John's Blog Space for quality material. Therefore, this post was made on factual proof and on professional-style opinions.

Are You or Someone You Know Transgendered?
If you are or know someone who is transgendered, and if you're reading this blog post; I'd like to say hello to you and hope that my blog post will be to your liking. I'd like to welcome the "T" community of LGBT to John's Blog Space and this topic on transgender.

Help Make My Post Better for Others!
One last thing- PLEASE let me know what I can improve or edit in this blog post to make it better for my readers. I usually get anywhere between 2,500 to 3,000 blog hits daily (2,000 to 2,500 on weekends). With so many visitors, I want to keep my blog interesting and enjoyable. So PLEASE contact me on anything I may have messed up on or may want to include to help better serve my viewing audience. Thank you!

LATEST UPDATES:

APR 2 2012 - added another resource

Contents of This Blog Post:

With a lot of reading ahead, I decided I share my points with you in this makeshift Table of Contents. This is your preview of what this blog post entails.

general info on transgender
...basic info and introduction to transgendered folk.

understanding transgender
...basic terms are explained here regarding transgendered people. This even includes a look at misconceptions and media portrayal of transgender people.

personal and psychological aspects of transgender
...a look at personal issues and psychological aspects of being transgender.

Transgendered Youth Focus: transgendered children?
...believe it or not, there are children who experience the same sort of doubts about their true gender. This section takes a look at transgendered children and the different challenges they face.

Transgendered Youth Focus: transgendered teenagers
...transgender issues involving teenagers and young adults are mentioned here.

grave danger for transgendered youth
...certain dangers expressed by me regarding transgendered youth.

how to be confident as a transgender
...how do you become confident when transgendered?

final thoughts on transgender
...my lasting thoughts to consider when thinking about or mentioning this topic.

Resources
...online resources you can use to learn more about transgender people from a factual standpoint.



The Wikipedia entry on "Transgender" makes up a great deal of my facts for this blog post. Most of what I've typed, however, relates to personal opinions and items I've picked up from visiting multiple sites online. So let's begin!

--- Transgender in General ---

^ from: www.dailykos.com, by way of photobucket.com - Created by transgender activist Monica Helms in 1999, this is the Transgender Pride Flag. It consists of horizontal bands of two baby baby blue and pink with a single white stripe in the middle.

I have a diverse international audience. I've had readers and hits from every continent (except Antarctica for obvious reasons), various Caribbean nations, various South Pacific nations, a few Indian Ocean nations, and elsewhere. When you have a vast and expansive audience, you have to be aware that your audience is diverse in customs and beliefs as much as they are diverse in where they come from. Among one of those aspects of an international audience is that of transgender. Depending on where you live, they are either accepted to some degree or punishable by any number of penalties... including death. According to Wikipedia, the following nations have certain liberties granted to transgendered folk (source: Wikipedia):

• Canada - legal recognition of sex changes.
• Mexico - can legally change legal gender and name. Done only in Mexico City, Mexico.
• Uruguay - can legally change legal gender and name.
• Iceland - sex changes are legal.
• India - vote as "other" (or "O") in political elections and for passports.
• Japan - legal gender can be changed, but only after sexual reassignment surgery

This is only some of so many different countries that either acknowledge or disallow LGBT rights. To read the full list of LGBT rights by country, visit this Wikipedia entry on LGBT rights by country and read about if there are any laws concerning gender identity and/or expression.


There are many names for certain transgendered folk depending on where you live and in what culture you're associated with. There are names associated with them including (but not limited to): ladyboys, newhalf, kathoey/katoey (Thailand), hijra (South Asian nations), all among other [acceptable] names. I mentioned acceptable names because the term most disliked in describing transgendered people is shemale (unless in the adult entertainment industry).

So many people have only so much understanding and knowledge of transgendered folk and the many issues facing them that some people just need to be better educated and better aware of transgendered folk. Because of this, many have a one-sided view on these people. Some like to say these are diseased people. People who think of being transgender as a disease think of transgenderism as a disease that can be remedied, like treating a sore throat. Even worse... rather than "he" or "she," some use "it" as a pronoun to describe a transgendered person. A lot of transgendered people have had many issues regarding themselves and being around others. Part of their struggles relate to being discontent with the body they were born in and with their assigned gender.

If you want to look at this topic in a certain light, note that there is sort of an exploratory phase most people have, especially early in life. Such an exploratory phase involves (especially in the case of males) males wearing certain feminine garments. A little boy who has a little sister may dress up in his sister's clothes. Or in the case of a boy and his mother, the boy may wear some of mom's clothes for fun. Even I once wore a jumper dress that my mom wore back when I was a little boy. Sampling of clothes from one's other gender is part of an exploratory phase of transgenderism, but it doesn't LEAD to wanting to crossdressing or transsexualism. It only leads to becoming transgender when there is either discontent with one's birth gender or with finding a certain thrill in wearing clothes from the other gender.

This section was just basic insight on transgendered people. A little more insight, including how I eventually become involved with this topic, will be explained in the next section.

--- Understanding Transgender ---

How did I get into this topic? How did I educate myself on transgendered folk? I'll explain here as well as give you a few basic bits of info on transgendered folk.

My Education of Transgender.

This is going to sound corny or unrealistic, but I once saw "The Jerry Springer Show" back in 2000 or 2001 when one guest shown up on stage. I think it was one female guest's brother (named Dakota) who came out looking pretty appealing. Being the artist and artistic thinker I am, I became immensely curious and fascinated at how beautiful a crossdresser or transsexual can be. The ability to be taken and regarded as a member of the opposite sex is often referred to as being passable. Being passable relates to how much a transgendered person can be perceived as and accepted as someone from one's opposite sex.

So on my own, I decided to educate myself on transgendered people. I visited websites and even been in some America Online (AOL these days) chat rooms trying to learn more about transgendered people. I started to grasp an understanding of them. I understood transgendered people better as I became more educated about them. Over time, I even wanted to connect with transgendered people online as friends to increase my knowledge and to just meet new people.

I never got to meet someone transgendered in person until one day in 2007 or so. I am cautious in giving names out, but I met a young man in a bathroom at my community college. He had beautifully long blonde hair. I thought initially he was in the wrong bathroom. But when I talked with him, he was a nice guy. I saw him again in the hallways dressed up like a girl. He had a different hairstyle, a T-shirt, some jeans with glittery back pockets, black flip-flop sandals, and painted toenails. This young man is a transvestite, and I met his feminine half right before me. It is important I mention this person because he was the first transvestite I got to meet. I even wanted to connect with him online. If he needed encouragement or kind words, all he needed to do was email me. He had some drug problems, so I was gravely concerned for his health. I am not sure what happened to him. I hope he's alright.

So I learned from a TV show, did my own research and education to better understand something for myself, and made myself a better and wiser person as a result. Epic win? Your call.

Basic Terms.

Transgender, like almost any subculture, has many different variations. I am using transgender as an umbrella term, but there are many varieties of transgendered folk. There are four primary terms I want to touch up on to make this section complete, all of which noted by subsections.


--- Transvestites ---

^ from: www.afrobella.com - Drag queens are the most common transvestites. And yes- this one in this picture is a deity in the realm: RuPaul.

Transvestites enjoy crossdressing (crossdresser and transvestite mean the same thing or are very similar at the least) and living as their gender opposite either as a hobby or as a lifestyle. Because it is for hobby or lifestyle, they often do not seriously consider wanting to have surgery or want to permanently become their opposite gender. Many transvestites, especially drag queens, usually wear a number of items to help enhance their image and look as fabulous as they like. Some items include things like wigs, breast forms, and various intimate and body-shaping apparel (like corsets) to help drag queens look and feel their best. Drag queens even have fun going by certain aliases and stage names.

Some transvestites, however, find a sexual thrill in wearing clothing from the opposite gender. This leads to fetishistic crossdressing. Some find sensual thrills in crossdressing that they enjoy the feeling of wearing clothing from the opposite gender as well as acting as the opposite gender. This can be a problem if with an opposite sex partner, especially considering that nothing angers or discomforts a female partner like her boyfriend/fiancé/husband wearing HER clothing! It can cause a divide that could lead to relationships being broken.

It also goes to show that not all transvestites are gay. Some people immediately assume that all transvestites are gay just because they wear clothing from the opposite gender and act as a member of one's opposite gender. This is the reason why I mention transvestism as a hobby or a lifestyle (or even as a sexual thrill). Transvestites want to enjoy being an opposite sex member but want to return to being their real selves. Think of this (in a surreal way) like being Cinderella, where you become this different and fantastic person, until you return to being your original self in your original state.


--- Transsexuals ---
Transsexuals are those who permanently wish to become his/her opposite sex through the means of surgery and certain exercises. Males who want to become females are often called male-to-female transsexuals (or commonly labeled "M2F" for short). Females who want to become males are often considered female-to-male transsexuals (or commonly labeled "F2M" for short). F2M transsexuals are less commonly featured than M2F transsexuals, but there are those females who want to become males.

There are two other varieties to subdivide transsexuals- pre-operative (or "pre-op") and post-operative ("post-operative") transsexuals. As their names suggest, pre-operative relates to a transsexual who either has not or has not fully developed and transitioned through surgery. Post-operative relates to those who have fully transitioned and have had all of their surgery done in becoming the person's opposite sex.

Transsexuals go through a number of different procedures to help make the transition from male to female or female to male complete. Without going into too many details, one such aspect is gender transition. This involves things like developing your voice. In the case of having surgery done to modify your body to better appear as your opposite gender, you undergo sexual reassignment surgery (or SRS). Modification of genitals, the breasts, and other body parts are all part of making the transition (at least with the body) complete. You can subdivide transsexual surgery further by two more terms- top and bottom. Top surgery relates to transsexual surgery that mostly covers the upper body and head. It is the most common in transsexual surgery. Bottom surgery relates to lower body and genitalia surgery for transsexuals. When it comes to male-to-female transsexuals, what provides the biggest controversy and stress is in having a male's genitalia removed. There are a number of transwomen who argue that true M2F transsexuals don't retain their penises after sexual reassignment surgery. These same transwomen would also think the only M2F transsexuals who decide to retain their male genitalia either are not seriously considering becoming proper M2F transsexuals or (in offensive cases) likely want to be in the adult entertainment industry as shemales. So therefore, it is a serious decision to want go through with the entire surgery and transition in becoming a true transsexual.


--- Intersex ---
Intersexed people (also referred to as hermaphrodites) are people who were born with both male and female organs. A serious misconception people make is that all transgendered people are intersexed. Transgender and intersex are two COMPLETELY different concepts. Transgender relates to dressing as and living as a member of one's opposite sex; intersexed means you have both male and female organs and (to quote Lady GaGa) were "born this way."

If you have three minutes and 37 seconds to spare, here is some video commentary you can watch to learn more about intersexed people (it is blurry, so just pay attention to what is being said). Because the video is a bit touchy, I have decided to give you the link to the video rather than embed it. So watch (at your own risk) "intersex," by kimxxxyyy on YouTube.


--- Genderqueer ---
If you come across someone who is genderqueer, that means the person does not associate himself/herself as any specific gender/sex. I honestly don't know enough about genderqueer to professionally discuss this. This video, however, is a cute little video with a little insight on being genderqueer from a fellow named Jason. The video is 5:45 long:

Transgender Misconceptions.

Some people make serious misconceptions regarding transgendered people. Most of those misconceptions are considered vulgar to them. For example, some use "shemale" to refer to a transgender person. Two things- (1) calling a transgendered person a "shemale" is vulgar, and (2) "shemale" is a term in the adult entertainment or pornographic industry used to describe a post-operative M2F transsexual who still has (certain male genitalia) attached. Calling any transsexual as a shemale is totally offensive. By calling a M2F transsexual a shemale, you make the assumption that (because of the adult entertainment industry) that a M2F transsexual is a male living as a woman, but still has his (male genitals) attached. You can look almost anywhere on the Internet to find a proper shemale, but don't EVER call ANY transsexual as a "shemale."

"Transgender" as a term is a misconception to most people, though I am carefully using it as an umbrella term.


These are only a few misconceptions that I am discussing for my initial blog post. I may come up with more in future edits.

The Trap Factor.

One of the biggest issues when encountering transgendered people is the trap factor. What is defined as a trap factor is in being easily tricked into thinking a female is a real female and born a female (we use terms like "genetic" to mean people born as their birth gender. Example: genetic girl). When the truth is revealed that what someone believes is a real female/male, most people freak out at the notion that someone is actually a male/female or born a male/female. The trap factor becomes most apparent in loving relationships. A male who wants to start a family with a transgendered female may get the shock of his life when the transgendered female discloses that she was born a male. It can be very difficult to actually disclose to someone as being a transvestite or transsexual. Therefore, the trap factor can be a damaging quality in more ways than one.

Media Portrayal of Transgendered Folk.

Crossdressing is often used in a number of entertainment deals. Certain actors dress up as females for TV and movie roles. There are also some shows that portray transgendered folk in a variety of ways. There is a reality TV competition called "RuPaul's Drag Race." However, most people have been exposed to transsexuals (negatively) with The Jerry Springer Show. Transgendered guests on Jerry Springer either are sexy flings or people who fail to disclose they were born a man/woman.

IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED: If you want to view some related reading on dating transsexuals, read my "Same-Sex Relationships" blog post and go down to the section about transgender dating.


From terms, to misconceptions, to media portrayal of transgendered folk... you now have a more coherent understanding of transgendered people.

*** Jump Break reached! Do you wish to continue? ***

I will break things off here, but if you are not reading the full blog post, please click on "Read More" to read the rest of this blog post and more of my comments and segments. Here is a look at what else I have to discuss regarding transgendered folk:

• personal and psychological aspects of being transgendered
• transgendered children?
• dangers for transgendered youth
• resources for transgendered people

Click "Read More" to see the rest of this post (or disregard this entire section if you are reading the whole thing).

--- Personal and Psychological Aspects of Transgender ---

A lot of people don't have (or don't care for) a general grasp on transgendered people. Therefore, when they try to act like they know everything about them, these people end up offending the transgender audience. Either that, or they discuss a number of things that they intentionally or unintentionally know is hurtful to transgendered types. There is nothing I really hate than when people think transgenders are diseased. There are cultural and religious connotations (look elsewhere online for religious matters- I do NOT specialize in this topic) regarding transgendered folk.

Certain issues come into play when discussing transgender issues. For a lot of people who become involved in transgenderism, one of the biggest elements is in finding people within them. Some people feel they were born in the wrong body and want surgery to become their opposite. Some who become older in life discover some sort of person within them that wants to emerge, usually of their opposite gender. There are four key points I want to discuss: being born in the wrong body, finding that opposite half within you, sexual arousal in wearing clothes from the opposite sex, and the biggest issue of transgenders- being accepted by others.

Born in the Wrong Body.

More than just alter egos, some who feel born in the wrong body have a psychological condition often referred to as gender identity disorder (or GID), where people feel discontent and unhappy with themselves with the gender they are born as. Remember- do NOT think of transgenderism as turning on a switch to become someone different. The psychological aspect of being transgender can stem from a number of different experiences and personal feelings. This is about much more than simply wearing clothes for fun. Some people truly and honestly feel they were born in the wrong body and want to take steps to take on a new life.

People Within.

I'm not talking about Beyoncé and Sasha Fierce. I'm talking about those who feel they were born in the wrong body or have some person within them different in personality and gender. I'm talking about a male named (and I am using sample names) Michael who has a person inside of him named Michelle. I'm talking about people who want to emerge from their original self to let their inner person emerge.

How does one person discover their opposite half? It can happen from a number of perspectives. One such perspective can begin with a desire to take on a new personality and wear certain clothing while also acting as a member of one's opposite sex. In its initial phases, a person discovers his/her opposite half. He/She envisions what this opposite half loves to wear and how that inner person reacts with society. The problem for most transgendered people isn't finding that opposite half... but coming out AS that opposite half. Therein lies the problem- having that person emerge. Not every transgendered person immediately has the power, confidence, or bravery to emerge as one's opposite half. You may often hear the expression "closet crossdresser" to denote someone who just wears clothes from the opposite gender around the house and not have the courage to come out and emerge as one's opposite half.

Transgender Fetishes and Sexual Thrills.

There is also a transgender perspective based on sexual thrills. Some who find sexual gratification or sexual enjoyment out of crossdressing usually crossdress for sexual purposes or fetishes. These are people who find sexual enjoyment out of wearing clothing from the opposite sex. Part of the initial fascination can begin with wearing certain clothes of the opposite sex and becoming sexually aroused wearing them. For example, a male could wear lingerie or a very feminine skirt and become aroused and attracted to how soft the feel of these garments and intimates are. The softness of the fabric and the feeling of wearing such clothes and intimates lend themselves to fetishistic crossdressing (at the least). In addition, this can also lead to wearing swimwear for beach/resort environments.

Acceptance.

Perhaps the most stressful element of being transgender is being accepted among others. There are some family members and friends who would absolutely detest someone wanting to be a transvestite or a transsexual. Just the feeling of being disrespected and disregarded can sever relationships and loving bonds almost permanently.

Just the notion of not being happy with your own gender and your own body is enough to bring most people to depression. Even more so if your own family and friends don't want to accept you. Some of my long-time readers may have read my blog post on transgendered pop star Kim Petras. Kim Petras used to be a boy named Tim before becoming the beautiful Kim. Her parents were very understanding of Kim and got such support to go through with the whole operation. She got hormone replacement therapy when (then) Tim was 12, then got gender reassignment surgery at age 16.

The first-ever transvestite friend of mine dressed up as a girl, until his grandmother talked about wanting him to no longer wear women's clothes if he expects to live in her house. That's why acceptance is such a key issue long-term. Not being accepted and loved just leads to more depression and more sadness. It could even increase suicidal tendencies in extreme cases. It's why a number of transgendered folk feel so strongly about being accepted among others.


It is these four issues (among others) that are among the biggest in regards to transgendered people. How these are handled and addressed vary greatly.

--- Confidence as Someone Transgendered ---

So you decide to come out as a transvestite or a transsexual. How do you gain confidence in yourself as your opposite half? How do you be and remain confident as a drag queen or as a pre-operative or post-operative transsexual? PLEASE note that I am not speaking from ANY sort of personal experience, so these are just personal opinions of mine.

Just like in fashion, a confident person is a stylish person. Same applies to transgendered people. You have developed the confidence to come out transvestite or transsexual. The next part of the task is to live in society as a transgendered person. It isn't as easy to do such, as you've read in my section regarding personal and psychological issues involving transgendered folk. Some transgendered people can't even confidently walk outside the house, go to the store, go to the mall, be at school/college, or any place like that as your new self.

If you fear not being completely passable, I think the most important thing is about just being yourself. I've known girly-looking guys and boyish-looking girls. Don't predicate yourself as transgendered on the basis of looking inconceivably like the gender opposite of your birth gender. Life should never be a competition. Don't feel like you have to outdo everybody in trying to be the most handsome or beautiful person in the city. Just be yourself rather than try to consistently compete with everybody else. In fact, this is even good advice for people in various subcultures.

Just be yourself and confidently go into the world as a transgendered person! And if you can... live life with little or no regrets.

--- Transgendered Youth Focus: Transgendered Children ---

Yes- even children can feel they were born in the wrong body! This represents a percentage of children who feel born in the wrong body. You have already read about gender dysphoria earlier in this blog post. Imagine being the parent(s) of a child unhappy with his/her birth gender. Raising a child is tough work in itself; imagine raising a child who is not happy with his/her birth gender. Not as many people are aware that children can be unhappy with their birth gender as much as anyone who is at least a teenager. One part of that percentage of children who feel born in the wrong body is a boy who became a girl named Jazz. This was little Jazz at only seven years old in an interview:



I am always careful in topics pertaining to children. It can be too easy to post something to lead to protest and dislike. However... it's reality. I tried to find some statistics regarding transgendered children or of any transsexual surgery done to children, but I have been unable to find any in my initial blog post. I may edit this section with more information if I do find any.

Transgendered Children at a Glance.

In a 20/20 special in 2007, there was a special called "I'm a Girl" involving transgendered children. I saw some YouTube videos long ago featuring the stories of children unhappy with their gender and feel born in the wrong body. It was really powerful to think that even children can be discontent with their own gender. To me, children should be able to frolic and play and have fun. They shouldn't have to worry about any serious issues while they are still young. The fact is, however, that is not always the case. A child unhappy with his/her birth gender is something that concerns the child himself/herself and (more importantly) the parents. It has been the parents' responsibility to help raise and nurture children. When a child is unhappy about his/her birth gender, a massive responsibility has to be taken in trying to get help for the child. Some truly understanding (as well as financially able) parents will help to get the various surgeries and procedures done to properly transition a boy/girl into a girl/boy.

If you want to do some extra reading on transgender children, read this four-page ABC 20/20 article called "'I'm a Girl' - Understanding Transgender Children". It is a completely convincing read.


Little Jazz in the above video is one of many different transgendered kids featured as part of the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation. Here is more information on this cause:

Services: TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation (or TKPRF).

The TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Boca Raton, Florida, USA dedicated to transgendered children. It is dedicated to things like education of, providing encouragement to families of, encouraging school systems to have better acceptance and proper rights of, and various other powers for transgendered children and their families. To learn more about this cause or to donate, please visit www.transkidspurplerainbow.com (or click on the header, which is the same site).

Don't worry- this link will appear later in this blog post when I link you to online resources for transgenders of all kinds.

--- Transgendered Youth Focus: Teenagers ---

^ from: thesun.co.uk - Kim Petras (whom I have featured in a past blog post) is an example of a transgendered teen. She had her transitions at an early age, going from a boy named Tim to a beautiful girl named Kim. She made waves as a 16 year old with her pop star aspirations. Read my blog post on Kim Petras for more on.

When you're young, you obviously think of a lot of things in your life. Some decisions you may make early in your life can have a serious impact heading into the later years of your life. What is most disheartening is knowing that certain decisions could possibly get you killed or badly injured. Teens can lack the confidence to proudly come out as a transgendered person, whether as a transvestite or a transsexual. Considering being around peers, it becomes increasingly tough to try to become content dealing with unruly peers in school or elsewhere.

One of the saddest stories in transgendered youth is nearing its tenth anniversary. On October 19, 2002; a teen named Gwen Araujo was killed in Newark, CA, USA. Gwen (born Edward) went to a house party in Newark, CA, USA (30 miles away from San Francisco) as a girl named "Lida." She was beaten to death at this party by four men when the girlfriend of one of the men found out Gwen was transsexual. A vigil in Gwen's honor was held. Gwen's story would later be reflected in a Lifetime movie (or at least as a TV movie) called "A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story." I saw most of the movie once on the Lifetime Movie Network.

--- Dangers for Transgendered Youth ---

Being young and gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered can really put a young person in grave danger. That is why I am most concerned for any teenager experiencing this, and especially in the context of this blog post, regarding transgendered teens.

When you're young and have to deal with society and peers, you will encounter people who feel very strongly about things and are unafraid to impose their will on those who are (so to speak) out of line. Part of being in society is in blending in with other people. Blending in, however, can be very difficult. People have personalities that lead them to ridicule and abuse by peers. Most of my blog post has been about transgendered people, but this can relate to anyone in the LGBT realm. In the case of transgendered youth, any number of damaging actions and behaviors can lead to abuse and even death. Nothing is more difficult to bear than young people dying or getting killed.

We do so much to try to bring together many people of many kinds into mainstream society. Yet, there are times when some members of society find it best to impose their will on anyone who is seen out of line of mainstream society that it merits abuse. Some people can't live with themselves or live with decisions and beliefs they have to where some feel it is absolutely necessary to be chastised by anyone who is too different to be considered acceptable. Schools have to expel students who are transgendered. Peers have to chastise (in varying degrees) any transgendered teen to some sort of degree.

Transgendered youth is even more frightening with transgendered children. I am even more gravely concerned for transgendered children than I am transgendered teenagers.

I may consider making a future blog post regarding LGBT and mainstream society. Stay tuned to "John's Blog Space" if I do post a blog post about this topic.

--- Final Thoughts on Transgender ---

What you have read (and perhaps experienced) was a factual and educational look at transgendered people. I am a man of quality, and so I did not stoop to showcasing people in any sort of negative or humorous light. There are a number of people online who would post any kind of distasteful comments and pictures regarding transgendered people. Once you begin to understand and connect with transgendered folk, you understand all the various emotions and actions associated with them. They become the butt of so many different jokes. Mainstream society, media, and multimedia all try to showcase aspects of transgendered folk as a source of humor or of disgrace. Too many people either have a one-sided view of transgenders or completely disregard transgendered people for all the issues they have.

I did not mention transgendered people in any sort of comedic or sarcastic context. I made mention to crossdressing for fun, but not in the context of crossdressing for casual reasons (like a male losing a bet and have to wear a skirt or dress). I did not mention transsexuals in any sort of disrespect. My blog post was long and detailed regarding transgendered people, but that's because I want people and would-be transphobic types to be better understanding and respectful of these people. This topic of transgender involves so many aspects that just a few paragraphs isn't going to cut it. You may be able to introduce people to it with a few paragraphs, but it takes a lot more to truly EXPLAIN everything.

Transgendered people are not the scum of the earth. They are not the butt of jokes. They are not people who exist only for a quick laugh or some sort of reaction. There may be countries that have different regulations and recognition levels of transgendered people, but they are not monsters or aliens. Being transgender is not a disease; it's not like feeling born in the wrong body is anything that can be cured with medicine. They are humans, like you and I. They breathe the same air we do, drink the same water we do, eat the same food we do, communicate the same way we do, and countless other human actions and interactions. My blog post was an attempt to better educate my audience and any would-be haters. You don't have to like transgendered people, but at least offer them some semblance of respect. Don't look at transgendered people as fake males/females who are only good for laughs and abuse. Instead, they want to be regarded and respected as any average human.

If any actual transgendered people have read this blog post, I hope I've respectfully talked about this issue with professionalism and respect. Let me know if I did a good enough job or if I need to improve on something.

--- Transgender Links and Resources Online ---

I can respectfully discuss this topic because I have met some people in person and online whom are trasngendered, be it a transvestite or a transsexual. I would never post anything that lacks professionalism or quality. I am very well aware that I may mess something up or miss some facts. I will not, however, stoop to any low by posting anything guaranteed to offend my audience. So you have my word that I'll discuss this topic to the best of my ability with professionalism and respect. I sometimes bear an important responsibility to post material professionally online that may potentially be of use to others.

Now maybe my blog post has made you more tolerant and aware of transgendered people than you might have been before reading this blog post. Everything was provided in an educational and professional context. It is now time for me to post some resources for you to learn more about transgendered people across a number of different aspects. I will begin with perhaps one of the most well-respected resources regarding transgender issues. Please have a look:


• Laura's Playground - MANY resources here.
• Susan's Place Transgender Resources - MANY resources here.
• Transgender Care - health information regarding transsexuals.
• Transgender Foundation of America
• transgender.org
• LGBT Community Careers
• Transgender Community on LiveJournal
• Reporters: How to Get it Right on Transgender Issues - an interesting commentary piece on how news reporters should properly report on transgender issues.

• Transsexual.org - a site about gender dysphoria and factual proof on transsexualism
• Transsexual Road Map - various resources for and about transsexuals
• (ADDED: April 3, 2012) United Kingdom Transgender Resources - Transgender resources for those of you in the United Kingdom

• GenderQueer Revolution (GQR)
• GenderQueeer Coalition

• Intersex Society of North America
• Intersex Initiative

• Trans Bodies Across The Globe
• INTERNATIONAL LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANS AND INTERSEX ASSOCIATION - Info on all news and legal issues involving the LGBT community (including transgender and intersex matters)



--- Transgender Material on YouTube ---
• TransgenderChannel on YouTube - first YouTube channel on transgender issues.
• candiFLA on YouTube
• TGtales on YouTube - feminization fun and entertainment

• transsexual pop star Kim Petras' YouTube Channel


--- Transgender Youth Issues ---
• "'I'm a Girl' -- Understanding Transgender Children," an ABC 20/20 Special
• "Born in the Wrong Body," on MSNBC
• Links for Transgender Youth
• TransYouth Family Allies - resources for transgendered youth and their parents.
• Transgender Youth and Their Parents, on Psychology Today
• Trans Youth Support Network (a Blogger/Blogspot blog!)


--- Transgender Youth Services ---
• TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation (or TKPRF)


--- Houston/Galveston Area ---
• Houston Area Transgender Community: Verify It! - a social network for Houston-area transgendered folk
• Houston Transgender Unity Committee
• Answers to Your Questions About Transgender Individuals and Gender Identity, from the American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org/topics/sexuality/transgender.aspx


NOTE: More links and resources may be provided in future edits. Contact me if you have any other useful resources that may be of use to my readers/visitors.






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