View source for Transvestism

{{short description|Dressing and acting in a style or manner traditionally associated with a different gender}}
{{Distinguish|Travesti (gender identity)|Transgender|Transvestic fetishism}}
{{pp-pc|small=yes}}
{{Crossdressing}}
'''Transvestism''' is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different [[gender]].

The terms ''transvestism'' and ''transvestite'' were coined by [[Magnus Hirschfeld]] in 1910. In the early 20th century, ''transvestite'' referred to [[cross-dresser]]s, and also a variety of people who would now be considered [[transgender]].

The term ''transvestite'' is now considered outdated and derogatory, and has been replaced with the more neutral word ''cross-dresser''.<ref name="Vaccaro" />{{Better source needed|date=October 2024|reason=Yes, it's an opinion piece, but it's written by academic professors and that specific part is evidence, not an opinion claim. Still, a less challengeable source would be better}}

==History==

Though the term was coined as late as the 1910s by [[Magnus Hirschfeld]], the phenomenon is not new. It was referred to in the Hebrew Bible.<ref name="aggrawal_2009_16_3">{{cite journal |author=Aggrawal, Anil. |title=References to the paraphilias and sexual crimes in the Bible |journal=J Forensic Leg Med |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=109–14 |date=April 2009 |pmid=19239958 |doi=10.1016/j.jflm.2008.07.006 }}</ref> Being part of the homosexual movement of Weimar Germany in the beginning, a first transvestite movement of its own started to form since the mid-1920s, resulting in founding first organizations and the first transvestite magazine, ''[[Das 3. Geschlecht]]''. The rise of [[National Socialism]] stopped this movement from 1933 onwards.<ref>Rainer Herrn: ''Die Zeitschrift ''Das 3. Geschlecht in: Rainer Herrn (ed.): ''Das 3. Geschlecht – Reprint der 1930 – 1932 erschienenen Zeitschrift für Transvestiten'', 2016, ISBN 9783863002176, p. 231 ff.</ref>

===Etymology===
[[File:Faksimile-Transvestitenschein.png|thumb|A 1928 [[transvestite pass]] allowing [[Gert Katter]], a female-to-male [[trans man]] who was one of Hirschfeld's patients, to wear male clothing.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Michael T. |last2=Timm |first2=Annette |last3=Herrn |first3=Rainer |title=Not Straight from Germany: Sexual Publics and Sexual Citizenship Since Magnus Hirschfeld |date=30 October 2017 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-0-472-13035-1 |page=44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WS9ADwAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 |language=en}}</ref>]]

[[Magnus Hirschfeld]] coined the word ''transvestite'' (from Latin ''trans-'', "across, over" and ''vestitus'', "dressed") in his 1910 book ''[[Die Transvestiten]]'' (''Transvestites'') to refer to the sexual interest in cross-dressing.<ref name="MagnusHirschfeld">Hirschfeld, Magnus: ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=mQMbAAAAYAAJ Die Transvestiten.]'' Berlin 1910: Alfred Pulvermacher<br/>Hirschfeld, Magnus. (1910/1991). ''[https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1591021685 Transvestites: The erotic drive to cross dress.]'' (M. A. Lombardi-Nash, Trans.) Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books.</ref> He used it to describe persons who habitually and voluntarily wore clothes of the opposite sex. Hirschfeld's group of transvestites consisted of both males and females, with [[heterosexual]], [[homosexual]], [[bisexual]], and [[asexuality|asexual]] orientations.<ref name=Hirschfeld>Hirschfeld, Magnus. ''Geschlechtsverirrungen'', 10th Ed. 1992, page 142 ff.</ref>

Hirschfeld himself was not happy with the term: He believed that clothing was only an outward symbol chosen on the basis of various internal psychological situations.<ref name="MagnusHirschfeld"/> In fact, Hirschfeld helped people to achieve changes of their [[first name]] (legal given names were required to be gender-specific in [[Germany]]) and performed the first reported [[sexual reassignment surgery]]. Hirschfeld's transvestites therefore were, in today's terms, not only transvestites, but a variety of people from the [[transgender]] spectrum.<ref name="MagnusHirschfeld"/>

Hirschfeld also noticed that [[sexual arousal]] was often associated with transvestism.<ref name="MagnusHirschfeld"/> In more recent terminology, this is sometimes called [[transvestic fetishism]].<ref name="DSM-5-paraphillic">{{Cite book |last=American Psychiatric Association |year=2013 |title=Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5 |edition=Fifth |publisher=American Psychiatric Publishing |location=Arlington, Virginia |pages=[https://archive.org/details/diagnosticstatis0005unse/page/685 685–705] |isbn=978-0-89042-555-8 |oclc=847226928 |url=https://archive.org/details/diagnosticstatis0005unse/page/685 }}</ref> Hirschfeld also clearly distinguished between transvestism as an expression of a person's "contra-sexual" (transgender) feelings and [[Sexual fetishism|fetishistic]] behavior, even if the latter involved wearing clothes of the other sex.<ref name="MagnusHirschfeld"/>

The use of the term {{lang|es|travesti}} meaning cross-dresser was already common in [[French language|French]] in the early 19th century,<ref>{{Cite Q|Q125754132}}, Volume II, p. 896</ref> from where it was imported into [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], with the same meaning.<ref>Porto Editora – ''[https://www.infopedia.pt/dicionarios/lingua-portuguesa/travesti travesti]'' no Dicionário Infopédia da Língua Portuguesa [em linha]. Porto: [[Porto Editora]]. Accessed on 2024-05-02 20:58:24. </ref>

===''Transvestite''===
Today, the term ''transvestite'' is commonly considered outdated and derogatory, with the term ''[[cross-dresser]]'' used as a more appropriate replacement.<ref name="Vaccaro">{{cite book|last1=Vaccaro |first1=Annemarie |last2=August |first2=Gerri |last3=Kennedy |first3=Megan S. |last4=Newman |first4=Barbara M. |title=Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-0-313-39368-6|year=2011|page=142|access-date=October 21, 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZkxjSnI2e0UC&pg=PA142|quote=Cross-dresser/cross-dressing. (1) The most neutral word to describe a person who dresses, at least partially or part of the time, and for any number of reasons, in clothing associated with another gender within a particular society. Carries no implications of 'usual' gender appearance, or sexual orientation. Has replaced transvestite, which is outdated, problematic, and generally offensive since it was historically used to diagnose medical/mental health disorders. }}</ref><ref name="Capuzza">{{cite book|editor1-last=Capuzza |editor1-first=Jamie C. |editor2-last=Spencer |editor2-first=Leland G.|title=Transgender Communication Studies: Histories, Trends, and Trajectories|publisher=[[Lexington Books]]|isbn=978-1-4985-0006-7|year=2015|page=174|access-date=October 21, 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A1emBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA174|quote=Eventually, the transvestite label fell out of favor because it was deemed to be derogatory; cross-dresser has emerged as a more suitable replacement ([[GLAAD]], 2014b).}}</ref><ref name="Zastrow">{{cite book|first=Charles |last=Zastrow|title=Empowerment Series: Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Empowering People|publisher=[[Cengage Learning]]|isbn=978-1-305-38833-8|year=2016|page=239|access-date=October 21, 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DB5TCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA239|quote=The term transvestite is often considered an offensive term.}}</ref><ref name="kattari_2021">{{Cite book |editor1-last=Kattari |editor1-first=Shanna K. |editor2-last=Kinney |editor2-first=M. Killian |editor3-last=Kattari |editor3-first=Leonardo |editor4-last=Walls |editor4-first=N. Eugene |date=2021 |chapter=Glossary |title=Social Work and Health Care Practice With Transgender and Nonbinary Individuals and Communities: Voices for Equity, Inclusion, and Resilience |edition=1st |location=New York, NY |publisher=Routledge |page=xxxviii |isbn=978-1138336223 |quote=Transvestite: Outdated term previously used to describe a cross-dresser. Now considered pejorative.}}</ref>

The term ''transvestite'' was historically used to diagnose medical disorders, including mental health disorders, and transvestism was viewed as a disorder, while the term ''cross-dresser'' was coined by the trans community.<ref name="Vaccaro"/><ref name="Gerstner">{{cite book|author=David A. Gerstner|title=Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=0313393680|year=2006|page=568|access-date=October 21, 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XS_SnVPixE8C&pg=PA568|quote=A variety of derogatory terms are still used to describe any aspect of the transgender condition. [...] The term transvestite being older [than cross-dresser] and associated with the medical community's negative view of the practice, has come to be seen as a derogatory term. [...] The term cross-dresser, in contrast, having come from the transgender community itself, is a term seen as not possessing these negative connotations.}}</ref>

In some cases, the term ''transvestite'' is seen as more appropriate for use by members of the trans community instead of by those outside of the trans community, and some have [[Reappropriation|reclaimed the word]].<ref name="Richards">{{cite book|first1=Christina |last1=Richards |first2=Meg |last2=Barker|title=Sexuality and Gender for Mental Health Professionals: A Practical Guide|publisher=[[SAGE Publications]]|isbn=978-1-44628716-3|year=2013|page=162|access-date=October 21, 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=13GKAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA162|quote=The term ''transvestite'' should not be considered to be a safe term, and should certainly not be used as a noun, as in 'a transvestite'. Instead, and only when relevant, the term trans person should be used. [...] There are some people who have reclaimed the word transvestite and may also use the word ''tranny'' or ''TV'' to refer to themselves and others. [...] The term ''cross-dressing'' too is somewhat outdated and problematic as not only do many fashions allow any gender to wear them -- at least in many contemporary Western societies -- but it also suggests a strict dichotomy being reinforced by the person who uses it.}}</ref>

==Transvestism as a “disorder”==
When cross-dressing occurs for [[erotic]] purposes over a period of at least six months and also causes significant distress or impairment, the behavior is considered a [[mental disorder]] in the ''[[Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders]]'', and the psychiatric diagnosis "[[transvestic fetishism]]" is applied.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Sex%20and%20GID%20Lit%20Reviews/Paraphilias/DSMV.TF.pdf |title=DSM-V |work=The DSM Diagnostic Criteria for Transvestic Fetishism |publisher=[[American Psychiatric Association]] |date=2009 |access-date=February 4, 2013}}</ref>

The [[International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems]] (ICD) listed ''dual-role transvestism'' (non-sexual cross-dressing) and ''fetishistic transvestism'' (cross-dressing for sexual pleasure) as disorders in [[ICD-10]] (1994).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://icd.who.int/browse10/2016/en#/F64.1 |title=ICD-10 Version:2016 |website=icd.who.int |access-date=2019-10-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://icd.who.int/browse10/2016/en#/F65.1 |title=ICD-10 Version:2016 |website=icd.who.int |access-date=2019-10-11}}</ref> Both items were removed for [[ICD-11]] (2022).<ref name="lgbtq">{{Cite web |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/05/world-health-organization-will-no-longer-classify-transgender-mental-disorder/ |title=The World Health Organization will no longer classify being transgender as a 'mental disorder' |last=Bollinger |first=Alex |date=2019-05-28 |website=LGBTQ Nation |access-date=2019-10-11}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Cross-dressing]]
*[[Drag (clothing)]]
*[[Feminization (activity)]]
*[[Gender bender]]
*[[List of transgender-related topics]]
*[[Transsexual]]
*[[Travesti (theatre)]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* Ackroyd, Peter. ''[https://archive.org/details/dressinguptransv00ackrrich Dressing up, transvestism and drag: the history of an obsession.]'' Simon and Schuster, 1979. {{ISBN|0671250914}}
* Mancini, Elena. ''[https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0549700552 A Brighter Shade of Pink: Magnus Hirschfeld.]'' ProQuest, 2007. {{ISBN|0549700552}}
* Ambrosio, Giovanna. ''[https://books.google.com/books?isbn=178049307X Transvestism, Transsexualism in the Psychoanalytic Dimension.]'' Karnac Books, 2011. {{ISBN|178049307X}}
* Gravois, Valory. ''[http://www.crossdressingnovel.com Cherry Single: A Transvestite Comes of Age (a novel)]'' Alchemist/Light Publishing, 1997 (Available to read free, online), {{ISBN|0-9600650-5-9}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite journal | author = Thanem Torkild, Wallenberg Louise | publisher=[[Stockholm University]] | year = 2016 | title = Just doing gender? Transvestism and the power of underdoing gender in everyday life and work | url = http://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:770890/FULLTEXT01| journal = Organization | volume = 23 | issue = 2| pages = 250–271 | doi = 10.1177/1350508414547559 | s2cid = 144150015 }}

==External links==
{{wiktionary-inline|transvestite}}
*[http://www.britannica.com/topic/transvestism Transvestism at Britannica Online Encyclopædia]

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[[Category:1910s neologisms]]
[[Category:Cross-dressing| Transvestism]]
[[Category:Gender nonconformity]]
[[Category:Transgender topics]]
[[Category:Gender role reversal]]