What do you know about female cross dressers?

Look to see if they have an adam’s apple or not.

Wallet chains and flannel. They’re not called cross dressers… oh nevermind.

yes, they would sometimes identify as drag kings, if their ‘cross dressing’ is about performance…other women who dress like men do it for other reasons…
what specifically do you need to know about

Butch lesbians could be considered cross-dressers; many can pass as men, but do not consider themselves transgendered. There are also drag kings. Much like a drag queen, a woman will invent a persona and perform in that likeness. Drag kings are awesome, and sexy.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir: In truth, anything. I know it’s very broad, but I had never even heard of them before I started taking a class called human sexuality. I knew in theory that female cross dressers must exist. I guess a good place to start would be how female cross dressers compare to male cross dressers. Is flamboyance a part of the culture? Are they more or less common than male cross dressers? These kinds of things are what interest me most at present.

@tinyfaery: So are drag kings generally performers?

Yes. But that does not mean that the performer does not also cross-dress off stage.

So do cross dressing women tend to be straight, gay, bi, or is it a similar mix as men? I think I heard that it’s something like 50% of cross dressing men are gay.

Two words: Good Taste

I’m not sure about those numbers. I’d guess that most drag kings are in the queer community. I did a google search and found a lot of info about drag kings. You can see videos on you tube.

And butch lesbians, are well, lesbian.

@KatawaGrey
well they’re people so they’re as different any of us, therefore I can’t make any great generalizations and I am not claiming to be an expert…I know plenty of women who cross dress, who are drag kings, who are now living as men…I know for some it’s about their gender expression…and for some it’s about who they’re attracted to and what their gender expression means in terms of that (think butch/femme queer female couples)...some women don’t identify as women and can pass off as men and they feel that they are men…some cross dressing individuals identify as transgender, others do not…in terms of their sexualities, people who cross dress can be any sexuality

I don’t think in our society there can be female cross dressers. This is because as a generality dresses and skirts and high heels are girls cloths, but almost anything a man wears a women can to with out being labled a cross dresser. This has to do with girls wearing pants, suits, sweatshirts, and ” skate” shoes, even though they are also widely worn by men. It’s simply a fact that women have more clothing options then men

@Deathcabforhottie
cross dressing is not only about clothing…it can be about facial hair, packing, etc.

I saw this question, and I thought: Must tell Kat!
Then I saw your name, and I was pleased.

Yes, I’ve met many, though they’re a bit harder to spot – most are or are mistaken for butch lesbians as tinyfaery pointed out, in fact my trans friend who is FTM, Eric, identified as a butch lesbian through high school until after graduation. Through my experiences with him, I’ve met others and a common theme in those few I met at least was that it was a bit of a stepping stone in their process, I realize that when they are in transition it’s not considered crossdressing but before they had decided to follow through with hormone therapy or gender reassignment that was how they expressed themselves.. Not all were transgender, but some – I am not saying this is the standard in crossdressers.

The largest group I ever came in contact with was after Eddie Izzard’s Sexie show in DC. There were about ten of them and I listened to their stories as they went up one by one to talk with him and share their experiences as transvestites and transgendered people. It was touching. And absolutely intriguing. There are more than a few in the Washington, DC area.

And of course, Simone said it better than I, I think..
Being an outsider to that community myself I don’t imagine I could do it much justice other than relaying what I’ve observed or been told.

If anyone has any clarifications or anything for me, please lemme know. :)

@Deathcabforhottie: As Simone said, it’s not simply about outer clothing options. There really is more too it.

@KatawaGrey: If you’re interested I have a friend who speaks openly to those who are interested in LGBT issues. Lex, does not like pronouns, so it can be a bit awkward to talk about Lex. As Lex does not identify with either gender, more closely with male if anything. So from now on I’m using him for ease. He’s had people contact him in the past regarding similar topics, and friends have been sent his way before. If you’d like and he’s fine with it always nice to keep checking I can pass along your info? If not, cool, just thought I’d throw it out here. It’s not as if Fluther isn’t full of knowledge as it is. :)

And for good measure, Wikipedia.

Ok I forgot to take into acount things other then clothes. But what is cross dressing… As in how extreme is it? Also couldn’t a women or man look more like the other gender such as a flat chested women with a boyish air cut. The reason I bring this up is that as you said it’s more then just clothes

A flat chested woman with a pixie cut does not a crossdresser make.
The same woman in men’s clothing does.

Unless, you know, it’s just a walk of shame.

Well I am not saying a flat chested women Makes a cross dresse. I am saying that it’s a visual thing. I am saying that it may look at certain way even though it’s not

@asmonet: You are a veritable fountain of information, thank you love! It would be lovely if you passed on my information (facebook please) to Lex because this is a subject I am very interested in. I am a women’s studies minor but that usually translates to sexuality and gender study. My school hasn’t quite gotten it yet that just because it has “sexuality,” “gender,” or “family” in the title doesn’t mean it’s a women’s studies class.

In NYC, Murray Hill (which is a pun on a neighborhood name in Manhattan) is a well-known drag king. He puts on a a popular variety show every week.

@katawa What kind of gender studies program doesn’t discuss sexuality? May I suggest a transfer to UCLA. They have a GREAT Women’s Studies dept. as well as an LGBT minor.

@KatawaGrey: I’ll ask him if he’s down for it this time, and let you know via PM when I hear from him. :)

@tinyfaery: What I mean is that there is no filter. The classes that fall under the category of women’s studies are very broad. There is a sociology class called “the family in society” which is considered a women’s studies course. I’m currently in “human sexuality” which is considered a women’s studies course. Most of the courses that fall under women’s studies don’t actually relate directly to women. I still enjoy the classes, they just don’t seem to go together. When I signed up for this minor, I wanted a more cohesive approach to how women are treated in our society and others with some branching into sexuality, gender studies and societal influences, not the other way around.

It’s impossible to talk about “women” without considering all women. I have a BA/MA in Women’s Studies, and every one of my classes dealth with race, class, ability, sexuality, etc. Maybe your school doesn’t have it’s own major or department. If this is the case, then I understand the lack of depth.

If you have time to read a book, I recommend Leslie Feinberg’s semi-autobiographical novel, Stone Butch Blues.

I second laureth’s rec

@tinyfaery: My first women’s studies class was wonderful. We did talk about all kinds of women and even men when considering certain aspects of society. While my school technically has a women’s studies department, it’s kind of a joke. Except for the women’s studies 101 class I took and the senior seminar I will take, not a single women’s studies class is completely it’s own course. Many of them are also psychology classes and sociology classes and basically anything they can throw in to flesh out the minor a bit. I’m a little fed-up, but I’m going to stick to this minor because I want to take the senior seminar because the professor is amazing.

@laureth: Thank you! I will look into that. Do you know if it’s still in print?

I don’t know if it’s still in print, but it’s certainly available. The link was to the Amazon listing for it. :)