transvestism
- Also called:
- cross-dressing
- Key People:
- RuPaul
- Magnus Hirschfeld
- Related Topics:
- berdache
- drag queen
- gender identity
- transsexuality
- paraphilia
transvestism, practice of wearing the clothes of the opposite sex. The term transvestism came into use following the publication in 1910 of Die Transvestiten (The Transvestites), a work by German physician Magnus Hirschfeld. The term originally was applied to cross-dressing associated with nonheterosexual behaviour. It also was used to describe cross-dressing with intent to derive sexual pleasure. Later in the 20th century, however, transvestism was distinguished from cross-dressing for sexual excitement, which became known as transvestic disorder, a recognized mental condition. In addition, transvestism often was mistakenly associated with homosexuality. Individuals who are asexual, bisexual, heterosexual, or homosexual may engage ...(100 of 361 words)