Instead, he relies on a masquerade that bears little relation to most women's experience of daily life. Transvestism involves switching roles and identity, not only from masculine to feminine, but also from reality to fantasy. It is a form of fractured behavior that maintains masculinity and femininity as separate, exclusive entities. Typically heterosexual, the transvestite is often married. Until now the wives remained largely invisible.
Transvestism presents serious contradictions for feminism.
Outright rejection of transvestism lends support to the idea of a rigid division of gender. Yet to claim that transvestism blurs the edges of the gender divide is to ignore the feelings of women married to transvestite men. The issues raised here extend beyond the issue of men dressing up as women and into the broader arena of gender politics. Annie Woodhouse, formerly senior lecturer in sociology at South Bank Polytechnic, is a qualitative researcher with a London-based company. Complete this form to add your comments to the readers' comments below.