TINT: cross-dressing vs transvestite

I decided to sign up for one of the more well known tg sites today. Tranny International, or TINT seems to have a bit of a following online so I thought I'd join to see what I'd make of it. Unfortunately I got stuck in the middle of the application process.

Now I know my own name and, at a pinch, I can describe myself, but the next part really threw me. The text "I am" is followed by a pull down bar with the options: Cross Dresser, Transsexual, Transvestite, Woman, Man, Couple. Hmmm tricky...

One day I'll get around to writing my thesis in full regarding my opinions on gender (to cut a long story short I don't believe it exists and if it does then it's based on little more than semantics) however it was the Cross-Dresser Vs Transvestite option that threw me here.

Ok, so a cross dresser is someone who crossed clothes right? A boy who dresses like a girl or a girl like a boy. Where as a *transvestite* is someone who 'trans' (crosses) 'vestites' (clothes). You know, i think I'll just tick the boy box!

Interestingly I've just noticed another tg site, tvchix, has just change their pigeon hole options. Previously they had had blue tags for male/female admirers, orange tags for transsexuals and pink tags for pretty much everyone else. (CD, TV or t-somethings). I had always been a bit envious of those orange tags but felt I couldn't switch over until I was living full time.

However I noticed more and more organge tags appearing of late, some from people who certainly didn't look transsexual. After closer investigation I noticed that the self-definition options had been change. Now as well as pulling male, female, couple or intersexed you can choose from a range of complimentary options including the traditional TV, CD, pre-op and post-op as well as the new t-girl and transgender.

Now I have as much idea about the distinction between t-girl and transgender as I do about TV and TG but it is nice that there are a few more options. Personally I tend to try and avoid defining myself but understand why sites feel they need to. To me t-girl or transgender seem to be the loosest definition and more obviously be taken to mean a number of things which is why I choose them if they are options.

I guess the point of all this is that if you want to know more about me ask me as there are so many different views on what these tag means that we would probably be having different views anyway.