GENDER-DISTURBED MALES

Adolescent and adult cross-dressing or ''transvestism'' is the most co mmon antecedent behavioral pattern among those who request sex reassig nment surgery. Tranvestites are actually a diverse group of men who di ffer in their gender identities, orientation, and intention. They do, however, have in common a soothing image of themselves as women. Becau se of this, whether cross-dressing occurs among masculine or feminine males or heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, or asexuals, or among those with paraphilia, the behavior should be considered the expressio n of their consciously felt femininity. The confusing differences amon g cross-dressing males may be explained by their diversity along three dimensions: 1) the ambition for heterosexual intercourse; 2) the natu ral history of their sexual arousal to female clothing; 3) their curre nt capacity to integrate their masculine and feminine strivings into s eparate compartments. When cross-dressers give up all vestiges of male gender role behaviors and successfully live and work full time as wom en, the appropriate descriptive term for them becomes ''transsexual. ' '