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. '
'