TRANSVESTISM - A SURVEY OF 1032 CROSS-DRESSERS

One thousand and thirty-two male periodic cross-dressers (transvestite s) responded to an anonymous survey patterned after Prince and Bentler 's (1972) report. With few exceptions, the findings are closely relate d to the 1972 survey results. Eighty-seven percent described themselve s as heterosexual. All except 17% had married and 60% were married at the time of this survey. Topics surveyed included demographic, childho od and family variables, sexual orientation and sexual behavior, cross -gender identity, cross-gender role behavior, future plans to live ent irely as a woman, and utilization of counseling or mental health servi ces. Of the present sample, 45% reported seeking counseling compared t o 24% of the 1972 survey and those reporting strong transsexual inclin ations were up by 5%. Today's transvestites strongly prefer both their masculine and feminine selves equally A second research objective was to identify variables discriminating between so-called Nuclear (stabl e, periodic cross-dressers) and Marginal transvestites (more transgend ered or transsexually inclined); 10 strongly discriminating parameters were found, The most important are (i) cross-gender identity, (ii) co mmitment to live entirely as a woman, (iii) taking steps toward body f eminization, (iv) low sexual arousal to cross-dressing. Neither age no r experience as a cross-dresser were found to be correlates of cross-g ender identity. Although the present generation of transvestites descr ibe themselves much as did similar subjects 20 years ago, the percenta ge migrating toward full-rime living as a woman is greater.