Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Living With A Transvestite : A Phenomenological Study Of Wives And Committed Partners Of Transvestites, Heather Christine Freegard

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Being a man or woman is at the core of human social lives and personal identity, and guides appropriate behaviours such as dress, mannerisms and relationships. Transvestism, or the practice of wearing the clothes of the other gender, challenges societal values and guidelines for behaviour. The attitude of society to this practice has varied from veneration to vilification depending on the period of history and the culture of the people. In western countries, although there is little social or legal repression, transvestism is largely a hidden phenomena. The tradition of comic drag has dominated public recognition of cross-dressing. Hence transvestites …