Transvestism is considered a psychosexual disorder in which erotic pleasure is derived from wearing clothing designed for members of the opposite sex.
The distinguishing characteristic of transvestism is
wearing feminine clothing . . . is associated with sexual arousal at least in the initial phase of the condition (Rekers, 1984, p. 1180). Transvestites report intense frustration when cross dressing is interfered with and many report a tension release or anxiety reduction during episodes of cross-dressing.
Rekers (1984, p. 1180) indicates that about 89% of trans-vestites are heterosexual and about 64% are married and appear masculine in their everyday life. About two-thirds have children.
However, their episodes of cross dressing may include wearing feminine cosmetics and wigs, shaving their legs and underarms, and feminine gestures, mannerisms, postures, and gait (Rekers, 1984).
The purpose of this report is to present a sociological analysis of transvestism as a sexual variation and to examine three themes - gender, power, and sexual orientation.
The report will be divided into four sections - first, characteristics of transvestism will be presented. In the
second section, a summary of the sociology of the "self" and the development of the "I" and the "me" will be conducted. Section two will also present psychological accounts of transvestism.
In the third section, a review of gender, power, and sexual orientation will be provided. In section four, an analysis and summary of the issues will integrate the issues discussed.
The major objective of the analysis is to confront sexual variations from a sociological a perspective and to utilize gender, power, and sexual orientation themes for this analysis.
It is important to note that the majority of transvestites are males. Thus, the pronoun "he" will be utilized in references to transvestites.
As previously noted, transvestism is considere...