Transvestism
Transvestism – a term historically used in psychology and sexology to describe the practice of wearing clothing traditionally associated with another sex or gender, sometimes accompanied by adopting a different name, social role, or other attributes conventionally associated with that gender. Earlier sexological approaches regarded transvestism as a less pronounced form of gender identity disturbance than transsexualism, particularly when individuals sought to assume the appearance or role of another sex without consistently identifying themselves as belonging to it (Hornostai, 2004, p. 151). This interpretation is now considered outdated, as cross-dressing does not, in itself, constitute a disorder of gender identity.
Transvestism should not be confused with the expression of femininity in men or masculinity in women, although these phenomena may overlap. Clothing preferences and gender expression do not necessarily indicate a particular gender identity or sexual orientation.
In the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), the World Health Organization (WHO) distinguished between two forms of transvestism.
Dual-Role Transvestism (F64.1) was classified under gender identity disorders. It referred to wearing clothing associated with another sex in order to experience a temporary sense of belonging to that sex. The defining characteristics included the absence of sexual arousal as a motivation for cross-dressing and the absence of a desire for permanent sex reassignment (World Health Organization, 1993).
Fetishistic Transvestism (F65.1) was classified under disorders of sexual preference. It involved wearing clothing or accessories associated with another sex primarily to achieve sexual arousal while creating the appearance of belonging to that sex. Unlike dual-role transvestism, this category was explicitly associated with sexual excitement, typically accompanied by a desire to remove the clothing once arousal had subsided (World Health Organization, 1993).
These distinctions reflect the diagnostic framework of ICD-10 rather than current clinical understanding. In ICD-11, both dual-role transvestism and fetishistic transvestism were removed as separate diagnostic categories. Cross-dressing, whether or not associated with sexual arousal, is not inherently regarded as a mental disorder. A clinically relevant condition involving atypical sexual arousal may be considered under other diagnostic categories only when specific requirements, such as substantial distress not attributable solely to social rejection or a significant risk of harm, are met (Reed et al., 2016; Krueger et al., 2017).
See also: Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Gender Nonconformity, Gender Incongruence, Transsexuality, Femininity, Masculinity.
References
Hornostai, P. P. (2004). Genderna sotsializatsiia ta stanovlennia gendernoi identychnosti [Gender socialization and the formation of gender identity]. In Osnovy teorii genderu: Navchalnyi posibnyk [Foundations of gender theory: A textbook] (pp. 132–155). K.I.S. [in Ukrainian].
Krueger, R. B., Reed, G. M., First, M. B., Marais, A., Kismodi, E., & Briken, P. (2017). Proposals for paraphilic disorders in the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11). Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(5), 1529–1545. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-0944-2
Reed, G. M., Drescher, J., Krueger, R. B., Atalla, E., Cochran, S. D., First, M. B., Cohen-Kettenis, P. T., Arango-de Montis, I., Parish, S. J., Cottler, S., Briken, P., & Saxena, S. (2016). Disorders related to sexuality and gender identity in the ICD-11: Revising the ICD-10 classification based on current scientific evidence, best clinical practices, and human rights considerations. World Psychiatry, 15(3), 205–221. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20354
World Health Organization. (1993). The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders: Diagnostic criteria for research. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241544554
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