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The terms cross dresser and transvestite are often used, mistakenly, interchangeably. Often, fetishes is brought into the mix of jargon just as erroneously. To really understand the differences between these three distinct groups, one must look past the surface, a man wearing ladies clothing or a woman dressing as a man can be any one of these three terms, sometimes identifying with more than one. The untrained eye may not know if that person is a cross dresser or a transvestite without talking to the individual, as their thoughts on why they're dressed as such are a large part of difference between groups.

A cross dresser may look like a transvestite, but their gender identification is solidly based in the gender they were born with. For example, a male cross dresser may enjoy putting on a lovely gown and going dancing, but under that dress they feel male. Cross dressers are largely heterosexual, and take joy from donning the garb of the other gender, yet they do not need the clothing to become sexually aroused. It's just like a hobby to the cross dresser to get done up in the guise of the opposite sex, something they enjoy doing for sake of doing it.

A transvestite will put on the clothing and make-up for a different reason. Transvestites feel a sexual charge to their dressing, while their sexual preferences are a mix of heterosexual, homo and bisexuality, the clothing bring out a sexual enjoyment. The transgender group can run from people who enjoy donning the garb on a regular basis to those who feel their gender is a mistake, in certain cases transvestites seek gender reassignment surgery that they can live their lives as the gender they feel. While not all transvestites experience feeling of being born into the wrong body, some live their lives dressed as the opposite gender. Transvestism also has a special offshoot group, drag. Drag is the over-the-top almost theatrical transvestism popularized by performers like RuPaul and seen in films such as Pricilla: Queen of the Desert. Drag performances are a mainstay of Las Vegas entertainment, and quite a fun way to experience this vividly colored glamorous subculture.

A sexual fetish can be anything that person needs to be sexually aroused, like high-heeled shoes or leather. Different from the cross dresser who simply enjoys a break from their day-to-day by dressing as the other gender, or the transvestite who enjoys a sexual thrill from their dressing, the fetishist cannot truly become aroused without their fetish of choice. In extreme cases, therapy can be sought to extinguish the fetish, if it becomes problematic. A person who must dress in the clothes of the opposite sex to become aroused is dealing with a cross-dressing fetish, but should not be confused with a cross dresser, or a transvestite as the fetishist's need for the clothing or accessories to become sexually aroused greatly differentiates them.

Without getting into an in-depth conversation, it may be impossible to discern one from another when one sees a man dressed as a lady. Their reasons for doing it and what they get from the experience differentiates a transvestite from a cross-dresser, and both of them are quite different from the fetishist. The gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community (also referred to as the GLBT community) are very diverse people, and the transgender portion of the group are a diverse crowd in themselves. Transgender is the most accepted term for these individuals, the distinction of drag queen or king should be reserved for performers.

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