Crossdresser Heaven » Crossdressing & Transgender Books

A Blessing From Twitter – A Transgender Movie List

Vanessa Law — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:25:00 +0000

One of my friends on Twitter (http://twitter.com/SistersTalk) recently posted a good list of gay and lesbian themed movies. Being the inquisitive sort I asked if she had a similar list of movies that feature a transgendered character in some way. Boy did she ever!

So I thought I’d share with you the most comprehensive list of transgender movies known to woman! I’ve only seen a few of them (so time to fill up my Netflix queue!). Some of the ones I enjoyed the most:

Vanessa’s Transgender Movie List

Mrs. Doubtfire. In no way a serious transgender movie, but Robin Williams does a great job portraying the elderly Mrs Doubtfire. A good family movie.

Ma Vie En Rose is of the more serious sort. It explores the story of an innocent young boy who tries to fulfill his dream of becoming a girl, and the social consequences his gender confusion has on the rest of the town.

Well, I could share a few more here, like Priscilla, Queen of the dessert, but you already have the most comprehensive list ever made . What are some of your favorite movies that feature a transgender character or have a transgender theme?

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P.S. Follow me on Twitter – I’d love to hear what you’re doing and what you’re thinking. Who knows, you may even find something useful. Like a transgender movie list

Crossdressing Book for the Transgendered

Vanessa Law — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:34:13 +0000

Just a few years ago books and resources on crossdressing and the transgendered experience were hard to come by. These days though many authors have stepped forward to write transgendered books that detail their experience and provide hope and encouragement to many out there who are struggling with gender identity disorder.

Get Dressed! by Gina Lance is a recently published

Transgender Book

the full title of which is Get Dressed! Breaking Out Of The Crossdressing Closet.

Gina takes a different approach than many other transgender books I’ve read. Rather than trying to cater to both a confused crossdresser and her even more confused spouse Gina’s book is written primarily for the transgendered among us.

She takes you on the roller coaster ride of her transgendered experience, starting with her fear and sharing her unique path to acceptance.

I enjoyed Gina’s writing style immensely – each paragraph was filled with fun and her stories further inspired me to believe that the transgendered journey can be both exhilarating and life transforming.

The wisdom is kept until the latter pages of this book, leaving the transvestite and crossdressers among us to savor the experience before grappling with our own reality. In dispensing advice Gina shows she’s not just a pretty face but a keen mind as well. My favorite paragraph in the book is (emphasis mine):

Being transgendered doesn’t work unless you have pride in yourself. Oh sure, it works for awhile if you are new and finally out of the crossdressing closet. The adrenaline rush of those first early moments overcomes all other thoughts you might have. And that’s great! That’s how it should be. The release of your feminine side that has been repressed all those many years is exciting It’s like a giant 100 lb gorilla being lifted off your back.

Once you’ve gotten past the first dozen times of getting out and meeting others, it’s time to put your brain in order. Feel good about yourself! You’re a great person who shares her male self with a feminine persona. Or maybe you’ve taken a step to live as a woman, both mentally and physically. Don’t be depressed because you feel different. Just do it! Celebrate yourself and show pride in who you are.

Gina, thank you for your contribution to transgendered literature!

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P.S. In the interests of full disclosure: Gina was kind enough to give me a copy of her book to review, but her positive review was entirely the result of her well written book.

If you would like me to review your product please email me at vanessalaw@crossdresserheaven.com. I can’t promise you a good review, but if your product is of interest to the transgender or crossdressing community I’m happy to post my thoughts on it to Crossdresser Heaven.

Best Cross-dressing book: My Husband Betty

Vanessa Law — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:40:00 +0000

Last week I finished reading My Husband Betty, a book by Helen Boyd about Love, Sex, and Life with a Crossdresser. I can honestly say that this is the best book I’ve read about the cross-dressing experience. Helen compassionately shares her struggles living with a crossdresser, exposes the hidden truths about cross-dressing that Tri-ESS doesn’t want you to know and shares the real experiences of other woman who live with crossdressers.

My Husband Betty Book

As mentioned in a previous article for women married to a cross-dresser, I still think Peggy Rudd’s book My Husband Wears My Clothes is a valuable resource. Peggy’s book is an excellent guide to cross-dressing 101. Helen’s book is more akin to Transgender 202.

The things I especially appreciated about Helen’s book are her frank and open discussions about cross-dressing and sexuality. This is a topic generally avoided by Tri-ESS, and other books about that discuss cross-dressing purely as a the expression of inner femininity.

I enjoyed Helen’s overview of all members of the transgender community, and discussing the difference between transsexual and transgender. Helen has a keen appreciation for where crossdressers fit into the larger transgender community, as well as some of the conflict that occurs between crossdressers and the same community.

Helen is also not shy to share the “darker side of crossdressing”, very vividly portrayed through the stories of wives and ex-wives of crossdressers. In some sense, the book could be titled “What your husband won’t tell you about crossdressing, but probably should.”

The Crossdressed Husband

My Husband Betty is valuable for the wife of a crossdresser, but I think the crossdressed husband has a duty to read this. An area that we often lack as crossdressers is empathy for our significant other. Resources that help us accept ourselves and share our transgendered nature with others are valuable, but often they don’t prepare us fully for the struggle our loved ones will have.

A highly recommended read – but be warned, My Husband Betty could shatter some of your preconceptions about crossdressers.

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P.S. Have you ever wanted to be a better woman? Learn how to cross dress and pass as a woman