Transgendered

Those who cross the gap between the genders, to be the person that they are, instead of the mass produced mold dictated by others.
100,000 people in Utah

Crossdressers are as common as your next door neighbor or coworkers. Yet, as childhood laughter often leads to adult doubt, many are taught to have such a sense of guilt and fear that we go throughout our lives without telling anyone; often thinking that we are alone in this activity. What’s so bad about being a woman, (or man)? Amazingly, clothes can be seen as dangerous!

Most people are simply unaware of the varieties that we, as human beings, naturally come in. TV and advertising use the sensational, or the comic, to sell tickets and products. Parents and teachers, or other interested parties, attempting to own and operate our lives, tell us to ‘be this, not that’. The difference between the way we are told to be, as opposed to the way that we really are, can be as great as the difference between those friendly jeans and that dangerous dress!

The Facts
Recent research indicates that as many as 1 in 20, (5%) of people crossdress to some extent. Most are heterosexual (straight), many are married. Different people’s interest will range from the very occasional to the frequent, an erotic turn-on to imitation (the sincerest flattery), to an expression of one’s innermost personality.

Only a very few pursue a "sex change". The vast majority like and will keep their gender, yet, will on occasion , express the other part of themselves and their unique personality.

We are in all professions, and in classes you had in school. You probably met some of us in the last few days, and just didn't know it.

One therapist recently said of this human sexual variation: "You are Healthy. Lose the Guilt., and Get on with Your Life."

Today, reflecting changes in society, many are more comfortable with crossdressing. It is in vogue. Movies such as "Just Like A Woman", "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ", "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything- Julie Newmar", "Mrs. Doubtfire", and others portray crossdressers in a humanly positive way.

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A lot has changed since the 1950’s, when women were arrested for wearing pants. Due to the blurring of the social roles of men & women, one's gender is less important than once presented

This is an example of Regency fashion, 1829 drawing, a historical period when men's clothing were highly decorative, crossing today's gender definitions.

This recent view is more in line with our earlier history, when transgendered people were not only accepted, but elevated and ascribed with the wisdom befitting a "Twin Souled" person. In social evolution, as cultures became divided into different classes, crossdressing seemed to go underground.

Our culture and language seem to promote an either/or male/female boy/girl state-- no in between

In contrast, other languages and cultures can have up to 50 different words to recognize and describe the common variations of gender in people.

Through the ages, many men have chosen to live as women, and women as men. Both the prince and the pauper have chosen to simply be themselves.

	Over a century ago, most crossdressers were women, taking on both the role of men, and the freedom and opportunity that afforded. At least 400 women, for instance, fought as men during the Civil War, and some famous pirates were in fact women posing as men.
Joan of Arc

Today, women who dress in ‘mens’ clothing are rarely even noticed, as they have more freedom to cross social barriers than men, dressing as they please. Men however, may be sarcastically told: ‘don’t be a sissy’ , as if femininity were a sin.

Men are dictated to be one half of a person: that bordering on the strong, tough side. Women are taught to be the other half of a person, centered around the weaker, more expressive side. For many people, crossdressing is a sort of bridge to express the side denied them, thus enabling them to express the full range of human emotion.

Many people who identify their self as, "I'm a man", or "I'm a woman", seem to have more trouble accepting crossdressing than do others who have their identity as "I am a person". We're all human....

Our group, Engendered Species leads people to both accept and enjoy themselves, socialize, make friends, or learn to crossdress more effectively.

We support your having more options in life than what is usually presented, and Making a Stand for Who One Is. Some will, however, for social reasons, elect to maintain their privacy.

We have private meetings, with safeguards for your confidentiality. We also include partners, as our activities can be a shared experience to strengthen relationships, or couples.

For those who choose to be more open, we have a variety of activities "on the town", such as going to restaurants and movies. We ride in the Pride Day Parade in June, and go on weekend outings, in the style of "Priscilla" or "Wong Foo".

Contrary to what many might think of life "behind the Zion Curtain", crossdressing is generally legal, except in rare instances, (such as using the restroom/dressing-room of the opposite sex).

We help one another live the (transgendered) life you choose. Our activities are social (nonsexual) in nature, as we deal more with gender, rather than sexuality. We invite those interested to contact us.