Records show that transgenderism has been around forever. In fact, the records go back to 1504 BC.

The great expansion of Egypt during the New Kingdom was carried out by a single dynasty of pharaohs, which lasted 250 years. Great ambition characterized one redoubtable woman, The Queen Dowager Hatshepsut. After the death of her husband, she became regent for her young stepsons and her nephew Tuthmosis III. Seizing the throne, she assumed the functions, the insignia and even the dress of her husband, a pharaoh, and ruled for 20 years.

In the 17th century, Abby d’Choisy was the third son of a strong willed mother who dressed her son in girls’ clothes and later, in women’s clothes. She further applied depilatory lotions to his face during adolescence so his bread would not grow. After his mother’s death, he still dressed in female clothes and appeared regularly both in Paris and in the provinces. He became a successful actress in the Bordeaux theatre and was sent to Rome to attend the election of the Pope. He attended dressed en femme. While residing in Italy, he lived several years as a woman. He was also part of an entourage of Ambassador Louis XIV, and wore the most feminine evening gown, make-up and jewelry at events.

Moving forward to the 18th and 19th centuries, Lord Cornbury was the governor of the Royal Province of New Jersey (1702 to 1708). His portrait hangs in the halls of the New York Historical Society where it has been a subject of interest. Lord Cornbury is seen dressed as a woman in full garb. It is clamed that as Queen Anne’s relative and representative he believed he should represent her as literally as possible, and in all respects, as faithfully as he could.

In contrast, Chevalier d’Eon de Beaumont was a diplomat who became an actress. Born in 1728, he grew up sort of short and plump with a soft voice. He was sent to Russia in 1755 where he dressed like a woman in the courts of the Empress Elizabeth in Saint Petersburg for the purpose of espionage. He was then sent to London in 1762 as minister Plenipotentiary for the French Foreign Services. He served for fifteen years and became subject of controversy. Was Eon male or female, French or English, good or bad? The London Stock Exchange took bets on his gender. Betting was so heavy that d’Eon feared kidnapping by those who had the highest stakes on his sex. Chavalier d’Eon continued to serve in the King’s Covenant without revealing his true gender. At his death in 1810, an autopsy proved he was a man, but the English court ruled she was a woman. Still the verdict is out.

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals at Harvard College, founded in 1795, the oldest of all the Ivy League schools, has a long tradition of drag shows. Political, financial and future leaders of the world got some of their initial public exposure at Harvard’s crossdressing extravaganzas. Hasty Pudding, to a certain extent, mainstreamed and legitimized female impersonation, and is still a part of Harvard College today. For all of Hasty Pudding’s repute, the largest drag club remains the Bohemian Club in San Francisco; it has 2300 members (without forgetting La Cage aux Folles, yet another world renowned troop company).

Gender-bending has also been alive and well in various forms of art and culture. People lined up at the movie theatre to see us: Tootsie, The Crying Game, Glen/Glenda, Yenta, Planet Nine from Outer Space, Some Like It Hot, Victor/Victoria, and Normal. Actors of stature like Lawrence Olivier, Dustin Hoffman, Ed Wood Jr., Tony Curtis, Jack Lemon and Julie Andrews did not shy from portraying crossdressing or transgenderism on the big screen, some even winning the Oscar for their performance. We have also been in people’s homes through the magic of television: Flip Wilson, Dana Carvy, Milton Berle, The Kids In The Hall and CODCO are other reminders that our community exists. All these people dressed -- latently or overtly -- in response to audience interest, to emphasize their own trademark. Was their success a central part of their own inner being? Cartoons also had their share of crossdressing: Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, The Big Bad Wolf and Peter Pan.

I could go on and on, but I think I’ve made my point that crossdressing and transgenderism are indeed a part of our culture... so why is it still taboo for a male to identify as a female or a female to identify as a male in public?

Until next time. Ta Ta...