Here is another E-mail sent to a friend, detailing a little bit more about me:

Time to step into the "wayback machine" and examine a question that I have often wondered about, which is:
"What is it that makes me a T-girl?"
I love reading online profiles of other T-girls; their stories are often heartfelt accounts of those moments in their lives which set them on a path to being the T-girl that they are today. Something that is common element in a lot of their stories is that they first felt the urge to dress at an early age, and then tried on whatever was available to them at the time, typically clothes from their mother or sister.
I'm reminded now of such a story told by one of the T-girls that I met in my former support group. I don't recall exactly how old she said that she was when this happened, but my impression is that it was in the grade-school range. She said that this was something that happened at a friend's house when the rest of the friend's family was out. Her friend suggested something along the lines of: "I dare you to put on some of my sister's clothes." Her (or "his" at the time, the pronouns can get a little confusing) response was "I will if you will". I think that she said that they then went into the laundry room there at the freind's house, and they each put on some of the sister's clothes which were left in the dryer at the time.
The best part of the story is that later that same day, when the friend's mother and sister had returned home, she overheard the sister complain "Mom...tell Billy to stop wearing my clothes!!!"
Getting back to me, I can't say that I have anything similar related to dressing up. Something that I do have disctinct memories of are times when I would be with my mother when she would be shopping at the department store. (Federal's Department Store, as I recall).
What I would usually do is that I would wander over to the jewelry counter, where behind the counter, on a raised shelf, they had several wigs on display for sale. I used to love looking at the wigs...focusing my attention on one at a time, then moving on to the next one in line. Now, I didn't have any feelings that I wanted to wear them myself, it's just that I thought that they were so beautiful and that they were there to be admired. Now, I admit that it is a bit of a stretch to say that this was something that directly leads to me dressing as female in the present day, but I do think that since it is such a vivid memory, it could possibly be one element of my feminine side manifesting itself at that time.

Here is a follow-up Email to my previous entry:
Hopefully, I've given you something to think about, particularly in regard to how these various ideas about gender might relate to you. These concepts can be difficult to wrap your head around, and they can take some time to sink in. And, actually, the subject of gender is more complex than the quick summary that I have provided, especeially when you start factoring in concepts like societal roles. An excellent book on the subject of gender is: "A Guide To Gender (2nd Edition)" by Sam Killermann. Im currently about halfway through, and it's something that I wish that I had discovered years ago. One of the things that really stands out to me is that by reading and soaking in the concepts presented the book, one comes to the realization that those of us who dress are completely normal individuals, just a little bit different than everyone else. (And, really, isn't everyone a little bit different than everyone else? There are no two individuals who are exactly alike.) Find out more on the book's website: http://www.guidetogender.com and also check out the author's personal website http://www.itspronouncedmetrosexual.com where there is a wealth of information that is both informative and entertaining

I've recently been Emailing with a girl who has indicated that she is relatively new to dressing, and is thinking that it is mostly just a fetish. I'll share my response to her with you:
Well, don't sell yourself short, honey! I've told you a little bit about me, would you say that what I do is just a fetish?
In a simplified way, you might say that it is, if you only think in terms of those individuals who are trans-sexual (TS) being in one group and everyone else in the other group. I'm not TS, which is to say that I'm not a woman born a man's body, so I'm an 'other' along with you. (And we live in "New Otherton"?) However, a better way to look at it is that there is a range (or spectrum) of trans-gendered (TG) individuals, from those with a lingere or sexual fetish on the one side to those who are TS at the other exterme. I would say that I'm somewhere in-between, and the next question is: Where do you fit-in? Only you can know that for certain, but considering that you are going so far as buying wigs and dressing up, you might not just simply be exploring a fetish. If you really are, though, there's nothing wrong with that, but I'm suggesting that you might be somewhat restrictive in your thinking, and that there is nothing wrong with you considering yourself to be Trans-Gendered, with a capital TG, honey! A somewhat broader term is T-girl, and there is likewise nothing wrong with you considering yourself to be a T-girl, since that term absolutely includes you, me, and everyone else in-between! Finally, it is also somewhat restrictive to think in terms of someone as being stuck at one precise point on the spectrum. When I first started out, I would say that I was a lot closer to the 'fetish' side than I am now. It's entirely possible that as you explore your feminine side, you might find yourself embracing it more and more as a part of who you really are (and thus shifting your position on the scale).

I'm increasing my participation on this website in order to support and encourage any of the members/viewers of this site who have the desire to dress as member of the opposite sex, and feel that they are somewhat "hard-wired" to do so.
As I mention in my profile, I don't consider myself to be a trans-sexual girl (which is to say that I do not have a strong desire to have sexual reassignment surgery and live full-time as female), but I do feel that there is a reason that I have been drawn into (and so thoroughly embraced) the world of us T-girls.
Precisely what that reason is (could it be genetic, hormonal, or psychological???) doesn't really matter, all I know is that I am happier having developed a distinct feminine persona.
This website was actually rather influential in my development.
When I first discovered this website, I only had some vague ideas as to what cross-dressing really involved, and even less of an idea as to where it would eventually take me. Up to that point, I had only worn pantyhose in private (or under my male clothes in public), or slept in lingerie. Once I discovered this site, I just knew that I had to participate in the fun of dressing up and posting naughty pictures of myself dressed enfemme. I then proceeded to acquire what one would guess would be required for such a venture, such as a wig, thigh-highs, sexy gloves, etc. And, actually, I did post a number of sexy pictures of myself here.
During that time, I would occasionally see photos posted on this site of T-girls out-and-about in public situations. I would think that they were being incredibly brave by going outdoors dressed up, and I fantasized about the remote possibility of myself ever being able to do so.
I eventually found a TG support group in my area, and with their help, I gradually found the confidence to go out in public in girl mode.
I'm now a board member of that support group, I'm proud to be active in the TG community, and I feel that I can go anywhere in public that a biological woman can go.
I'm not trying to suggest that everyone needs to follow my particular path. I'm simply here to help or encourage those individuals who desire to go a bit further in their exploration of their feminine side.