Like the morning after a storm, it's always nerve wracking to see what happens next after you come out to someone.  This can be a best friend, a family member, your significant other, or your human resources department.  Most of the time we come out there is an element of shock and like anything that sort of comes out of nowhere, it takes a little time for the person we come out to to reassess and process this revelation. Of course, this period of time is agonizing for us.  The relationship has changed, the dynamic between you and this person will forever be altered.  It's ..read more

Whenever I heard the term "coming out" while growing up I always associated it with coming out as gay.  It took me a long time to realize that as someone who is transgender the words were relevant to me as well.  I believe most of us who are in the closet (with all of our fabulous clothes) want to come out of there.  Some of us are tired of keeping this a secret, even if we don't necessarily want to come out.  I am tired of the little white lies I tell people in my life who don't know about my gender identity.  If I am dressed to kill and go out to dinner on a Saturday ..read more

Hello class, welcome to the last day of Crossdressing 101.  It's hard to think about how much time has passed since you first sashayed into my classroom in one inch patent pumps.  Pretty soon you'll be strutting across the stage in five inch stilettos on graduation day.     Over the past few lessons we have discussed crossdressing and different ways one can identify as we go beyond the world of "boys wear blue and girls wear pink".  I thought for today's lesson we would discuss our own personal gender identity.  While I was grading your homework I learned tha ..read more

Hello class, please take your seats. Please pass your essays on the history of lingerie forward and I will return them after I have a chance to grade them. And Ashley, if you have forgotten your homework yet again I will be calling your parents. Again. Today's lesson is about how crossdressing is under the umbrella, if you will, of identifying as transgender. In my opinion crossdressing is a specific subset of the transgender community. Similar to how romantic comedies are a type of movie, or how ballet is a specific form of dance. Not every trans girl identifies as a crossdresser, but I belie ..read more

Good morning class!     For those who weren't here in the previous lesson my name is Ms. McKnight and I welcome you to Crossdressing 101.  In our last lesson we discussed the origins of the word 'crossdress' as well as how I came to learn who I am.  In today's lesson we are going to go a little deeper and discuss what exactly IS crossdressing and the stigma that the word can have.   Some of you are taking this class because you aren't sure how you identify.  Are you transgender?  Are you genderfluid?  Are you bi-gender?  Personal identity is ve ..read more

Hello class, my name is Ms. McKnight and I would like to welcome you to Crossdressing 101! You are all looking so cute in your plaid schoolgirl skirts and white stockings! And your whole look is completed by shiny black patent Maryjanes. Absolutely adorable. We are all here today to learn about crossdressing. What is crossdressing? Where does it mean to crossdress? I can't promise to provide you with all of the answers but I will do my best. Crossdressing, in my opinion, is simply wearing...something, anything, that is typically associated with another gender. This is an overly simplified defi ..read more

Well, THAT didn't go quite the way we planned, did it?   I suppose everyone has been saying that about 2020, and really, what else is there left to say?   On a psychological level, it is a relief to be out of last year.  Even if the last day of December doesn't look any different than the first day of January, there is a certain peace I felt when I woke up that morning realizing I was no longer in 2020.  Whether we like it or not, life is teaching us every single day.  However, it is up to us whether or not we are learning anything.  A year ago I was thi ..read more

My name is Jessica Blackler and I am the Founder of gender free makeup brand, Jecca Blac. We create user friendly, vegan, cruelty free makeup products catering to the needs of all genders, identities and expressions. I was invited by En Femme to contribute with an article about myself, my company, and my alliance to the transgender community. I hope you enjoy learning a little more about us - and thank you to En Femme for inviting us share our story! Jecca Blac began with a safe space studio back in Wales, where I come from. My experience as a trained makeup artist working in film and TV provi ..read more

"Are you gay?" It's usually the first question we are asked when we come out to someone.  I mean, it makes sense in retrospect but the first time I was asked I was taken aback.  What was the connection between being attracted to a man and wearing panties and dresses and everything else?  What did wearing lingerie have to do with who I wanted to date? Someone once said gender identity is about what you want to WEAR to bed, sexual identity is about WHO you want to be in bed with.  I think that sums it up nicely. But I suppose it makes sense that's one of the first things we a ..read more

I love, love, love the seemingly endless options when it comes to clothes. I can fall in love with peplum dresses and then a few weeks later wear nothing but bodycon dresses and before you know I am wearing nothing but leather. I love finding a new style. I recently fell in love with ultra-glossy stockings and I am obsessed with the way they shine on my long legs. A few weeks ago I had planned on wearing a pair of black glossy stockings with a short dress (naturally) and I looked forward to my outfit and going out for a few days. When I got dressed that morning I discovered that my stocking ha ..read more