Gay Dressing

Paper Summary:

Like all people, gay men express themselves by how they dress, and those members of the gay community who 'cross-dress' or dress 'in drag' are no exception. This paper examines how society viewed gay men in earlier days, beginning with the Berdeche of Pre-Columbian Native America, and continuing until the present day. It examines, in particular, cross-dressers and drag queens whose very act of dressing 'differently' is a symbol of pride in their unique sexuality.

From the Paper:

"Charles' style of cross-dressing is as "typical" of today's queens as is his devotion to the community and to his and other gay men's hard-won rights. The queen is not merely a simple copy of a heterosexual woman; rather she is a character that is at once uniquely gay in the fashions and attitudes she represents, and in the causes she espouses. Increasingly, even heterosexuals have come to see the deeper meanings behind what were once taboo images. Authors, artists, filmmakers, and those paragons of popular culture " advertisers " reach out to gay men in ways they never have before."

More papers on Gay Dressing:

• Essay # 51092 : "Cross-Dressing"
• Research Paper # 95863 : "Homosexuality"
• Book Review # 146578 : "Flowers and Dress as Symbols in "Paul's Case"

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