Episode 79 features Chris D’ Orso, a crossdresser from New York who comes on the podcast to tell his story and how he’s using his crossdressing to benefit the world!
https://dressember2020.funraise.org/fundraiser/chris-dorso
How old are you and where you from?
I’m 44, and I’m from Rochester, New York.
Are you public about your crossdressing?
I guess wearing a dress every day for a month and posting pictures on Instagram is just about as public as it gets. =)
How important is passing to you?
It’s not. I’m just a guy who’s wearing a dress, because they’re comfortable and fun. (And to raise money for charity.) And if there’s a young person out there who sees me, either in person or on social media, and says “if that guy can do it, then I can be myself too,” then that’s a huge win even if I never raised a single dollar. But at the same time, I’m taking this seriously. I’m wearing appropriate shoes, and tights every day for warmth. I felt like clomping around with hairy legs and sneakers would be making fun of this movement and what it stands for.
How do you identify in terms of gender?
I’m a cisgender hetero male.
Do you consider yourself transgender? Why or why not?
No. I have friends and family members who are transgender; I have enormous love and respect for those who have to deal with the emotions and pressures and stresses, both internal and societal, every day that come with not identifying in the gender you were assigned at birth. At the end of the day, I take this dress off and I can walk through the grocery store in jeans and a concert t-shirt and be completely invisible. Not everyone has that luxury. It goes back to what I said above, though. I’m wearing dresses in the manner they’re intended – with “women’s” shoes and tights every day – because ultimately, they’re just fabric so we’re not walking around Target naked. I will not make light of it by being “a guy in a dress,” even if I’m just a guy in a dress.
What’s the worst thing about being a crossdresser?
Nothing seems to fit quite right! Everything’s either super loose in the chest or super tight on my arms. I find myself WAY more self-conscious about that than I thought I would be.
What’s your favorite thing to wear? What would you say your style is?
Two weeks in, I think I can actually answer this! I’ve been most comfortable in knee-length dresses that have sleeves. Sweater dresses have been fantastic, because they’re super comfy and you can absolutely wear them all day.
What is Dressember?
I was inspired by a few friends who did Movember, growing mustaches to raise money for cancer last month. I did a little googling to see if there was anything fun like that for December, and stumbled across the Dressember Foundation. The challenge each year is to wear a dress (or a tie, but ties are boring) every day for a month while bringing awareness and raising money for victims of trafficking. I had a few dresses in the closet from previous outings, so I ran the idea past my wife, who was completely supportive. Then I talked with some local friends, who generously gave me nearly two dozen dresses that they were going to donate anyway. I’m going to wash them all and bring them to donate at the end of the month, continuing to pay it forward.
Besides Dressember, what would you like to do with your crossdressing moving forward?
Folks have told me that I’m going to have a hard time going back to pants — but I’ll tell you, it gets cold in Rochester in January. I’m going to be quite happy to wear pants for a while! But I’ve crossdressed for Halloween a few times, and I’d love to do stage drag again because that was quite a rush.
If there’s one thing in your life you could change, what would that be?
I need to get serious about losing some weight. I’m really surprised at how self-conscious I’ve been this month about what I’m eating, actually, because of what I’m wearing. As a result, I’ve lost six pounds.
What advice would you give to other crossdressers or those questioning their gender or sex?
Be as honest with yourself as you can possibly be. I know it’s hard, but please know that there are people out there in the world who can help.
Why did you come on the podcast? [Would you recommend others to come on the podcast?]
When I first did this, I set my fundraising goal for $500. I figured if I could get friends and family to donate a few dollars each, I’d be thrilled. Once I blew past that goal, then $1,000, and then $2,000, I realized that I could actually do much more with a bigger audience. I did a little more googling and found quite a vibrant crossdressing community online that I knew would be supportive of what I’m doing. [And yes, absolutely!]
