In episode 124, Thea, a crossdresser from the Northeastern United States, comes on the podcast to tell her story. Here’s our Q & A with her.
How old are you and where are you from?
33 years old, Connecticut (New York soon)
What brings you to the podcast?
Found the podcast on a drive home from a solo vacation May 2020. Felt an immediate connection, and quite a bit resonated with me and my feelings at the time. A year+ later, I finally gained the courage to join!
Do you consider yourself a crossdresser? Why or why not? How’d you come to that conclusion?
I do. Simply for its most basic definition – I enjoy clothing and accessories designed for the opposite sex. Some may feel it comes with a negative/kink connotation, but I don’t read into it that much. At the end of the day, it’s just clothing.
How would you identify with your gender identity? Do you think you fall under the transgender umbrella? Why or why not?
I do believe I fall under the transgender umbrella, but that’s quite a large umbrella nowadays. I don’t foresee myself going to the lengths of transitioning, but I also don’t view myself as someone who identifies solely as male. As I write this out, Bi-gender seems like an adequate term to describe me, but why must a label be put on everything?
How would you classify your sexuality? How did you come to terms with that?
I’ve certainly questioned it at times, but femininity is what I’m attracted to. When I walk down the street, I won’t take a look behind me as a male passes by, but I surely would if a female I found attractive does. Ok, so maybe I’m also just trying to get a longer look at her outfit. So what!
Are you public about Thea? Who knows about Thea and what was that coming out process like, if you have come out?
I’m not public about Thea to the world, but I have shared with a few friends. Everyone has been quite supportive, which has been such a relief. Each one has been a bit easier than the last for that reason. I’ve also started to attempt to create a new friend group, where my life as Thea is out in the open. We’re still in the very early stages of friendship, but there is another 4-5 local people I talk to regularly.
In your Curi – YAAS Conversation with Giselle, you talked a little about Gender Dysphoria vs Gender Euphoria. Can you elaborate more on that? You said you dont have gender dysphoria, but you do have gender Euphoria.. What did you mean by that?
I’d say it’s sort of a love/hate thing. Dysphoria generally relates to things that you don’t like about your current self (ie voice). Euphoria relates more to things that you like (ie smooth skin). And for me, when I transform into Thea, I’m not hating certain parts of myself. Sure, they may be things I don’t like, but the overwhelming feeling is happiness. I’m happy with smooth skin. I’m happy with my facial features accentuated with makeup. I’m happy with false eyelashes. I’m happy in women’s attire. So for me, it’s because the happiness far outweighs the disdain that I will use Gender Euphoria as a better metric for myself.
It took you a while to get you on the podcast. What made you decide to come on the podcast now? Are you happy with coming on the podcast when you did, or do you wish you came on earlier?
Honestly, it’s a combination of a couple factors. First, I’m really trying to get out of my comfort zone and be more open about Thea. I wasn’t in this mindset a year ago when I found the podcast. So if not now, then when? Second, I give credit to Giselle’s other guests. Many seem quite confident, so if they can do it, why can’t I? I do wish I came in earlier, but everyone does things on their own schedule. Truthfully, I probably couldn’t have contributed as much back then. We live in the present, not the past, so no regrets!
How has COVID – 19 affected you being Thea? Have you felt any benefit or loss during this pandemic?
COVID certainly allowed me to embrace Thea a lot more. I lost my job in early 2020, because I work with the public. Having so much free time allowed me to learn quite a bit about myself, and put me on this current path of self-love and acceptance. So while the pandemic was horrible for a lot of people, I at least found some personal benefit.
What would you say your style is? What kind of fashion sense would you say you have?
Non-existent 🤣. Seriously though, I don’t know if I have a style. I’m a very casual dresser. I just want to blend in and not draw attention to myself, positive or negative.
What’s your favorite thing to wear? Do you have a go-to outfit? Do you dress differently in private than you do in public?
My favorite things to wear are probably just jeans and a t-shirt. Like I said, I’m super casual. I may toss a summer dress on while just around the house, since my confidence level isn’t there to wear that in public yet.
What do you wish you did differently in your life? Do you have any regrets?
Only that I wish I had come to accept myself sooner. Or maybe, when my parents found a stash of clothing when I was younger, I could’ve just said “yeah, it’s all mine and I enjoy it.” Who knows how life would be today.
We obviously know a lot about Thea in your talk with Giselle… tell us something you omitted about Thea that you wish you told The CrossYAAS Podcast!
I enjoy a good crossdressing caption/meme. Not so much the ones that are sexual in nature, but more so the ones that show a woman holding up a dress with the caption saying ‘this would look good on you’, or something like that.Or, I’ve recently gotten into reading some short stories on LitErotica.com focusing on crossdressing.
What advice would you give to other crossdressers/transgender/non-binary/other individuals?
People don’t care as much as you fear they do. Live your life how YOU want, not how you think they want.
Would you recommend others to come onto the podcast? Why or why not?
Duh! Giselle is a great host and it’s a fantastic outlet to share your story. There has been a lot that resonated with me while listening to others’ stories. Hopefully something resonated with someone during my chat, and who knows who you may reach with your story.