A cross-dresser is someone who puts on clothing that would normally be associated with the opposite sex. Alternatively, a person who does this is sometimes referred to as a transvestite.http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Crossdressing/Many things go along with cross-dressing. A person may adopt most or all of the characteristics of their opposing gender while dressed in drag.Drag is another term that refers to clothing that is thought of as belonging to one gender, being worn by the other.<ref>http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/dragPeople may crossdress for many reasons. Contrary to popular belief, not all cross-dressers are homosexual. In fact, most men who dress like women are actually heterosexual.http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Crossdressing/The sexual preference of a person has nothing to do with the reason that they decide to crossdress.

This behavior has been going on all over the world for some time now, only it was more hidden in our history than it is today. People have been cross-dressing since at least the 1500's, but it's possible that there were occurrences of this way before then.http://www.info4net.com/articles/cdhistory/index.htmlIf you take a look into our past, both actors and actresses wore clothing of the opposite sex to play roles, primarily in Shakespearean roles.http://www.enotes.com/american-history-literature/cross-dressingAlso, in Europe during the Middle Ages, women used to crossdress in order to get all the rights and freedoms that men had at the time.http://www.info4net.com/articles/cdhistory/index.htmlSome examples of historical cross-dressers are Joan of Arc, Ann Bonny, Hannah Snell, and Frances Clayton.http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/10822All these women took on roles as men to either get work or get respect in their society.

There are many different kinds of cross-dressers, and here are a few of them:

• Drag Queen - a man dressed as a woman
• Drag King - a women dressed as a man
• Female Masking - a female-like mask is worn on a man in combination with woman's clothing
• Transvestite fetishist or forced femininity - this often has to do with sexual fetishes; a man either dressed in woman's clothing to fulfill his sexual desires, or is forced to do so in order to fulfill the desires of someone else.ref.http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Crossdressing/</ref>