[Acrylic-bob]

Cross dressing in the theatre (men acting the parts of women) has a long pedigree, stretching back as it does to the origins of western drama in 5th century BCE Greece. In England,considerations of morality kept women off the stage until the reign of Charles II. The social stigma of being an "actress" was still evident up until the sixties. The Pantomime Dame, performed by a man, is a survival of the traditions that have come down to us from Elizabethan theatre. As has been mentioned before, the example of Lily Savage is one of the latest popular incarnations of this tradition. Paul O'Grady, has said that the persona and mask he created in the character of Lily Savage allowed him to say and do things that he could not possibly say off stage and I would assume that this is true for anyone who has been involved in theatrical cross dressing.

Cross dressing, extended into everyday life, is a slightly different matter. While it allows the expression of a different aspect of the personality, in much the same way as any theatrical "mask", one must question the need for such expression and the need to assume a "mask" to effect it. In society as emotionally and sexually repressed as ours still is, it is perhaps not so terribly surprising that expression of anything even remotely outside rigidly defined norms of behaviour must carry with it the safety net of a "mask", whereby the individual, if challenged, has merely to point to the "mask" to achieve some exculpation of what is precieved by the majority as aberrant behaviour.

Basically, the prevalence in this country of Drag Queens and Transvestites points to our inability, as a society, to be honest, open and accepting of our sexual natures. In all aspects of our society we react instinctively to difference with fear and suspicion. Those who display the signs of their difference outwardly, ie those with differently coloured skin, are easily singled out for exclusion motivated by distrust, and we all know only too well the extremes which that can lead to. For those whose difference lies more in their perception of themselves and their relation to society the reaction of society as a whole can be much more severe, hence the need to assume a "mask" behind which the individual can hide.