I had the pleasure of meeting the members
Freak. Just one of the hurtful insults casually thrown at transgendered herve leger pink bandage dress people. Too often they are treated as an absurd joke, a legitimate target of public ridicule, to be pointed at and laughed at, regardless of their feelings. Many sections of the media reinforce this cartoonish stereotype, treating transgender people with sneers, innuendo and contempt.
Here in Northern Ireland, where May McFettridge is seen by many as the last word in comic genius, we’re particularly guilty of this kind of juvenile mockery. It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser: just stick a burly-looking bloke in a Tina Turner wig, high heels and a shiny gown and you’ll have the crowds crying with laughter.
The reality is very different. Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting the members of the Belfast Butterfly Club, a support network for transgendered people and their families.
The club is a private place where members — predominantly heterosexual cross-dressing men — can meet and give each other support. They can experience the freedom and the pleasure of donning a silky dress, or strapping on a pair of delicate high heels. One member, known as Aoife, said simply: “I feel liberated, natural, truly myself — the way I want to be.”
Now who would begrudge another human being that?
I admit that it is startling when you first come face-to-face with a middle-aged man dressed as a white bandage dress woman. But the surprise is momentary. After all, other things matter more — open-mindedness, articulacy, humour and warmth. I was struck by the gentleness and courtesy of the Butterfly Club members, and by their hard-won insights into the irresistible cross-dressing impulse that has been with them — just like that 10-year-old schoolboy — since early childhood.
Secrecy has been — and remains — the watchword of these transvestite lives. The vast majority are married, and they come from all walks of life: lawyers, |policemen, doctors, teachers and politicians. When the army was on the streets, the Butterfly Club had many members from the military.
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