There is an article on my local radio about parents of a 15-year-old called Kalle who has been "crossdressing" since he was about 5-years-old except, when I heard the full facts, I wasn't convinced it was crossdressing at all. What they said was that, when the boy was about five, he expressed a wish to wear a skirt - a blue denim skirt which had belonged to one of his sisters. Since then, he has worn a plain, usually denim, skirt almost continuously and everyone in his family, school and neighbourhood knows about him and calls him "kjolpojke" (skirt boy). Aside from this, he is very "boyish", most of his pals are boys, he is football mad, he wants to work in oil exploration when he is old enough and, perhaps most significant, he keeps closely cropped hair and eschews any garments, jewellery or cosmetics which are in any way "girly". He also recently had a girlfriend but she has since moved to Utah in the US because her parents are Mormons. His parents and even grandparents said they were relaxed about his little sartorial "peculiarity", and his dad said he was quite proud that his son had a bit of individuality, and the courage to challenge a taboo. Kalle was interviewed and said that he just found skirts more comfortable and he liked the way they felt when he walked and, as girls routinely wear trousers, he saw no reason why his fashion choices should be limited to pants.
I was quite fascinated by this story and wondered how other parents would react if Kalle had been their own son. I live in a very liberal area among progressive and open-minded people, so I can see why it's not much of an issue here, but I would be interested to hear how others would react. I also wonder if you agree with me that, while perhaps unusual and non-conformist, his behaviour does not amount to "crossdressing".
Bisonex