Editing Cross-dressing (section)

== Gender disguise ==
Gender disguise has been used by women and girls to [[Passing (gender)|pass]] as male, and by men and boys to pass as female. Gender disguise has also been used as a [[plot device]] in storytelling, particularly in narrative [[ballads]],<ref name="child106">{{cite book |last=Child |first=Francis James |title=The English and Scottish Popular Ballads |publisher=Dover Publications Inc |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-486-43146-8 |volume=II |pages=428–432}}</ref> and is a recurring motif in literature, theater, and film. Historically, some women have cross-dressed to take up male-dominated or male-exclusive professions, such as military service. Conversely, some men have cross-dressed to escape from mandatory military service{{efn|See the television series ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'' for an example of a cross-dresser who did not want to serve in the military (Max Klinger). Although the character was played for laughs, his situation was based on military regulations prohibiting cross-dressing.}} or as a disguise to assist in political or social protest, as men in Wales did in the [[Rebecca Riots]] and when conducting [[Ceffyl Pren]] as a form of mob justice.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 August 2013 |title=Some Welsh customs |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/webarchive/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fblogs%2Fwales%2Fentries%2F5d65f917-5961-3e76-b5ac-ec0c8fb3c0b6 |website=BBC Wales}}</ref>

[[File:RebeccaRiots.gif|thumb|300px|Depiction of Welsh labourers dressed in women's clothing within the Rebecca Riots, ''Illustrated London News'' 1843]]

=== Sports ===
Conversation surrounding exclusion and [[Women's rights in sports|gender inequality in sports]] has been around for decades. Some women have dressed as men to enter male sports, or registered in male sports using an alias.

==== Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb ====
[[Bobbi Gibb|Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb]] is the first woman to have competed in the [[Boston Marathon]]. In 1966 Bobbi Gibb wrote a letter to the [[Boston Athletic Association]] asking to participate in the race happening that year. When Gibb received her letter back in the mail she was faced with the news that her entry to the race was denied due to her gender. Rather than just accept her fate, Gibb did not take no for an answer and decided to run the marathon anyways—however, she would do it hidden as a man. On the day of the race Gibb showed up in an oversized sweatshirt, her brother's shorts, and men's running shoes. Gibb hid in the bushes until the race started and then joined in with the crowd. Eventually her fellow runners figured out Gibb's real gender but stated that they would make sure that she finished the race. Gibb ended up finishing her first Boston Marathon in 3 hours, 27 minutes and 40 seconds.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Boyer |first=Leroy |date=December 6, 2022 |title=RUNNING: Run for the Diamonds celebrates milestone |journal=Republican & Herald}}</ref> She crossed the finish line with blistered, bleeding feet from the men's running shoes she was wearing.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Petri |first=Alexandra |date=October 11, 2021 |title=Roberta Gibb broke barriers in the Boston Marathon. Now there's a statue of her feet |url=https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:63TP-S8P1-JBG3-61MD-00000-00&context=1516831. |journal=The New York Times |access-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-date=July 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718121447/https://signin.lexisnexis.com/lnaccess/app/signin?back=https%3A%2F%2Fadvance.lexis.com%3A443%2Furl-api%2Flaapi%2Fdocument%3Fcollection%3Dnews%26id%3Durn%253AcontentItem%253A63TP-S8P1-JBG3-61MD-00000-00%26context%3D1516831.&aci=la |url-status=live }}</ref> Gibb's act of defiance influenced other women marathon runners of the time like [[Katherine Switzer]], who also registered under an alias to be able to run the race in 1967. It would not be until 1972 until there was an official women's race within the Boston Marathon.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

==== Sam Kerr ====
[[Sam Kerr]] is a forward for the [[Australia women's national soccer team|Australian Women's Soccer Team]] and [[Chelsea F.C. Women|Chelsea FC]] in the [[FA Women's Super League]]. Kerr has been regarded as one of the best forward players in the sport and has been one of the most highly paid players in women's soccer as well. While Kerr now shares the world state with other great women soccer players, as a young child she shared the field with young boys. Kerr grew up in a suburb of [[Perth]] where there was little to no access to young girls soccer teams in the direct area. Not having a girls team to play on did not bother Kerr though, she simply played on a youth boys team where all of her teammates just assumed she was also a boy. Kerr states in her book ''My Journey to the World Cup'' that she continued to hide her gender because she did not want to be treated any differently. In her book Kerr also revealed that when one of her teammates found out that she was, in fact a girl, he cried. While Kerr's act of hiding her gender was initially an accident, it is still an example of how women (and in the case a young girl) can create opportunities for themselves by looking or acting as a man.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saeed |first=Daanyal |date=August 14, 2023 |title=Sam Kerr details why she had to hide her gender as a junior footballer |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/football/sam-kerr-opens-up-on-why-she-had-to-hide-her-gender-as-a-junior-footballer/news-story/031f7ce28ba2237ffa5296a5b8bdff5c |access-date=September 27, 2023 |website=news.com.au}}</ref>

=== War ===
One of the most common instances of gender disguise is in the instance of war/militaristic situations. From Joan of Arc in the 15th century to young girls in [[World War II]], there have been many different people of many different [[sex]]es that disguise themselves as men in order to be able to fight in wars.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

==== Joan of Arc ====
Born {{circa|1412}},<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joan of Arc |date=26 March 2024 |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Joan-of-Arc |access-date= |archive-date=30 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130222443/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Joan-of-Arc |url-status=live }}</ref> St [[Joan of Arc]] or the Maid of Orleans is one of the oldest examples of gender disguise. At 13, after receiving a revelation that she was supposed to lead the French to victory over the English in the [[Hundred Years' War|100 years war]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joan of Arc -- World History |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Joan_of_Arc/ |access-date=}}</ref> [[Cross-dressing, gender identity, and sexuality of Joan of Arc|Joan donned the clothing]] of a male soldier in the [[French Army|French army]]. Joan was able to convince King Charles the VIII to allow her to take the lead of some of the French armies in order to help him get his crown back. Ultimately, Joan of Arc was successful in claiming victory over the English but was captured in 1430 and found guilty of [[heresy]], leading to her execution in [[1431]]. The impact of her actions was seen even after Joan's death. During the suffragette movement, Joan of Arc was used as an inspiration for the movement, particularly in [[Great Britain|Britain]] where many used her actions as fuel for their fight for [[political reform]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Joan of Arc Inspired Women's Suffragists |url=https://publicmedievalist.com/joan-of-arc-inspired-suffragists/#:~:text=Still%2C%20Joan's%20life%20and%20legend,Reims%20a%20few%20months%20later. |website=The Public Medievalist |date=10 September 2020 |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-date=18 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718122627/https://publicmedievalist.com/joan-of-arc-inspired-suffragists/#:~:text=Still%2C%20Joan's%20life%20and%20legend,Reims%20a%20few%20months%20later. |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Deborah Sampson ====
Born in 1760 in [[Plympton, Massachusetts]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deborah Sampson |url=https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/deborah-sampson?gclid=CjwKCAjwyNSoBhA9EiwA5aYlbyKd_p6BMuOINFc0a10m6ORAqIBvuaOgE1alHQCnOT_QC0dC5VMD_RoCXU4QAvD_BwE |website=National Women's History Museum |access-date=2023-10-10 |archive-date=2024-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718122010/https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/deborah-sampson |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Deborah Sampson]] was the first female soldier in the [[United States Army|US Army]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deborah Sampson, U.S. Army |url=https://foundationforwomenwarriors.org/deborah-sampson-u-s-army/ |website=Foundation for Women Warriors |date=March 2017 |access-date=2023-10-10 |archive-date=2024-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718123622/https://foundationforwomenwarriors.org/deborah-sampson-u-s-army/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The only woman in the [[American Revolution|Revolution]] to receive a full [[Pension|military pension]], at age 18 Deborah took the name "Robert Shirtleff" and enlisted in [[Patriot (American Revolution)|revolutionary forces]]. In her capacity as a soldier, she was very successful, being named [[captain]] and leading an infantry in the capture of 15 enemy soldiers among other things.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deborah Sampson |url=https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/deborah-sampson/ |website=George Washington's Mount Vernon |access-date=2023-10-10 |archive-date=2023-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017105659/https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/deborah-sampson/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2025}} One and a half years into service, her true [[sex]] was revealed when she had to receive medical care. Following an [[Military discharge|honorable discharge]], Deborah petitioned congress for her full pay that was withheld on the grounds of being an "invalid soldier" and eventually received it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hassencahl |first=Fran |title=Mary Hayes and Deborah Sampson: The Rhetoric of Neglect, Praise, and Expectation |date=December 1974 |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED102620 |access-date=2023-10-10 |archive-date=2024-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718122001/https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED102620 |url-status=live }}</ref> She died in 1827 at age 66.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deborah Sampson: American Revolutionary War Hero |url=https://www.mass.gov/info-details/deborah-sampson-american-revolutionary-war-hero |website=Mass.gov |access-date=2023-10-10 |archive-date=2023-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012023926/https://www.mass.gov/info-details/deborah-sampson-american-revolutionary-war-hero |url-status=live }}</ref> Even after her death, Deborah Sampson continues to be a "hero of the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deborah Sampson: American Revolutionary War Hero |url=https://www.mass.gov/info-details/deborah-sampson-american-revolutionary-war-hero#:~:text=Deborah%20Sampson%20became%20a%20hero,participation%20in%20the%20Revolutionary%20army. |website=Mass.gov |access-date=2023-10-10 |archive-date=2023-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012023926/https://www.mass.gov/info-details/deborah-sampson-american-revolutionary-war-hero#:~:text=Deborah%20Sampson%20became%20a%20hero,participation%20in%20the%20Revolutionary%20army. |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2019, a [[diary]] from corporal Abner Weston shares about Deborah Sampson's previously unknown first attempt to enlist in the [[Continental Army]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amrevmuseum.org/press-releases/revolutionary-war-diary-reveals-new-details-about-deborah-sampson-who-disguised-herself-as-a-man-to-join-the-continental-army#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAs%20someone%20who%20has%20spent,17%20months%20as%20a%20soldier.|title=Revolutionary War Diary Reveals New Details about Deborah Sampson, Who Disguised Herself as a Man to Join the Continental Army - Museum of the American Revolution|access-date=2023-10-10|archive-date=2024-07-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718123627/https://www.amrevmuseum.org/press-releases/revolutionary-war-diary-reveals-new-details-about-deborah-sampson-who-disguised-herself-as-a-man-to-join-the-continental-army#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAs%20someone%20who%20has%20spent,17%20months%20as%20a%20soldier.|url-status=live}}</ref>

These women are just a few among many who have disguised themselves as men in order to be able to fight in many different wars. Others who have used gender disguise for this purpose include [[Christian Davies|Kit Kavanaugh/Christian Davies]], [[Hannah Snell]], [[Sarah Emma Edmonds]], [[Frances Clayton]], [[Dorothy Lawrence]], [[Zoya Smirnow]], and [[Brita Olofsdotter]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Heather |date=2021-03-30 |title=Women Who Dressed as Men and Made History {{!}} Headlines and Heroes |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2021/03/women-who-dressed-as-men-and-made-history/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=The Library of Congress}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='I Wanted to Do My Part': Women as Soldiers in Civil War America {{!}} Mercy Street Revealed |url=http://mercystreet.lunchbox.pbs.org/blogs/mercy-street-revealed/i-wanted-to-do-my-part-women-as-soldiers-in-civil-war-america/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website='I Wanted to Do My Part': Women as Soldiers in Civil War America {{!}} Mercy Street Revealed |archive-date=2023-03-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324152544/http://mercystreet.lunchbox.pbs.org/blogs/mercy-street-revealed/i-wanted-to-do-my-part-women-as-soldiers-in-civil-war-america/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Journalism and culture ===
In some instances, women in journalism deem wearing the identity of a man necessary in order to gather information that is only accessible from the male point of view. In other cases, people cross-dress to navigate certain cultures and/or specific circumstances that involve strict gender norms and expectations.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter seven: Gender Expression and Cross-dressing |url=https://www.icj.org/sogi-casebook-introduction/chapter-seven-gender-expression-and-cross-dressing/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=International Commission of Jurists |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Norah Vincent ====
[[Norah Vincent]], author of the book ''[[Self-Made Man (book)|Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey Into Manhood and Back Again]]'', used gender disguise in order to go undercover as a man to penetrate men's social circles and experience life as a man. In 2003, Vincent put her life on pause to adopt a new masculine identity as Ned Vincent.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey Into Manhood and Bac… |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29434.Self_Made_Man |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=Goodreads |isbn=978-0-670-03466-6 |oclc=62089984 |language=en |last1=Vincent |first1=Norah |date=2006 |publisher=Viking }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=May 2025}} She worked with a makeup artist and vocal coach in order to convincingly play the role of a biological man. She wore an undersized sports bra, a stuffed jock strap, and size 11½ shoes to deceive those around her. In her book, Vincent makes discoveries about socialization, romance, sex, and stress as a man that leads her to conclude that, "[Men] have different problems than women have, but they don't have it better",<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=January 20, 2006 |title=A Self-Made Man |url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/Entertainment/story?id=1526982 |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=ABC News |language=en |archive-date=2007-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008172430/http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Entertainment/story?id=1526982 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, Vincent developed controversial opinions about sex and gender, claiming that transgender people are not legitimate until they undergo hormone therapy and surgical intervention. After writing ''Self-Made Man,'' Vincent became a victim of depression; she died by medically assisted suicide in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Penelope |title=Norah Vincent, Who Chronicled Passing as a Man, Is Dead at 53 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/18/obituaries/norah-vincent-dead.html |work=The New York Times |date=18 August 2022 |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-date=18 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818190111/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/18/obituaries/norah-vincent-dead.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Bacha posh ====
[[Bacha posh]], an Afghan tradition, involves the crossdressing of young Afghan girls by their families so that they present to the public as boys. Families without sons, or whose sons are heavily outnumbered by daughters, may choose to raise one of their daughters bacha posh for a number of reasons. Having a bacha posh daughter may ease financial burdens, as girls and women are generally prohibited from work in contemporary Afghanistan,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-24 |title=Taliban bans women from working for domestic, foreign NGOs in Afghanistan |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/taliban-ban-women-from-working-for-domestic-foreign-ngos-in-afghanistan |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{cite book |last1=Billaud |first1=Julie |title=Kabul Carnival: Gender Politics in Postwar Afghanistan |date=2015 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-4696-4 |jstor=j.ctt13x1pdw }}{{page needed|date=November 2023}}</ref> and improve their social status, as families with boys tend to be more well regarded in Afghan society.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hamidi |first1=Nilab |last2=Bohren |first2=Meghan |date=March 3, 2022 |title=Girls forced to act as boys in Afghanistan |url=https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/40573-girls-forced-to-act-as-boys-in-afghanistan |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au |archive-date=2023-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012023927/https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/40573-girls-forced-to-act-as-boys-in-afghanistan |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":02" /> While there is no law that prohibits [[bacha posh]], girls are expected to revert to traditional gender norms upon reaching [[puberty]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Keerthana |first1=R |last2=Jayanthi |first2=S |title=The Unjust Twisting: Bacha Posh custom of the Invisible Girl Children in Afghanistan from Nadia Hashimi's work |journal=European Chemical Bulletin |date=2023 |volume=12 |issue=10 |url=https://www.eurchembull.com/issue-content/the-unjust-twisting-bacha-posh-custom-of-the-invisible-girl-children-in-afghanistan-from-nadia-hashimi-s-work-8214 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105132541/https://www.eurchembull.com/issue-content/the-unjust-twisting-bacha-posh-custom-of-the-invisible-girl-children-in-afghanistan-from-nadia-hashimi-s-work-8214 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 5, 2023 |ssrn=4383274 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Autonomy, Post-puberty Bacha Posh and Third World Feminism in Selected Afghan Fiction |journal=Journal of International Women's Studies |date=3 February 2023 |volume=25 |issue=1 |id={{ProQuest|2778390671}} |url=https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol25/iss1/13/ }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2022-01-16 |title=Afghan girls live as boys until they hit puberty, a temporary chance at freedom |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/afghanistans-bacha-posh-tradition-allows-girls-freedom-boys-rcna12216 |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> According to Thomas Barfield, an anthropology professor at [[Boston University]], bacha posh is "one of the most under-investigated" topics in the realm of gender studies, making difficult to determine exactly how common the practice is in Afghan society.<ref name=":1" /> However, some prominent female figures in Afghan society have admitted to being [[bacha posh]] in their youth. A more famous example of this is Afghan parliament member Azita Rafaat. Rafaat claims that [[bacha posh]] was a positive experience that built her self-confidence in Afghanistan's heavily patriarchal society and gave her a more well rounded understanding of women's issues in Afghanistan.<ref name=":02" />