Tri-Ess
| Cross-dressing |
|---|
| History of cross-dressing |
| Key elements |
| Modern drag culture |
| Sexual aspects |
|
Sexual attraction to cross-dressers |
| Other aspects |
| Passing as male |
| Passing as female |
| Organizations |
| Books |
Tri-Ess (Society for the Second Self) is an international educational, social, and support group for heterosexual cross-dressers, their partners, and their families.
Tri-Ess has more than 30 chapters nationwide in the United States, and is a member of the World Congress of Transgender Organizations.
The Tri-Ess vision statement is expressed in the acronym FIBER:
Full personality expression, in a blending of both our masculine and feminine characteristics, in order to be all we can be.
Integration of our masculinity and femininity to create a happier, more complete, person as we use our enhanced understanding of ourselves in our daily lives.
Balance between masculinity and femininity in our total personalities.
Education of Crossdressers toward self-acceptance, education of our families toward understanding, and education of society toward the acceptance of Crossdressers as ordinary people with a special gender gift.
Relationship-building in the context of crossdressing.
History
Tri-Ess was founded in 1976 by the merging of two existing groups for crossdressers, Mamselle, a group formed by Carol Beecroft, and another group called the Foundation for Personality Expression (FPE), which was formed by Virginia Prince.
Membership, publications, and programs
- The Femme Mirror
- A quarterly magazine covering a wide range of topics in crossdressing, including coming out stories, community news, etc.
- Sweetheart Connection
- A quarterly newsletter produced by wives, for wives of other crossdressers.
- Big Sister Program
- New members joining Tri-Ess have the option of being assigned a correspondence Big Sister, serves a supportive role during their first year of membership.
- Pen Pal Program
- For members who live far away from any chapters, Tri-Ess has a Pen Pal program.
- Sisters Across the Sea Program
- This program encourages international correspondence between Tri-Ess chapters in the United States and similar organizations abroad.
- Holiday en femme
- A holiday for crossdressers, hosted each November.
- Spouses' and Partners' International Conference on Education (SPICE)
- Non-crossdressed event for wives and couples.