Culture and Representation: Movies, Shows and Novels With LGBTQIA+ Themes for Crossdressers

Well, representativeness is something quite important. It helps to validate the existence of certain parts of the population. For minorities, no representation in culture means the same for social politics and acceptance. If a certain minority starts to appear more often in movies or on TV, society is more likely to accept them.

But if the media poorly represents a said minority, chances are society will have a certain degree of prejudice towards them.

That is a rather common situation, and because of that, we need a good representation.

It helps to increase confidence and self-esteem and improve their mental health as well.

What I mean is that being portrayed in a good way makes people feel accepted and validated.

All that is also true for crossdressers and trans folk, as we lack representativeness in the media.

The problem isn’t a total absence of crossdressers, as we can easily spot CD’s and trans people in a lot of movies.

The issue is how they are portrayed and how they are developed as characters.

Generally, we are portrayed as caricatures or in rather offensive ways.

Crossdressing characters tend to serve as nothing more than comic relief, with little to no development.

This is almost the same, or even worse, than no representativeness at all.

Even so, there are some movies and shows out there that succeed in portraying crossdressers in a good way.

With that in mind, my goal is to point out which ones are my favorites.

I must talk a little bit about each one to point out what is great about them and what they could do better.

In general, these are titles with little to no prejudice towards crossdressers.

Some of them are ahead of their time in terms of understanding and acceptance.

Others may be capable of bringing you some comfort and hope.

To find out what you want to watch, read this article.

That’s so you can see what better suits your taste and fulfills your needs.

1. Some Like it Hot (1959)

It’s quite surprising how this movie, having come out in 1959, is still capable of portraying crossdressers in a good way.

Even though it’s more of a comedy than anything else, this movie lacks a lot of the prejudices of its time.

The main plot is about a pair of musicians who, in order to escape the mafia, need to crossdress and pose as women.

Here, we see the crossdressers take the main role instead of being tossed aside.

The movie has a strong supporting cast, including Marilyn Monroe, but they let the crossdressers take the lead.

Both main actors have remarkable roles, the story is good, and the jokes are funny without being disrespectful.

Besides that, the plot includes carefully built character development and some sort of moral sense.

It’s considered to be a classic, a rare treasure from the golden age of Hollywood.

2. Movies-She’s the Man (2006)

The main plot revolves around a girl who wants to go to high school and play soccer.

As the female team is disbanded, she crossdresses and impersonates her brother to play for the male team.

I like this movie a lot, as once again, the crossdresser is the protagonist and happens to be portrayed as a very confident person.

Even after she underwent lots of emotional pressure and all the self-doubt, she could keep the situation under control.

The character has enough courage to crossdress in public, overcome a lot of challenges, and follow her dreams.

She does not give up at any given time.

It’s important to represent crossdressers as people capable of great feats, as it brings hope and inspiration to us.

The single downside is that her only reason for crossdressing is in order to be accepted on the soccer team.

Well, it’s still a great movie nonetheless.

And it brings some much-needed crossdresser representation.

3.Movies-RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009 – present)

Well, speaking of representation, I guess it’s worth mentioning RuPaul’s name here.

Arguably the most famous Drag queen in the world, she hosts a show with the entire theme being crossdressing and drag.

Most of its target audience is those of us more entertained with glamour and all the talented performances that come from the drag queens.

But this show has a lot more to offer than that since a huge audience watches it worldwide.

Public opinion tends to be more favorable towards LGBT people in general when they are part of the general entertainment.

People don’t watch this program as the “freak show” they would call it a few decades ago. Instead, people respect and idolize them for what they are.

It shows us that we can be ourselves and society may accept us.

This show spreads the message that crossdressers are valid.

It’s the show’s biggest contribution to us, as it inspires and comforts those who feel more accepted by society.

4. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018 – 2020)

This show is a remake of the classic She-Ra cartoon from the 1980’s.

This new version was a big surprise, in a good way, with tons of LGBT characters that were well-developed during the series.

The story is amazing, and each character is important for the plot, playing their role for the story to progress.

The fact that people can relate to said characters improves the representativeness in a way that we start to care a lot about them.

And, of course, it involves crossdressing to some degree.

But the main reason I’m mentioning this show is because of the way it helps to break gender standards.

Breaking free from such standards is very helpful for a crossdresser.

The character to whom I related myself the most is the non-binary mercenary “double trouble.”

Said character uses the gender-neutral pronouns They/Them.

They don’t hold themselves to gender normativeness and are able to shift their appearance and gender expression at will.

I love this show even more since it’s a children’s cartoon.

While deep, the plot is easy to follow, and the characters will spread comprehension to the new generations.

The show is available on Netflix.

5. Movies-Breakfast on Pluto (2005)

This movie is a big proof of Cillian Murphy’s talent as an actor.

He delivers a stupendous performance, portraying a transgender woman.

The character seeks her lost mother, but the plot is quite deep.

She also gets involved with the IRA (Irish Republican Army) in its fight for Ireland’s unification.

I know the character herself is better described as a transgender woman rather than a crossdresser.

However, we must acknowledge that the actor is a cis man who had to crossdress so he could portray the character.

It helps to bring a whole new level of acceptance to the practice of crossdressing, validating it even more.

Cillian had to study women’s mannerisms and body language and dress up as a female for weeks.

He even went as far as to enlist the help of a professional drag queen and to take advice from real-life transgender women.

The fact that a male actor underwent all of that so that he could portray a trans character grants this movie a well-deserved place on the list.

6. Movies-The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

I left this one for last since I’ve included it here because of a single scene.

Nonetheless, said scene is a work of art, and gives us a beautiful message about gender roles that’s worth the note.

Well, let me tell you what the scene is about in the first place.

It’s about a female character, Éowyn of Rohan, who crossdresses as a male rider in order to take part in the battle of the Pelennor fields.

Being a woman, her uncle Théoden, king of Rohan, wouldn’t allow her to ride into battle, assuming she was weak.

After an impressive charge led by Théoden, he dies, and Éowyn reveals herself to defeat the enemy that killed her uncle.

The enemy in question is none other than the evil witch king of Angmar, a very powerful spirit of the dark.

This scene shows us that our gender expression is nothing more than our exterior and that what matters is who we are on the inside.

It helped me to feel better about myself even when I couldn’t crossdress.

It allowed me to keep being true to myself.

I hope these movies and shows are as helpful for your journey as they were for mine.

This representativeness is a good thing and shows that we are valid no matter who we are.

Gender shouldn’t be an obstacle for you to be true to yourself.

Any form of expression is worth the try if it makes you happy.

Society tends to become more receptive, and with time, more movies, shows, and novels will come.

With every new release that validates crossdressers as people, we’re one step closer to comprehension and respect.

And as such, the world is a step closer to becoming a better place.

Learn More：

A history of LGBTQ+ representation in film

Actors Who Have Done Crossdressing in Films