Who writes "transgender romance"?

A discussion over at CDL looks at  whether a growing body of “transgender romance” fiction reflects a larger androphilic or bi/polysexual current among transfeminine crossdreamers and trans women. 

Terrie Nova writes that they have long assumed most TG fiction was written from a gynephilic/attraction to women perspective: male characters might appear as sexual fantasy figures, but rarely as fully developed romantic objects. 

After reading Kindle/Amazon transgender transformation romances, however, they were surprised to find many stories centered on a transfeminine protagonist’s emotional and sexual attraction to a cis man, with detailed attention to his personality, body and desirability. The books do indeed use the tropes of traditional romance novels.

So what is going on here? Read the thread and find out!

March 15, 2026 Trauma and self realization among older transgender people

Over at Crossdreamers Joanna Santos argues that many older transgender people carry deep trauma from growing up in a rigid gender system that forced them to hide their identities and internalize shame. 

She argues that this pain may remain buried for decades under work, parenting, substance use, or other distractions, only surfacing later in life when those distractions fade. 

She describes self-reflection and metacognition as necessary, though painful, tools for uncovering inner truth and confronting suppressed identity.  

Read the article here.

Sissy Fiction and Trans Identity: Desire, Ambivalence and Conflict

Over at CDL princesitanatty explores the ambivalent relationship between sissy fiction and transfemme identity. 

The author argues that, read literally, sissy fiction often raises ethical concerns because of its themes of coercion, forced feminization, and identity erasure. 

Read symbolically, however, it can function as a fantasy space for negotiating desire, gender exploration, and internalized norms. 

She sunderlines that the term “sissy” should not be reduced to humiliation alone: for some it names a kink, for others an identity, and its meaning varies by context. 

She also looks at  the partial overlap and partial tension between sissy and transfemme communities. While some transfemme people have used sissy narratives to explore gender, others reject the label because of its degrading or fetishized associations. 

Drawing on Spenser Shelley Feller’s article "Sissy the Archive: Ambivalent Intimacies between ‘Sissy’ and ‘Trans’ in Trans Archives and Contemporary Fiction" princesitanatty  concludes that this relationship should be understood as fundamentally ambivalent, as shown in novels by Imogen Binnie, Alison Rumfitt, and Torrey Peters. 

Read the post here!

Balancing Science, Fairness, and Messaging: Online Debate on Trans Athletes

A new discussion on the Crossdream Life forum revolves around a news article reporting research suggesting that transgender women athletes may not possess a consistent athletic advantage over cisgender women. Forum participants broadly support the study’s implications but debate how arguments for trans inclusion in sports should be framed and defended in public discussions.

Several contributors emphasize that sport has never been perfectly “fair,” noting that natural physical variation, such as height, strength, or body composition, already creates uneven competitive conditions among athletes. 

From this perspective, excluding transgender athletes on fairness grounds is seen as inconsistent, since sports historically tolerate many forms of biological advantage.

Other participants focus on messaging strategies. Some argue that stating “sports are inherently unfair” may alienate the public, suggesting instead that discussions should center on fairness for all athletes, including transgender participants. 

One proposal discussed is the theoretical use of handicaps or performance adjustments based on scientifically demonstrated advantages, although several commenters question whether such systems would be practical or socially acceptable.

Trans athletes may not have fitness advantage in women’s sport, landmark study finds

Photo: Getty

Is it OK for crossdreamer to use AI generated images?

Crossdreamers have been using art to express their other side for a long time. There transformation and feminization stories, TG captions, video fantasies and transgender comics.  

Crossdreamers have also made use of existing images when creating such content.

Now more and more crossdreamers are experimenting with AI image and video tools to make images of their inner selves or to create captions and comics.

Is that OK?

Two new threads over at CDL give some useful insight into the possibilities and dilemmas of AI art, and its use in captions and comics.

• Using AI for generating crossdreamer images and video
• How to make photo comics with Comic Life

Crossdressing: Where to shop for clothes and accesories

Over at CDL Terrie has initiated a thread about online stores that can be of help to both MTF and FTM crossdressers. 

She and other members are collecting:

• Sites that sell stuff to crossdressers in general.
• Clothes and lingerie shops that sell plus size female clothing that MTF crossdressers may use or small size masculine clothing that fits short FTM crossdressers.
• Specialty stores that sells accessories like wigs, breast forms, binders and strap-ons.
• Articles and sites that provide info about sizes world wide.

Read the thread about crossdresser resources here.