As I’ve been working through the numerous tasks that I have lined up at the moment I’ve been putting together a section in the Transgender Awareness Training relating to definitions of the various sub-categories which fall under the Transgender Umbrella.
In order to present the concept on the PowerPoint slides I decided to use the various Pride flags as a starting point for each definition, and this highlighted a problem. I couldn’t find a flag to represent the cross-dressing community.
Now whilst cross-dressing is not synonymous with being transgender per-se, the support group I help to run welcomes cross-dressing individuals to our ranks as we feel they are a valid subsection of our community and face many of the same problems and issues as the rest of the transgender people we aim to support. Just try going shopping with one and you’ll find out what I mean.
In my infinite wisdom, and so as not to have to go back and redo an afternoon’s work, I decided to create the above flag to fill the gap. Some of you may think that I just plagarised the Scottish flag but this isn’t the case; the dimensions of the cross are to my own design.
I’ve used the same colours as the Transgender Pride flag designed by Monica Helms in 1999; light blue for boys, pink for girls, and white for those who are transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender.
Not only does this get me out of a hole as far as the presentation is concerned but, more importantly, its adoption and use by the cross-dressing community would give them an opportunity to display their own identity at Pride marches in the future, or wherever else they want.
So, please tell me what you think. Do you agree with me that the cross-dressing community has been short-changed up until now? Do you like the design? Would you make changes to it? Would you use it?
Let me know!
Stay safe everyone.
Tish 
Nice to meet you.
My name is Wili Kato.
I’m a manga artist in Japan.
One of the characters I’m drawing is a cross-dresser boy.
I would like to draw an illustration of him holding a crossdresser pride flag. Can I have him hold the flag that you designed?
I plan to post the illustration on Twitter.
At that time, I would like to include your name and blog URL in the tweet as the person who designed this flag.
We hope you will consider it.
P.S. I was looking for a cross dresser flag and came across your article. I think the flag you have designed is very nice.
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Hi Wili,
Thank you for having the courtesy to ask my permission to do this.
Yes, of course you may use the flag in your drawing, and link to this blog. When you do this please comment again with a link to the tweet, I’d love to see your picture. 🙂
Have a great day!
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Dear Tish.
Thank you very much!😄
I understand about the Tweet link.
I’ll try my best to make a good illustration!
I hope you have a good day today.
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Hi Tish,
I wonder if you would mind if I use your flag for an upcoming pride weened in Brussels at the end of May.
I’m a crossdresser and I found it disheartening that there isn’t really a representation for crossdressers within the LGBTQI+ communities.
I don’t identify as a woman, I’m not transitioning to being a woman, but I dress in women’s clothes and I loved your flag as I felt for the first time it represents me.
Thank you
Adam
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Hi Adam,
Thanks for getting in touch, and I’m pleased to hear that it resonated with you.
By all means, please feel free to use it in whatever way you wish. All I ask in return is a selfie on the day. 😉
Stay safe.
Tish
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Hi Tish, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.
I’m Wili Kato, a manga artist from Japan.
I’m sending you a tweet of the Pride Flag illustration that I received permission for the other day.
The text goes like this.
(I made a mistake in writing about PinkSaltire’s activities. My apologies! My English is not very good and I misread it.
In the next tweet, I corrected it to say that she is still actively working.
If there are any other corrections, please let me know.
My sincere apologies.
tweet↓
——————————————————
The flag he’s holding is a cross-dresser’s pride flag designed by Tish, who works for PinkSaltire, a charity for the LGBTQ+ community in Scotland (she may be out of action now?).
I was looking for the flag as I couldn’t find it and came across Tish’s blog.
I asked her if I could draw it and she immediately gave me permission. Thank you very much…. Thank you very much…
Tish writes about her daily life and activities as a transgender person on her blog.
Her blog is here. https://transgendertish.com/
———————————————————-
The words behind the illustration, “The Violet Bastards,” are the title of a comic I’m drawing.
(The word “Bastard” is sometimes used in Japan with the good image of “cool people who look a little bad.
It’s a story about lesbian children, non-binary gender children, and LGBTQ+ children who are heroes.
The boy in the illustration is one of them.
There are still very few sexual minority heroes in Japan, so I draw this to support sexual minority children in Japan.
Thanks to Tish, I was able to draw this illustration.
Thank you so much!
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Hi Wili,
Thanks for forwarding this, it feels like a great honour to be represented in someone else’s work.
I love the picture, it has a message of strength in the way you have composed it.
Thank you also for promoting my blog.
Keep up the good work, and stay safe. 😀
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I love the flag you made it’s perfect to represent all crossdressers out there
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Hi I’m a fellow male crossdresser who wants to have a flag that represents what I do I love woman’s clothing and love your flag design I was wandering if I could use your flag design on my car in NFS heat thank you and much love.
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Hi Natalia,
Thanks for the positive comment.
By all means, please feel free to use the design wherever you want, and be out and proud!
Take care
Tish
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Like me a man who likes to be a woman with the way I dress
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It’s all about self discovery for me; love that there is a place for folks who are experiencing gender ambiguity/uncertainty as expressed in our choice of clothing. Have always had trouble with fitting in – realized early that i identify with female characteristics in many ways and yet I’m still see myself as male.
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Hi Randy, thanks for stopping by!
The great thing is that we make our own rules based on our own sense of identity, ans every one of us is valid that way.
Stay safe x
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