Heidi is our latest babe and for good reason. The camera just loves this phoxy t-girl as you can see in the numerous photos available on her flickr and MySpace accounts. She looks absolutely stunning! Her playful, creative side really shows through in various poses across a variety locations. Fashion sense? Oh yeah – she’s got that in abundance!

Heidi is a gorgeous 39 year old straight male to female crossdresser who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Active in her church, she puts family first and loves spending time with her wife and kids. She’s a big NFL fan, and also enjoys going hiking and camping. Having taken up running to stay slim, she now has a few marathons under her (garter) belt.

Beautiful as she is, Heidi’s life goes far deeper than just her outer appearance, and I’m not just talking about the crossdressing aspect. Growing up transgendered is anything but easy to deal with and understand – especially within the confines of our generally unaccepting society. Heidi talks about her crossdressing with us:
 

So WHY do I like to wear women’s clothes? What a question! I’ve been trying to answer that for a couple of decades now and still may not have the answer. I’ve had many theories. At first I thought I’d someday discover I was gay. But I never developed any attraction to men. Or maybe “misdirected adolescent sexual cravings and as I get older they will pass”. Well, there may have been something to that one but they never passed. Or maybe an outward manifestation of a sensitive, feminine side, an appreciation for all things feminine? Not bad. Then there is the envy of women, who have so many styles of clothes, hair, make-up at their disposal to custom their look to their mood. Men can’t do a whole lot to look special. I am in awe of the “transformation” whether it’s a girl looking special for an occasion or a man who can appear as the opposite sex.

Many crossdressers have expressed a sense of relaxation and stress relief when dressing up. What’s your take on this?
 

Temporarily becoming Heidi is a great way to forget about life’s everyday trials. When I’m feeling frustrated or anxious my imaginary world is an intoxicating drug. I am so carefree and upbeat. I read how someone else put it: Heidi lives in the moment, no future, no past, just enjoying the details at hand.

You enjoy a happy marriage. Where does your wife sit with your feminine side?
 

She’s cursed it, tried to accept it fully, helped me with it, been hurt my it, had fun with it, been annoyed by it, been turned off by it, been turned on by it, and been jealous of it. I think we’ve both come to terms with how it fits into our relationship.

She knows that everyone has their vices that they turn to escape the pressures of the world, and if this is the worst thing I do, then it isn’t so bad.

My wife and I think a lot of the pain and anguish we experienced the early on was due to the fact that we tried to integrate Heidi into our relationship too fast. Now we’re going slow and cautiously and having more fun with it. I think one of the best things we did was go to the library and read everything we could find on transvestitism. It put her and my minds at ease a lot knowing this is a fairly common hobby with others much like me and there are even national organizations.

How do you feel about society’s general treatment of transgendered people?
 

I often wonder “Why should I have to hide it? Why don’t I just shave my body, pierce my ears, pluck my eyebrows, and wear whatever I want? Those things don’t determine whether I’m a good husband, father, etc. Why don’t I just wear whatever I’m in the mood for whenever and wherever I want and not care if people know I’m a cross dresser?…” Well, it would be nice if people would treat me and my family the same regardless of my choice of appearance, but the truth is the world is teeming with closed minded people who not only cannot accept others who are different but also enjoy hurting those people by various means including gossip, name calling, misconceived or ignorant judgment. The pain and anguish to me and my family would not be worth the attempt to educate the public on how cross-dressers are really normal people.(remember one of the reasons I do this is to escape stress). I find it interesting that a society that formerly was intolerant of blacks, gays, unwed mothers, HIV victims, mentally retarded, etc. now accepts nearly everyone except the cross-dresser. The cross-dresser is still fair game for jokes and insult.

Unfortunately we are still fair game for all the jokes and insults, among other things. It’s really very sad that we live in such a “civilized” society (note the quotes) and yet our poor treatment is so widely accepted, tolerated, and even taught to children. What other group of non-harmful people is forced to live a life of secrecy in order to remain employed, stay out of harm’s way, and be accepted in the company of their peers, neighbors and even their own families?

Are there any final thoughts you would like to leave everyone with?
 

What I do is a private hobby that is a lot of fun and hurts no one. I hope this has been interesting and insightful. Maybe you have a better understanding of transvestitism or maybe you see yourself in my words and feel less lonely. I urge all to accept others for all their strengths and weaknesses that we all have in some way. And I urge all people like me to be the best person you can be so if your secret is ever revealed people may have a better perception of the kind of person who likes to dress of the other sex.

That is a very excellent point you make: urging people in the transgendered community to put forth a positive example of who they are as a person. That is exactly what we hope to help accomplish with this website.

Society often seems to only see and dwell on the darker, seedier side of things. Every group has its bad elements. MOST of us are very good, down to earth people, who just happen to celebrate our strong feminine side.

Please show Heidi some love and check out her links:

• flickr photos & flickr profile
• MySpace

Say hi to Heidi and maybe leave her a kind comment or two, I’m sure she’d appreciate it. Please be courteous though. She’s happily married and not looking for romance – in other words, please do not hit on her.

Thanks for being our Babe of the Week, Heidi! :)

Michelle is an eye-catching 41 year old male to female crossdresser who lives in Manchester, Connecticut with her wife and kids. She’s a career girl and currently works in sales.

Fashion, pretty dresses, glamorous gowns, and short skirts are some of the things Michelle really enjoys. Most of all, she enjoys sexy shoes. She has a shoe fetish, with a special love for classic stiletto pumps. For her, there’s nothing sexier and she has them in every color imaginable.

Michelle has a lot of fashion sense and experiments with different styles in her many looks. We asked her how long ago she started crossdressing and she told us:
 

I’ve been crossdressing as long as I can remember. As a small boy I remember sneaking into my moms closet and slipping into my first pair of pumps. The rest is history.

Michelle isn’t all about looking sexy looks and styles though. She’s an avid sports fan as well:
 

I also luv playing and watching sports. Football, baseball, basketball and golf are my fav’s. I’m a 15 handicap if anyone wants to know… lol

As is the case with many crossdressers, Michelle’s wife isn’t highly supportive of her girly side:
 

My wife knows I like to dress but chooses not to participate. She has a don’t ask don’t tell policy. She doesn’t ask and I don’t tell.

We’re sorry to hear that, Michelle, but you’re not alone. Most of the crossdressers that we’ve had the pleasure to meet are in the same boat. This is just one of many things we hope will change in time.

When asked about any additional thoughts Michelle would like to share she added:
 

Life is not a dress rehearsal so you need to live each day to the fullest.

We tend to agree. Live life, enjoy all it has to offer, and by all means, look gorgeous while doing so!

Show Michelle some love. Visit her links and leave a kind message or two:

• MySpace
• flickr photos
• URNotAlone

Be respectful to Michelle, say hi and show some love, but please do not hit on her. She’s quite happy in her marriage and is not seeking romance.

Thanks for being our Babe of the Week, Michelle! :)

Phyllis is an eye-catching t-girl living in California. She enjoys a variety of activities including hiking, gardening, making spicy pizzas from fresh dough, oil painting, and listening to awesome pop and classical music to name a few.

Currently in a serious relationship, she’s a straight male to female crossdresser with a fun sense of humor. Her motto is “celebrate feminity forever” and if her pictures are any indication, she does this with passion and an obvious love of life.

Phyllis shared with us that she was a member of a rock band years ago. She’s still making music and plays the guitar, piano and synthesizer.

Of course, Phyllis isn’t just about good looks and pretty pictures. Like many of us in the transgendered community, she grew up having to hide her feminine side from the world in order to fit into a society that is generally unnaccepting of differences in people.
 

I felt my trapped female self like since I was 4 years old. I’ve kept my real self suppressed to live in this society but occasionally I free myself, gasping for air and feeling happy for brief periods. My Flickr pics are some of my “wow” moments, cocoons in frozen time and I love to look at them and bring out the memories, the …… mmmmmmm …..smells of nature and the eager excitement like that of a child waking up to the first snow fall outside.

When asked about the phrase “celebrate feminity forever”, Phyllis told us:
 

You can find that phrase elsewhere by other people so I added “forever” to it to make it similar to BFF best friends forever. Feminity or femininity is gentle, kind, soft, sweet, nurturing, forgiving, creative, love hugs and in harmony with nature. You are feminity in spirit my sisters. Celebrate feminity forever.

One important message that Phyllis would like to share with the world is:
 

To those who are so unkind to us, know this, we are people too!!!

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Phyllis. We’re not sure why much of society has such a problem with our differences, but hopefully we can educate and open some hearts and minds together.

Show some love. Check out her beautiful photos and take the time to leave her a kind comment or two:

• flickr photos & flickr profile

Remember, she is currently in a happy, serious relationship so show her some love and say hi, but please don’t hit on her. We’re told that her significant other is the jealous type. Probably not a smart idea to go upsetting her. ;)

Thank you for sharing and celebrating your feminity with us, Phyllis. :)

Nikki Welsh is a gorgeous t-girl with style, personality, and legs to die for. Married with kids, she’s a straight male to female crossdresser living in the Western U.S.

On her flickr account you will find dozens of beautiful photos boasting a variety of different looks that she pulls off very nicely. Each photo includes a playful caption. It is obvious that she has a great time in front of the camera, and you’re sure to have just as much fun enjoying the fruits of her work.

It’s important to understand that Nikki is not just another pretty face in the transgendered community. There’s a lot more to this t-girl than just good looks. In her blog, Nikki Welsh’s Lost in Trans Elation, Nikki explores the complexities of being a crossdresser and her deep emotions involved.

I am straight and happily married but my wife doesn’t know about Nikki or my cumpulsion, which I’ve had since I was a young lad. Also I’m Mormon which causes some really big conflict in my life since this type of lifestyle is considered taboo.

Are you a crossdresser experiencing your own conflicts? If you’re not a crossdresser, perhaps you would enjoy an interesting peak into the struggles that people like us face or have faced in our lives. Agree or disagree with what she has to say, I think you’ll find her blog a an interesting and worthwhile read.

If you’ve got something to say or share with her, I’m sure she’d appreciate the feedback.  PLEASE be courteous though.  She’s happily married and not looking for romance – in other words, it’s nice to say hi, but please do not hit on her.

Thanks for being our first Babe of the Week, Nikki! We wish you all the best with your conflicts and hope you find your peace in life. :)

UPDATE, August 3, 2009:
Due to unknown circumstances, Nikki has chosen to remove her accounts from the internet. In light of this, the links once present in this write-up have been removed. Life can be very complicated and cruel to those of us who are “different”. On a personal note, I was happy to have had the opportunity to get to know Nikki, if only for a brief time.

Take care of yourself, Nikki. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I wish you all the best and hope you find peace in your life. God bless.

Gabrielle