Tri-Ess
Encyclopedia
Tri-Ess is an international
educational, social and support group for heterosexual
crossdressers
, their partners, the spouse
s of married crossdressers 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:
F - Full personality expression, in a blending of both our masculine
and feminine
characteristics, in order to be all we can be.
I - 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.
B - Balance between masculinity and femininity in our total personalities.
E - 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.
R - Relationship-building in the context of crossdressing.
.
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.
Tri-Ess also organizes events including an annual Holiday En Femme
for crossdressers (held in November), and Spouses' and Partners' International Conference on Education (SPICE), a non-crossdressed event specifically for wives and couples.
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
educational, social and support group for heterosexual
Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
crossdressers
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
, their partners, the spouse
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
s of married crossdressers and their families.
Tri-Ess has more than 30 chapters nationwide in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is a member of the World Congress of Transgender Organizations.
The Tri-Ess vision statement is expressed in the acronym FIBER:
F - Full personality expression, in a blending of both our masculine
Masculinity
Masculinity is possessing qualities or characteristics considered typical of or appropriate to a man. The term can be used to describe any human, animal or object that has the quality of being masculine...
and feminine
Femininity
Femininity is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with girls and women. Though socially constructed, femininity is made up of both socially defined and biologically created factors...
characteristics, in order to be all we can be.
I - 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.
B - Balance between masculinity and femininity in our total personalities.
E - 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.
R - Relationship-building in the context of crossdressing.
History of Tri-Ess
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 PrinceVirginia Prince
Virginia Prince was an American transgender activist, who published Transvestia magazine and started Society for the Second Self for male heterosexual cross-dressers...
.
Tri-Ess 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.
Tri-Ess also organizes events including an annual Holiday En Femme
En femme
The term en femme is an anglicized adaption of a French phrase. It is used in the transgender and crossdressing community to describe the act of wearing feminine clothing and/or expressing a stereotypically feminine personality...
for crossdressers (held in November), and Spouses' and Partners' International Conference on Education (SPICE), a non-crossdressed event specifically for wives and couples.