Joanne Noble's Profile

From New York with a MBA degree, was married with children and grandchildren. She dresses between 2 and 5 times a week to go to the theatre, museums, food and clothing stores, the beach, club meetings and night clubs. She has no control over her TG thoughts and has tried to stop many, many times. 

What is your name and what is your background?

Joanne Noble. I am an engineer from New York with a MBA degree. A was married, have children and grandchildren, and am now a widow.

Is your name an alter ego? femme name, why did you choose that name?

Yes, it is my feminine name. I chose Joanne because is "feels" feminine and is euphonic. Noble comes from an old alias (nothing criminal involved).

How old are you and how young were you when you first thought about or actually cross-dressed?

Never ask a lady her age; however, I am old enough to be retired from business. I started dressing in my pre teens.

Where do you buy your clothes?

Everywhere and anywhere including department stores, specialty shops, boutiques and rarely mail order.

What leads you to choose the styles you wear?

I wear whatever is appropriate for a lady so that I will be recognized as a woman by others.

Do you have one look, or many images?

The only time that I vary from the proper lady in appropriate dress is at costume parties and other occasions when I can dress the way I would have in my youth but couldn't.

Is make-up and hair important to you and if so how do you achieve your look?

Makeup and hair is very important in creating the image I seek. I love makeup and continually try new variations that I learn from Magazines and other sources. Hair is the most important part of my image. A wig is a wig, but if done properly, it ceases to be a wig and becomes a hairstyle.

To what degree do you practice hair removal, and other body feminisation?

I remove all body hair except in the genital area.

Who knows you dress?

I suspect that some family, neighbours and friends know but they don't ask and I don't tell. 

How often do you dress and if you go out where to?

I dress between two and five times a week. I go to the theatre, museums, food and clothing stores, the beach, club meetings, night clubs and any and everywhere I choose at the moment.

So what is a man and what is a woman?

I am a realist. Although this is controversial in the Transgender Community, I generally think of a man and a woman in the conventional sense. However, when the transition process begins, chemically or surgically, the definition starts to blur. For me personally, when I am dressed I feel like a woman, act like a woman and I am convinced that I am a woman; but I believe I am being like a "methods actor". I fall completely into the role; however, I know, deep down, when I think about it, that I am a man.

What’s your definition of feminine?

So far, this is the most difficult question you have asked me and it should be an easy one. Feminine is a gentle, graceful, soft-spoken, nurturing and verbal person with a high level of personal grooming concerns.

Where do you feel you fit on the transgender spectrum CD TV TS?

I would truly like to be a woman and have felt that way for many years. However, when I listen to how some of my friends feel, I think actually being a woman is a fantasy with me and that I am not a TS. Also, I don't think that I am a TS because: I do not think and fell like my TS friends, who believe they are a woman and think about it all the time; I don't have a strong enough desire to be a woman to cause me to leave my marriage and risk losing my children; and I allow the dangers of hormone therapy keep me from gaining the favourable body alterations they can provide. That leaves CD and TV and I feel I could be classified in both those categories.

Are you happy to be called a Tranny?

I do not object to being called a Tranny. I associate Drag Queen with a performer; therefore, I don't think that Drag Queen is an appropriate label for me, although I would like to be a performer.

To what degree do you feel gender dysphoric?

I believe that my brain has always been femininely oriented; however, after filling the male role for so many years, it has been washed a bit. I do feel that the male washing is slowly disappearing.

To what degree would you consider permanent hair removal, hormones, and surgery?

I seriously do consider permanent hair removal. On the other hand, although hormones are very attractive and I would love to use them for their desirable feminine effects on the body, they are very powerful medicines that can endanger your life. Therefore, I don't think that I will ever use them. Surgery is in another class. Having gone through a hernia operation, I will not have another operation unless it was to correct a life threatening condition.

What individual has inspired you most in relation to your TG inclinations?
I draw a complete blank here. Perhaps Jorgenson and Richards gave me some hope that I was not the only person who felt the way I felt.

Do you feel that you have any choice in your TG thoughts and actions?

I have no control over my TG thoughts. I do, and have, exercised control over my actions in the short term; however, over the long term, it controls me. That is, I have, and always had, a strong compulsion to express the femme in me.

Have you ever suffered harassment or abuse?

No, never. 

Have you tried to stop?

Many, many times. I remember one time, as a teenager, throwing all my femme stuff away into a vacant lot one night. I swore never use such garments again. Two nights later, I was back there trying to find them. When I married, I was sure that I would be "cured", but it consumed me again after a few years. On my thirtieth birthday and other milestone years, I swore again and again to no avail. I am not sure when, but I eventually became at peace and accept all aspects of myself. Since I have been dressing in public, I have no desire to stop, perhaps because I am no longer frustrated in expressing my feminine feelings.

Are your sexual preferences changed by your TG experiences (even temporarily)?

Yes. I have fantasized being in the feminine role, sexually for a several years. I am presently considering experimenting with it in practice.  

Have you suffered illness, depression, relationship break ups because of being TG?

No. That much control has been easy for me up to now.

If you could relive your life without the TG experience would you?

I always felt it was a burden or maybe even a curse, that I would be better off without. My feelings may have been the result of so much frustration at not being able to express my TG feelings. I'm not sure, but that may still hold some validity. However, I am enjoying life to such a degree now that I feel I was probably wrong. The TG experience is now good for me and life can be beautiful as a TG.

Do you feel that releasing your gender gift Has released creativity, that may otherwise have remained repressed?

No, I always found a way to express my creativity.

Have you ever performed and if so how did you get into performing and what have you done?

No. Like Walter Mitty, I only fantasize about performing to wide acclaim.

What outstanding TG experiences stand out in your mind?

For years, I thought that once before I die I would like to walk in the street with heels, hose, a skirt and makeup. I was afraid to do it because I thought that people would point at me and laugh. Well, the most memorable moment was the first time I went out in public and found that people did not point at me and laugh. They more or less paid no attention that I could notice. The second most outstanding experience was my realization that I was accepted as a woman out in public. At first, I couldn't believe it.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone that has just found they are not the only tranny in the world?

Expressing your feminine side in public is the most fulfilling experience for most people like us but it is a very frightening thought at first. Go about it in small stages. Start with a place where you can dress on the premises and change back there. The Philbeach Hotel in London (see listing in TG AtoZ directory), CDI in New York or Femme Fever parties on Long Island, NY are possibilities. In other places, look on the Internet for TG places that offer an evening en femme with changing facilities. Gradually, work your way up to appearing in public without fear or shame. Regardless of whether you appear in public or not, always remember to hold your head high and proceed through life accepting the fact that you will not be able to change your head or your heart. 

Two pictures - The formal one is in a Thai Silk dress that I had made in Bangkok. The second one, a bit scanty. It was taken at a Cross Dressers International Annual Summer Barbecue in New Yok City, where the theme was Country & Western. The bottle of beer (not my usual style) was part of the country girl costume. Both pictures were taken in the garden patio of Cross Dressers International, 404 West 40 Street, NYC.

Joanne Noble JoanneCDNY@Yahoo.com