AbstractA sample of 65 male transvestites and a sample of 33 male to female transsexuals were compared with groups of 57 gay males and 61 men whose sexual orientation was not identified. Goals of the study were to test hypotheses related to childhood experiences and to gather descriptive data about current sex patterns, lifestyles, and occupations, in order to better describe the transvestite and transsexual phenomena. The psychoanalytic hypothesis that members of both of these groups would have originated in homes with absent fathers was not supported by the data. A lack of interest in sports as a marker for feminine behavior correlated with a transsexual identity but not a transvestite one. On the other hand, cross dressing was an early behavior among transvestites but not among transsexuals or members of the gay control group. Transsexuals reported more unhappiness as children and less academic achievement. Current sexual orientation and lifestyles suggested a dominant pattern for each group, but there were enough individuals with variant patterns to suggest that most generalizations still need to be tentative.