THE PURPOSE BEHIND TRANSVESTIA

Every publication must have a reason for its existance and justification for the effort which goes into it beyond that of financial success. In the case of TRANSVESTIA, there are three purposes:

EXPRESSION - EDUCATION - INFORMATION

Because people are interested in the unconventional and unusual, it does not mean they are immoral, crim- inal or dangerous. Unfortunately the ignorance and prejudices of the masses about things which they know little of and understand less, makes the lives of such non-conformists lonely and miserable. It is one of the purposes of TRANSVESTIA to help lift a little of that loneliness by providing an outlet of express- ion where people of more or less related tastes, in- terests and hobbies can read about the experiences and ideas of others and also have a place to express their own.

It is not only interesting and satisfying to learn that we are not alone in our non-conformity but it can be in many cases a real psychologically stabilizing experience to learn that not one of us is unique in our desires and our problems but that thousands of others fight the same battles and experience the same frustrations. To know that we have comrades is helpful. Someone once said, "To know is to understand." We feel that a lot more understanding could be achieved by par- ents, wives, friends and business associates if the nat- ure of various behavior patterns were presented to them through the experiences of many others rather than to allow them to reach conclusions solely on the basis of some one individual with whom they happen to have a close relationship. Such patterns have to be judged with per- spective and knowledge and these can only be gained by seeing the matter in the broader picture of the

3.