22
Among the various forms of deviant behavior, that of homosexuality has the longest history and has been the subject of the most intensive investigations. In earlier and less enlightened times not only were overt sexual contacts between two individuals of the same sex labeled as homosexual, but if a male behav- ed in any feminine manner, adopted any feminine style of clothing or entered any occupation which was rec- ognized as being a feminine field, etc., it was taken as evidence of an homosexual inclination.
Gradually, and particularly through the work of Havelock Ellis (1) and Magnus Hirschfeld (2) it be- came evident that there was a group of individuals who, although they liked to dress in feminine attire and to appear that way in public whenever the sit- uation might permit, was still not given to overt sexual acts with other males. The name EONISM (after Chevelier d'Eon) was given to this type of behavior by Ellis. Others preferred the term TRANSVESTISM to destribe what the word means in its literal translation, namely, cross dressing. Since some homosexuals are given to affecting fem- inine mannerisms, makeup and attire as part of their sexual pattern, the tendency was and is to reason in the syllogistic way that: Since certain males indul- ge in sexual activities with other males and since certain of these males affect feminine attire, there- fore all males who affect feminine attire also indul- ge in male-with-male sex activities. Ergo, all males who enjoy feminine dress are homosexual
O
Since actual case histories of cross-dressing individuals frequently fair to show any evidence of overt male-with-male sex activity, the validity of the above syllogism would seem to be disproved. However, various investigators of the psychoanalytic orienta- tion reply with the argument that just because overt activity has not accurred does not make the individ- ual basically less a homosexual. He is only to be termed a "latent" or "masked" homosexual. Stekel (3) was one of the principal supporters of this thesis. Ellis disagreed and pointed out that on such a basis anyone who has not yet murdered, robbed or raped is