31.

In 1910 Hirschfeld (52) introduced the term "Trans- vestism", being fully aware "that this name indicates only the most abvious aspect of this phenomenon." His term became generally accepted, although it is still being used without the necessary discrimination between the two akin conditions, the real transvestism and transsexualism. (((ED. Note: These terms all show the confusion ex-

isting in med. circles about TV. All these names em- phasize the sexual connotation and make no allowance for TVism which does not involve sex activity or orientation. Drs. dont get to see relatively well adapted, secure, and adjusted TVs, they only see the person who is so mixed up. so maladjusted and unhappy that he cant live comfortably with himself or who gets mixed up with the law--therefore conclusions drawn about TV are colored by the patients who are seen and who are presumed to be representative.)))

Definition

There is no generally accepted definition of trans- vestism as yet. For example: Pettow (84) defined it as a psychological compulsion", Ellis "as really a modific- ation of normal heterosexuality", Stekel (92) as "A mask for homosexuality", Mayer-Gross, Slater and Roth (71) as a "form of fetishism in the homosexually inclined". In "Janett Thompson's (96) view transvestism "falls into the catagory of a behavior problem rather than into that of a sexual problem as it has usually been classified" (((ED Note. The reason this last definition is so much more sensible is that "Janett Thompson"is a pen name for a well known TV who is fully aware of the non- sexual aspects of the matter)))

Podolsky (86) defines it as "a form of compulsion neur osis", but a bit further says that "transvestism is a mental ailment". ((So are sex and hunger--Ed))) Kinsey (61) sees in a transvestite "an individual who prefers to wear the clothes of the opposite sex, and who desires to be accepted in the social organization as an individual of the opposite sex." Hamburger (49,50) offers an almost identical definition. Benjamin (10,11) regards transvestism as "a disharmony of the total sex- ual sense, a sexual indecision or a dissociation of the