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Transvestism and the Law

(This section is not particularly usefull so I will shorten it by giving only the important passages)

In Britain..."the mere wearing of clothes appropriate to the opposite sex...cannot...be made the ground of any criminal charge," yet "cross-dressing may, prima facie, be evidence of an intention to commit some crime", and a "man, masquerading as a woman in a public place, may incur suspicion under the Vagrancy Act..."

In the U.S.A. "There is no law which expressly for- bids a man from wearing the clothes of a female...but this does not mean that the transvestite will not be arrested for merely wearing the clothes of the opposite sex under a wide and broad Disoderly Conduct Statute"

In some European countries (Germany and Scandinavia) there predominates a more permissive attitude towards transvestites of both sexes. The authorities there may allow a male transvestite to wear female clothes in pub- lic on a medical recommendation, that this is indispensable for the mental health of the patient.

In most Western countries castration requires a jud- icial authorization except where a pathological process necessitates the operation. The view of the Roman Cath- olic Church on Sterilization is identical. In some prot- estant countries (Scandinavia), voluntary castration is legally permissible, "when the patient's sexuality makes him prone to commit crimes,...or when it involves mental disturbancrs to a considerable degree, or social deter- ioration". Under certain circumstances castration may also be sanctioned in Switzerland and Holland.

In the U.S.A., "there is no law which specifically prohibits a doctor from performing this operation with the consent of the patient. Nevertheless, there is hardly a district attorney in the country, who would not inform a doctor that it would be illegal under the Mayhew Statute."