21.

TRANSVESTISM ABROAD

by LOUISE LAWRENCE

ENGLAND

One of the most common comments I have heard from Transvestites in the U.S. has been, "If only I could go abroad; to France, or England, then I could live as I have always wanted without any trouble."

It has always interested me that this comment should be so widespread and so universally accepted. So accepted, in fact, that it is almost as though a very careful, meth- odical propagandist had been at work. And it is not a re- cent thing either, for I can recall an instance some 25 years ago when a policeman made a remark to me indicating that he too believed in this theory.

Now I havent travelled widely but I have been to France, Paris particularly, and to London, but nowhere have I found evidence to make me believe that in either place do the authorities welcome TVs with open arms or the general public either for that matter The more I have travelled, the more places I have been, and the more people I have been able to talk with regarding this particular phase of human behavior (as opposed to the word "problem" since this word seems to carry with it a connotation of trouble when actually most TVs will say they "enjoy" it so it can't be a problem), the more con- vinced I am that the teneral attitude toward TVism is much the same wherever you go.

In France there is no law against a man wearing fe - male attire BUT if a man in female attire behaves in a manner to attract attention, or merely DOES attract at- tention, the police are perfectly willing to arrest him for questioning. In England there is a law against mas- querading but the end result of such cases as may come before the courts seems to be handled as each individual judge or magistrate sees fit. Sometimes there is a fine, sometimes a jail sentence, and sometimes remittance to a hospital. Sometimes the defendant is released with a