** THE QUESTION ****

Z

-that

This magazine has filled a real need in the lives of what one of our doctor friends calls "poor harried souls has been my intent. I have given plentifully of my time and energy in the conception of the magazine and the pub- lishing of it. I have given my leisure time, my heart and to a greater extent than most of you know, my personal freedom and reputation

but

Whether the magazine continues depends not only upon me, on YOU and UNCLE SAM. The Post Office believes that a few unscrupulous persons make use of the PERSON TO PERSON sea- tion of the magazine to make contacts with others with whom they then exchange obscene mail They are inclined to hold the magazine responsible for this, and they would like to have me close out these columns or, for that matter, the whole magazine. They have found nothing obscene in any issue of TRANSVESTIA (nor are they likely to) but they ap- parently operate on the theory that 100 good people should be deprived of a useful, pleasureable and harmless opportun ity than that one bad person should be enabled to use that opportunity for undesirable ends This violates all concep- tions of American rights and freedom.

I have tried to tell various authorities that the Transvest- ite has no motivation or need to write obscene letters to another, that this is just not a part of transvestism I have explained that the loneliness and isolation that a transvestite finds himself in is a very corroding thing to his peace of mind Many subscribers to TRANSVESTIA have never laid eyes on or corresponded with another person of similar interests in their lives---many felt, until they came across this magazine, that they were the only persons in the world with what they considered their very unique problem. Only upon learning that the need to express and "live" ALL of one s personality is a much more common thing than they had thought, do they begin to settle down, view their own feelings more objectively and thus obtain some peace of mind and a better adjustment to life