Transvestia

How would you know a TV if you saw him? The an- swer is that you wouldn't. Such people are 70% married, and 70% of these are fathers. They hold down good jobs, are active in their community life, and do not display any feminine traits while in their masculine roles. They live very frustrated, lonely, guilt-ridden and fearful lives, frequently going for years and years without any. one knowing that whenever they get the opportunity-- due to the family being away or conversely their being away on a business trip--they steal a few minutes of happiness by dressing in feminine clothing and letting their inner feminine self out to "live" a little while. Fear and Guilt come from the knowledge that society and loved ones would not approve and that if their secret were found out they would be accused of being homosexual and treated accordingly. Since they are not homosexual the prospect of being condemmed as such by an ignorant and bigoted society provides the element of fear in their lives. They are terribly lonely because almost univer- sally they feel that they must be the only man alive with such unmasculine feelings plus the fact that they can re- veal them to no one on pain of exposure and condem- nation.

Actually they are a long way from being alone. There are uncounted thousands of them in the country. Psychiatrists and statisticians have estimated that the incidence of transvestism is second only to homosexuality in frequency among unusual behaviour patterns. latter is said to run between 10 and 15 percent.

And the

At this point I must tell you something before I throw the meeting open for questions. (I pause for several seconds, look down and get ready to lower my voice to it's masculine pitch having spoken in Virginia's voice so far, and I say.....) I am a man! A husband and a father! (At this point the audience really cracks up, with laughter and amazement.) You will want to know why I give talks like this dressed this way. Three reasons: (1) I enjoy being out in public as a woman; (2) I have been hurt too much by ignorant people, lay and proffes- sional, and I want to spread some knowledge of this pat- tern around; (3) If I came to you as a man and talked about femininity in the male you wouldn't hear me, you'd only be annoyed at having to listen to a damned "queer".