Transvestia

sexuality is of necessity the only logical conclusion to the development of transvestism. Personally I do not agree with either of these points of view and will set forth my reasons.

I think such distinctions as I am about to make are of considerable importance to a particular group among the TVs. There are a number of TVs who, apparently, subscribe to the official theory that sex changing is the last and final stage of TVism-a sort of post graduate state that everyone should aspire to. These people are on what might be called an "operational kick". That is, they talk and plan for obtaining emasculative and re- constructive surgery. One gets the idea in talking or writing to some of these people that they feel that they will really have it made after the surgery. Some have succeeded in obtaining surgery only to find that this was not the answer after all. So it is particularly to those who feel that they are TSS and those who feel that HS is the logical endpoint of their development that this article is addressed. Perhaps it will give them a little different perspective.

A number of people have prepared various charts and tables in an attempt to depict various stages of development or types of behaviour and to show the trans- ition from one to the other. In trying to clarify the pic- ture I too have resorted to the graphical method. But I have based it on an entirely different conception and one which I feel is fundemental to understanding these three patterns of behaviour. In the first place as I have often stated, Sex and Gender are not the same thing. If we are unable to consider manifestations of the latter without arbitrarily and then unreasonably classifying them with the former we are not going to have a very clear picture of the whole field.

Perhaps in the interest of clarification it would be well to define what is meant by Gender Role. This has been done very well by Drs. Money and Hampson at Johns Hopkins so I will quote them. "Gender role comp- rises... all those things that a person says or does to disclose himself or herself as having the status of boy or man, girl or woman respectively, It includes but is not restricted to sexuality in the sense of eroticism. A gender