ARTICLE

Medical

Comment

Dr. X

I am a physician in private practice. I am not a transvestite and have never discussed the problem with anyone who was. However in recent years I have been consulted by the wives of two transvestites for advise as to how to cope with the problem and diminish it's threat to their marriage. Since I knew almost nothing of the subject I consulted the medical literature and got some limited information. However I obtained the most pract- ical information by reading TRANSVESTIA, having come across it by chance through a reference to the publication in a medical newspaper. Despite the fact that my know- ledge of transvestism is almost entirely "Book Knowledge" nevertheless good medical practice requires a vast under- standing and experience with the workings of the human mind, so that I believe that I am qualified to present certain observations and opinions. These are based in great part on the facts presented in the case histories and upon the hopes and dreams of the TV as expressed in the fiction. The following therefore is written as ob- jectively as I know how for whatever interest and value it may be to the reader.

The thing that impresses me most is the magnitude of the emotional force that drives the TV to follow a course that can lead to great personal humiliation and loss for himself and family and for which he also pays a consider- able price in guilt feelings. To overcome this the TV is greatly desirous of acceptance by his wife or girlfriend and by society as a whole. Such acceptance is obviously difficult to obtain. Society as a whole is geared to reject any suggestion of femininity in a man. But studying trans- vestism has made me aware of the rediculous extremes

33