ARTICLE

Femme

Identification

by Peggie (25-E-1)

It is generally well known that I was recently ar- rested while out dressed as Pegie, and suffered through the ordeal of being in jail (without charge) for four days with the resulting embarrassment to my boss, the company and my family. The details of this catastrophe, and a still more recent brush with law authorities, is another story but one aspect of these two frightening experi- ences has to do with the matter of personal identification for those who go out en femme.

To begin with, we never anticipate the en femme arrest. This is something that always happens to some- body else. At the time of my first arrest I was totally unprepared; carrying my male billfold filled with a large sum of money, checks made out to my company, photos of Pegie, and my male identification. The police "had me cold" on any number of assorted suspicions; robbery, check passing, pornography, etc., and etc.

I vowed after this experience to never carry any kind of identification while out en femme, and certainly no large sum of money, no checks, and no photographs or femme letters. And yet, it took a second police episode to drive the fear of personal identification home to me with crushing force; this, when I was a passenger in a car when the driver ran stop sign.

Whereas before, the police were looking for me and knew I was en femme; this time I was brought into the precinct station as a female automobile passenger. My companion was grilled unmercifully. Finally the interro- gation turned in my direction as the officer in charge