A Few Thoughts

On Transvestism

ARTICLE

by Virginia Joy (FE-M-1) FPE

In his introduction to OVER THE SEX BORDER by Georgina Turtle, Kenneth Walker, a world authority on sex, says: "In every normal man there lurks a wom- am, and in every normal woman there lurks a man". Is not a transvestite a person in whon the hidden femi- ninity (or Masculinity), in the case of a woman) can- not be kept hidden?

The mental aspect is important, more important than the physical, in happiness and fulfilment. We all know of people who are very happy, even though they may be blind, or crippled, or otherwise grossly depri- ved. Well, we have a physical problem too, but at least we don't need to have it all the time, and we can be happy even when we're obliged to wear the wrong sort of clothes and to act a role which we would rather not act.

Completeness is both masculine and feminine, and anyone who was one hundred percent masculine or fem- inine would be intolerable and, fortunately, impossi- ble.

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Mentally we can be feminine for most of the time, if we wish and if we have the strength. We can be pure, loving, gentle, gracious; whatever are the most precious qualities of girlhood and womanhood. are not denied to us if we are prepared to use them.

When Transvestism is practised solely for auto-er- otic purposes it is merely fetishistic or narcissistic lust. But transvestism in which the aim and practice are the expression of one's feminity, in a pure, feminine way, as a girl or woman would express her femininity, then it is honorable and good. The proper price of dressing like a lady is to act like one. The price of femininity is femininity.

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