Transvestia

Secondly there are the misguided TVs who seek surgery with the idea that this will be the pinnacle of suc- cess, the graduation, the diploma, the ultimate pro- motion in their transvestic lives. They have in eff- ect utilized the destruction of their maleness as a final effort to justify and guarantee their right to be "women". That is they acquire the sex as a by product of their fight for their right to the gender. The price is too great. Susanna's phrase, "a death- less way to commit suicide" is so appropriate and true.

There are many of these operation-seeking TVs who have various other psychological hangups in life, they may be shy, introverted, unable to relate to people and be part of the ongoing scene. They may feel intellectually, educationally or socially in- ferior or in other ways just "not quite with it". Because their lives as men are not entirely satis- factory and because they are TVs on top of it, they gradually come to the conclusion that everything would be rosy if they could just get rid of that penis which becomes the symbol of all their neurotic hangups. It is as tho they regarded the penis (and testicles of course) as some sort of causes for their life condition and a barrier to achieving the stress- free life that they feel they could have and are en- titled to. Thus the idea grows on them that to be rid of that barrier they would wake up in a land of milk and honey, without stresses and problems. Oh they will verbally acknowledge that "women have their problems too" but you don't feel that they really think these problems will become their problems too.

So this is the reason for the title, "You can't add by subtraction", meaning that you can't add peace, joy, beauty, a carefree existance without problems, etc. to your life by subtraction of part of yourself namely your maleness. The elimination of the penis will not automatically insure all these things for you. I have talked at length to a lot of persons who seek surgery and find one thing in common about

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