Letter to the Editor

Special Situation

Editor's Note: The following letter was received early in April from Pudgy Roberts the Impersonator and author of the Handbook reviewed by Sheila several issues back. I first received a letter of inquiry from him regarding the review, asking the price of the magazine, what other things we published, whether we could use material, etc. I answered in what I thought was a polite and factual manner and included a price list so he could see what we stood for as well as what we published. I also inquired as to advertising rates in his Female Impersonators Magazine.

The letter below came as somewhat of a surprise. I have no intention of taking time from my very tight pre-trip schedule to try to reply to it. I hope to meet him in New York. But it occurs to me that inasmuch as he is now Editor of Female Impersonators Magazine and has a column in Candid Press, that he will be a first contact for many of our sisters who are as yet undiscovered. As such he can be quite an influence. Some of you do not quite see me and Transvestia as the money grubbing, exploiting, bad character and rather useless publication that he describes. I think it might be well if you would write and tell him how it is with you. I know what I am, what I've tried to do and what I stand for and I don't feel it either necessary nor seemly to try to defend myself to Mr. Roberts. But perhaps if a few of you would tell him in your own words (as a lot of you told Confidential magazine after their expose a couple of years ago) he might be more kindly in his view of the work of myself, of TVia and of FPE. Don't praise me, just tell him what good TVia, Chevalier, and FPE have been to you. I'm sure that the 20 "transvestites" that he refers to in N.Y.C. were either not TVs of our type of were part of the

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