whole thing was a terrible mistake and tragedy? Of course not, so all the statistics gathered by interested medical people look very good. "See what a high proportion are 'well adjusted' and satisfied about the success of both the anatomical and the social transformation! That 'proves' that this procedure is justified in the 'right' cases!" Great, but how did the good doctors ascertain the degree of "adjustment” and "happiness"? By asking the individuals primarily. And since they just can't admit that they are not adjusted, not happy, not free of whatever neurotic and personality problems they had as men, their answers are largely affirmative and the doctors smile happily they have "helped" a human being to happiness. I've met in one way or another and know of a number of others, who have had the surgery and I know very few who have achieved an inner happiness, adjustment and peace that were any big improvement on their previous lives.

"Well," the reader may ask, “if these 'misguided' TVs as you call them really aren't TSs why would they so avidly seek surgery." This is THE $64 question and the whole reason for this article. It goes back to what I dwelt on somewhat lengthily in the beginning, the fact that sex and gender are not the same thing and the fact that the envy and emula- tion that TVs express is aimed at girlhood and womanhood and not at femaleness. Thus what TVism is all about is gender envy not sex envy. But those persons both gay and TV who see the feminine gender not only as a concomitant but necessary by-product of femaleness also see femaleness as the one and only royal road to femininity. It isn't! Way back in TVia No. 50 I wrote a Virgin Views column entitled, “You can't add by subtraction" that dealt with exactly this question. You do NOT acquire femininity and womanliness by losing your maleness and gaining a “front door”. Such a person still has to learn her femi- ninity the hard way—by living it and experiencing it and making foolish mistakes in behavior and feeling embarrassed when she does something or does it in such a way that it is inappropriate to her visible gender. As the man said, “It ain't easy” as any of you who have gone out very much have learned.

What I'm trying to say is that the TV seeking surgery is "misguided" because he fails to realize that his very TVism is a gender expression and that what he enjoys is dressing, looking, acting, expressing, and enjoying his feminine gender and if he is passable this is just as possible before surgery as after. And it is one heck of a lot less expensive, less dangerous, less painful and doesnot require constantly going back to the doctor for additional surgical repair or improvements. Moreover it is reversible. If a person such as myself who is doing just this-living my womanliness without surgery-should get tired of the whole thing (which

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