ARTICLE

COMMENTARIES AND SUGGESTIONS

Karen Penn.

This is just a little piece written to myself as much as to the people who will read it. Most of you are probably more experienced than I am, and perhaps it might be a bit foolish, but most of all its addressed to the new ones of us, who have perhaps just discovered that they aren't the only ones in the world who feel the way they do, when they pass a nicely decorated dress store.

So you've chosen a life style that's different . . . or its been chosen for you. In the late hours of the night or on those secret rainy days, when you first sneaked into your sister's room or your mother's closet, touched the mysteries of her silken garments, and then in a moment of extreme bravery and foolishness, slipped into panties and a skirt, and suddenly discovered a whole new world. At that moment when you first asked the question, "Who am I?" and no little voice answered, you chose. You went on to more involved things, and one day you stood in front of a mirror, dressed in illfitting but extremely soft clothes, completely, and asked yourself even farther, "Why wasn't I born a girl?" and then prayed at night that an angel would come and change you and you'd be the little feminine thing inside of you.

Yes, you've quit on occasion, you threw all of those things away and swore that you would never . . . never . . . try that again, that you were done for good and all. Then you caught yourself looking at things in the dress store, noticing girls, not for the way they were all of the time, but for the day they dressed, found yourself touching the skirt your girl- friend was wearing and found yourself wishing . . .

It's a long search and often an unhappy one. When a person chooses to do anything that is away from the norm, he is exposing himself to