RANSVESTIA

doing to you. At this point I guess I'd best say a loving goodbye to my reincarnation-oriented readers too. I hope they too have a good trip and I'll see them again in the next life. What I'll be back as is pretty confused since I have kind of jumped the gun by living two lives this time.

So much for the negative side, how about the positive? In the editor- ials in TVia 73 and 74 I outlined my philosophy of the source of and necessity for our femmeselves. If those considerations are valid then all we are doing when we dress is giving vent to what is inherently and in- escapably a part of ourselves anyway. In a less polarized and stereotyped society that same part would exist but its expression would cause no comment or raised eyebrows. Its our present society that interprets our actions as "abnormal" "bad" etc. The whole point of this essay is to urge those of you who have a passion for humiliation, domination, punishment stories, and philosophies like astrology and reincarnation (at least insofar as they apply to your FPia) to stop a moment and think about it. Stories are enjoyed because we tend to put ourselves vicariously into the part of one of the persons in the story. When an FP identifies with the dominated punished boy who is forced to dress as a girl he is only fortifying within himself a denial of responsibility for his own de- cisions. Let's face it - in real life we dress up in girl's clothes because we want to but we feel guilty because our culture says we shouldn't do it. We assuage the guilt and shame by identifying with some fiictional FP who has no choice in the matter, who is forced to do what he does and who rebels (which is HIS guilt and shame coming out) but who event- ually comes to enjoy his activities (which is the reader's own self-justifica- tion coming through).

Why shouldn't you and you and yes, even you look in the mirror when you look your prettiest and say out loud to yourself -- "nobody made me put these clothes on, I wasn't destined to do it by the stars or a past life. I do it because I want to do it; I'm pleased with my femmeself - she is part of me and all I'm doing is giving her a little living time and space. And I'm not going to feel guilty and ashamed any more! Why should I? This femmeperson I see in the mirror is not somebody else, she is a real part of my total SELF and why should I be ashamed of or guilty about being myself? If I really wanted to stop dressing I and only I could decide to do so but I don't want to stop, it is my own decision to be an FP and to dress. And since I have made this decision I will hold my head up and take the consequences of that decision. I will run no unnecessary risks and I will not force my femmeself on others but I will be responsible in my head and to myself for being an FP. I DO accept that I am doing this voluntarily and I'm happy with myself."

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