RANSVESTIA

mediation of feminine clothing, make-up, etc., are happy and comfor able in expressing that part of themselves outwardly to you. As a matt of fact, Phi Pi Epsilon are just the Greek letters for F.P.E., which in tu are the initials of our motto-"Full Personality Expression.” We believ and feel that it is not possible to express ourselves fully just as men in society, and thus, upon occasion and depending on circumstances, we give our other side her chance. This is one of those occasions.

It is important to make one further distinction, and that is that the members of our group and the probably millions of others like us are heterosexual -75% married and fathers. We are the ones for whom the term "transvestite" was originally coined by Magnus Hershfeld. Of recent years, however, it has come to be applied to anyone who cross dresses, whether gay or straight. We separate ourselves from homosexuals not from a sense of superiority-as we don't feel one minority should put another down- but rather in the interests of our own particular identity, motives and satisfactions and because public misconceptions usually assume that any male who has any interest in anything feminine is ipso facto gay. In order to get around the no longer clear and communicative word "transvestite," which only means cross dresser, I have coined a new and more descriptive term and that is FEMMIPHILE, from "feminine" and "love of," meaning literally "lover of the feminine." This is abbre- viated as FP; so if I use that term, you will know that I am referring to heterosexual cross dressers.

Now, you came here to find out a lot about us, so let's get to that.

1. WHAT is our kind of transvestism? As just mentioned, it is not a form of homosexuality. Neither is it a form of psychopathology, though there may be psychopaths who cross dress on occasion. It IS a behav- ior pattern which by definition applies to heterosexual males.

2. WHEN does it start? Anytime-from 5 years to whenever.

3. HOW does it start? Through induced dressing such as an adult sug- gesting it as a joke, a girl's part in a play or mock wedding, a New Year's or Halloween costume, or by voluntary means such as plain curiosity about mother's or sister's clothes.

4. What happens at that time? This requires some diversion of attention for a moment. Society is based on the polarization of human qualities and potentials into those suitably masculine and suitably feminine

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