TRANSVESTIA

a medical conference to try to bring the situation out into the open so that hopefully we could find solutions.

The family doctor recommended psychiatric counseling for my wife. She was aghast and rejected the idea. I told him about my transvestism, offering it as a possible contributing factor in my wife's problems. He had been a Christian missionary doctor and after having seen so much disease, sickness and tragedy in his years on the other side of the world, transvestism seemed to him a relatively mild problem and not a basic cause for my wife's problems. He agreed with the recommendations made by my psychiatrist 16 years previous and suggested my wife permit me to dress periodically, out of her sight, in the privacy of our home. Deeply chagrined and upset by all this my wife retreated in silence to think it over.

During this period I came upon a bootleg copy of Transvestia No. 13 in a back-issue magazine store in Denver. Amazed at what I read in it I went back and managed to find a few more issues. After reading and rereading every word I decided it was the answer to my need. I wrote Virginia and proceeded to obtain every available back issue of Transvestia. I learned more in a few days of reading this material than in a half a lifetime of self-experimentation.

With the prospect before me of joing FPE I felt that I was at a tur- ning point in my life. I decided to discuss the situation with my wife now that the doctor had opened the door. She had seen the magazines and flipped through a few issues but had shown no real interest. After praying for wisdom and tact I carefully reviewed with her what Virginia was trying to accomplish through FPE and Transvestia, con- cluding that I believed I would find the answer to my cross-dressing problem in FPE. Finally, with some trepidation, she agreed to let me dress once a month at home and to let me pursue the FPE idea for awhile to see how it worked out. My prayers were answered.

My secret wardrobe was out of style by now and rather than com- plicate matters by dredging up the history of my secret dressing I simply disposed of my feminine possessions and started over. I bought a few simple outfits, accessories and one cheap wig, spending a like amount of money on clothes for my wife. Although I did not flaunt my feminine possessions in front of her, I made no attempt to hide them from her. Everything was kept in a locked closet that she had ready access to. She had no desire to see me dressed so I stayed discreetly out of sight during the few hours I dressed each month. The children were

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