RANSVESTIA

Dear Virginia:

Each day I seem to find new depths of gratitude for the young man client who came to me for help with his transvestism and for your broadcast interview in Houston at that time, and subsequently for your books and personal interest. You even challenged me with my first "name." It took a long time in my own head and gut to come to accept being a transvestite. I've studied, as probably is common in like cases, very intently almost everything I can find said on the subject and keep coming back to your Wives book. You, I do believe, said it the very best. Now I've underlined and used the Wives book until it has become tattered. That's why there's a check included for another copy if you would be so kind. I've a new use for it, too, new in my case only it's intended purpose in fact. Recently the subject of transvestism has come into the open between my wife and I. She sounds like she has memorized all the non-accepting argu- ments you speak of in the book, so I want a new fresh copy to hand to her. We really had a laugh at it last night when she referred to me in a nightie as a "hippopotamus in a pinafore." As great as lingerie feels and makes me feel, I have to admit her word picture is indicative of how I look. We really are at a place in our growing acceptance of each other's individuality that has led her to repeat to me on more than one occasion: "I don't care what you wear." However, on the subject of my wearing femme things when we are together, she is very non-understanding and full of ignorance, bias and misinforma- tion and very wrong ideas. Now I don't see the Wives book as a panacea, but I do see it as the very best authoritative and honest open and cogent statement of the transvestite experience and need structure I can find.

Since communicating with you last, I've been involved in a helping way with several other troubled transvestites and a couple of trans- sexuals seeking professional counsel with a goal of surgery. My opinions along the line of surgery as a factor in the life of a biological male are very closely aligned with yours. I suppose I have read and studied only a fraction of the amount you have, yet I have come quite independently (O.K., not totally independently) to the same basic conclusion as you relative to sex reassignment surgery. I know of only one case among the several who have come to me for counsel, in which I think the procedure is indicated.

Frankly I think every transvestite and every transsexual in the

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