RANSVESTIA

For apparently no particular reason, I was convinced that if I had been born a female, I would have loved other females and never wasted my time on males. This confused sentiment did in the end turn out to have a significance, but it was not until quite late in my life that I understood what it was.

2. INTERLUDE.

I suppose I should mention at this point that my home environment would stand up under the scrutiny of the most critically inclined psy- chiatrist or educator. It was perfect, even to the point of being not too perfect. I grew up in a well to do home, where privation and in- security were just hard to spell words. Yet, it was not a home of luxury or extravagance.

My father always had a large income, but he never made a great fortune in life. My parents belonged to what could be called the upper professional bourgeoisie, but they were too intelligent and liberal and creative to be snobs. Both had advanced education, but not so advanced they seemed out of reach or remote.

It was a happy home where schemes, fights, disorder, drunkenness, bad manners, and violent quarrels just did not seem to happen. It was a reasonably large family. I had brothers and sisters, and I was sort of in the middle. No one was afflicted with ill health or defects. All were gifted and reasonably well matched, spaced a year to a year and a half apart. To the best of my knowledge, no one had problems or difficulties growing up. It was the kind of family where everything seemed "normal", though normalcy was never stressed or preached.

In my earliest childhood, as far as guarded inquiries have revealed, I did not play with dolls, or show girlish attitudes, or do any of these whimsical things psychiatrists love to read out as things to come. I could mention as a curious though trivial parenthesis, that my youngest brother used to play with dolls and would rather be with his sisters than his brothers. This caused some consternation in the family, and is well remembered, because it was somewhat unusual in those days.

Actually, this boy grew up to become an aggressive and energetic business executive. He married early, raised a large family, and is