VIRGIN IEWS

VIRGINIA

THE "TRANSCENDENTS" OR "TRANS" PEOPLE

Editor's Note: Virgin Views in this issue is supplied by the following paper which I have read at the Western Regional meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex in Santa Barbara, Calif., June 1978.

I do not print this as any sort of a brag or any sort of an ego trip. I provide it for you to keep you informed of the approach I am taking in trying to educate some of the professionals who may find themselves dealing with cross dressing individuals. In addition to knowing what I am saying to them some of you may find the article helpful to your- selves or even more likely, of value in enlightening wives, parents, or others whom you would like to have take a more enlightened attitude toward your actions. The fact that the material is given just as presented to a professional audience may possibly come across more effectively than just some article in TVia. In any case it will likely be more effective than your own arguments simply because you can't very well be the defendant and the attorney for the defense at the same time. I hope you will find it interesting and helpful.

We are all familiar with the word "transcendent" as in transcen- dental meditation or transcendent experience, but to use it as a noun rather than as an adjective is a little unusual. Actually, the word comes from the Latin trans-meaning over or across, and scendere- to climb. Thus a transcendent is a person who climbs over and goes beyond some sort of limitation or barrier. Our society and culture provide all kinds of laws, limitations and barriers tending to restrict our lives in one way or another. Many of these are a necessity since without them society would be in chaos. We have restrictions that are biological (and thus permanent), sexual, behavioral, moral and legal.

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