RANSVESTIA

was a young, clean-cut all-American boy type, with moral standards to match. I told him my story in bold outline, and asked if this were a legal or police matter. His reply:

1. In these days of very liberal interpretations for the upper courts ("and I don't particularly agree with the way things are coming out"), there isn't much we can do about this sort of thing. "What's one man's folly is another man's..." The metaphor was garbled but his meaning was clear: dressing is not a prosecutable offense in this town.

2. If a TV is snared in a minor or traffice offense, only the primary offense would be prosecuted, the same as with anyone else.

But then he pressed me for the name and address of this person, because the police would like to "keep track of him." I told him I wasn't about to "finger" my friend, to which he assured me that my identity wouldn't be recorded, only the TV's identity. I continued to decline, and we parted on a less amicable note than had been the case in other interviews.

Community #4 (pop. 5000)—strictly residential town

I was admitted to the chief's office and told my story, asking if this was in any way a police matter. He was businesslike, not unfriendly, and has a reputation for being fair, efficient, and very capable.

But on this subject he promptly showed his bias with, "Your friend is breaking no law in this town, but I recognize the desire to cross dress as simply symptomatic of something more serious that's wrong, and in my experience, the guy is apt to get into trouble in 'other' morals areas." (The fact that the chief is wrong won't help!)

At the outset he wanted to know, "Do I know this man?" Naturally, I believed he did not.

In reply to my standard questions, he commented:

1. He'd take a dim view of tolerating a TV in his town because he didn't want the word getting around that (his town) is a haven for that kind of activity. I asked him why one person appearing dressed in public constituted a "haven," to which he replied that he didn't want to seem permissive in such matters because it gives (his town) a bad

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