RANSVESTIA

before the age of 10. The literature on the subject, such as it is, has it that three of the most common predisposing factors are that the mother wanted a girl and raised the boy in a feminine fashion, that the boy was punished by being made to wear dresses or that mother couldn't bear cutting his baby curls so that he was kept in long hair to a later age than other boys. This last would have no meaning today but it did up to 10 or 15 years ago. Only four percent of the subjects indicated that they had experienced any of these. While 76 percent had never consulted a psychiatrist, only nine percent had undetaken serious treatment. Thus with less than 10 percent of the population submitting themselves to any real psychiatric evaluation it is obvious that it is only that same 10 percent that provided the bases for the reports appearing in the literature. Obviously then, there is a considerable area of ignorance on the part of therapists as to what causes the cross dressing pattern, what its motivations and satisfactions are, and what to do about it if anything.

Since such behaviour is at wide variance from what is considered usual boyish behaviour-I carefully avoid the use of the word "normal"—it is generally regarded as a psychological problem and therefore to be treated by some form of psychotherapy, with the object of getting the boy or man to discontinue the practice and settle back into the stereotypic rut laid out for him by society. The fact that such therapies are SO generally unsuccessful in accomplishing their goal ought to be an indication that there is something involved that psychotherapy is not equipped to deal with and that the psychotherapist him or herself is not taking into account. It is my belief that the problem is not a psychological one to begin with but rather is a social one as to its cause and in its handling and understanding.

If you will forgive me I would like to utilize an allegorical fairy tale to illustrate this matter rather than relying on cold, logical verbal explanation. First I would like to call to your attention the old tradition that says "pink is for girls, blue is for boys" and which leads to blankets, booties and nursery furnishings to be appropriately colored. Such external distinctions don't have any effect on the infant since they do not know the significance-they are mostly for the benefit of the adults. When, however, one sex is given dolls and the other trucks and blocks to play with it does become significant because the toys begin to structure the world and the infants relations to it and thus have permanent effects. Now to the story.