How One

Man Deals

With Tvism

Los Angeles Newspaper Gives Accurate And Favorable Report On How A Crossdresser And His Wife Handle The Situation With Ease

Tim size 12 dress.

and Carol both wear a

of repercussions at their work places.

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a

Tim is a transvestite heterosexual man who every so often enjoys dressing as a wo- man. And Carol is his under- standing wife.

"

"I fell in love with the per- son underneath the one or two ounces of powder and lipstick,' says Carol, Tim's wife of four years.

But because of a history of broken relationships that re- sulted from Tim's transvestism, he constantly feared his desire to crossdress would disturb his wife.

"On our wedding night I told Carol I wanted to shave my legs," remembers Tim.

"That was a test," Carol says. "But it wasn't the first or the last."

Carol and Tim are pseudo- nyms, as is Lisa, the feminine name Tim uses when he is dressed as a woman.

While the couple is com- pletely comfortable living with and talking about Tim's trans- vestism, they insist on remaining anonymous. Both are fearful

In an the interview at Studio City offices of psycho- therapist Louis Leveen, Tim and Carol are seated side-by-side on the sofa. At first glance, Tim looks very much like a wo- man. The first indication that he is a man is his voice. His hand- shake is limp.

Tim, dressed as Lisa, with long, red fingernails and makeup, is a startlingly feminine image. Dressed in a tailored skirt and jacket, gold jewelry and high heels, he wears his near shoulder- length hair feathered away from his face. With his legs crossed he sits anxiously wondering if his clothing has fooled the visitor.

"Lis is much more sensitive and receptive than Tim," says Carol of her husband's two sides. "She is more understand- ing."

"Everything that is written about transvestism focuses on the person's bazarre appearance rather than on his lifestyle or personality. But there was a time when it caused me a 13

great deal of pain."

Tim felt an urge to wear his mother's clothes when he was five years old. He began to accumulate items of women's clothing which he kept in a sec- ret "Cubbyhole." There were skirts and blouses which he would wear from time to time.

From seven to ten Tim lost interest in dressing as a woman, but at eleven his fascination was revived and he again began to accumulate "woman's things." He kept them in the same place where he hid his BB gun.

On day Tim's father finally caught him.

"When my father asked me what was doing," recalls Tim, "I said, "If you have to know the truth, Dad, I am practicing to be a tailor."

Tim and Carol burst into laughter. They are "each other's best friends" and have learned to find humor in situations that might otherwise create tension.

Home is a sumptuous hide- away in the Encino hills only minutes from busy Ventura Blvd. Tim is Tim is an advertising