BIOLOGICAL vs SOCIOLOGICAL

CAUSES OF TRANSVESTISM

By Virginia Prince Ph.D.

There is always a debate going on between TVs as to the "“cause' of the behavior, so it is worth ex- amining in some detail the var- ious explanations offered so I propose to do so in this article.

It is always quite satisfying if one can pin the cause of some bothersome behavior, some habit some disease or abnormal condi- tion on something that is beyond the control of the individual. It provides a sort of unchangeable excuse for the condition. There are two general classes of ideas about the causes of cross dressing. The first may be called the "ex- ternal", meaning that the cause is outside of the individual con- cerned and therefore may be considered as metaphysical, and the second may be considered to be "internal", that is arising from something specific to the individ- ual either physical or psychologi-

cal.

This external class is divided into two parts. A) The astrologi- cal: After all if the stars deter- mined that I was to be a TV what can I do about it, its just my fate, etc.! B) The reincarna- tion belief. For those who be- lieve in reincarnation it provides a really pat solution to the mat-

ter. After all, if I was once a handmaiden on Cleopatras barge floating down the Nile and some of that femininity is still with me in this life what choice do I have, its just left over! Or the other side of that coin is that I am destined to be a female in my next life and I am just preparing for it a bit ahead of time in this life. For me both of these expla- nations come under the heading of metaphysical rationalizations. Their only real merit lies in their being able to put the cause of TVism way beyond the individ- ual. Neither astrology or reincar- nation theory has any scientific basis at all and are merely beliefs that may make life easier for some people and if so let them go their way in peace.

The other class of explana- tions can be termed the "intern- al". It can be subdivided in turn into three different areas, all of which are more reasonable in view of modern knowledge in the respective fields. C) The idea that cross dressing has some psycho- genic cause. That is that there is some psychological quirk in the individual that is responsible for this behavior. D) The biological explanation that says that a

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genetic mutation or something in the fetal environment or a hor- monal problem of some kind is responsible for the individual wanting to cross dress in child hood or adult life. And finally, E) there is the sociological ex- planation.

I think we can safely avoid discussing the two "external" explanations because for those that dont believe in astrology or reincarnation it would be a waste of time since these are both "non-explanations". And for the true believers no amount of dis- cussion would alter their views because they are based on belief and that is rarely subject to logi- cal attack. That leaves us with the internal explanations so lets consider each in turn.

The Psychogenic: It is certain- ly true that in various psycholog- ical states male persons exhibit cross dressing. These can run from some schizophrenic patient who thinks he is the Virgin Mary or other female figure, through a paranoid patient who has delus- ions of persecution and who may cross dress to "hide" from his adversaries. That is, they would not recognize him in the guise of a girl or woman so he would be