Through the magazine (Transvestia) I have been able to meet several other TVs which was an exciting experience since, although I had read about others over this 20 year period, I have never actually met a single one. These meetings began only about 6 months ago, but since that time my entire outlook and opinion has changed. The first thing I discovered was that while wearing women’s clothes in the presence of others, the clothes assumed secondary importance and that I was still me…I was unable to alter my male personality to that of a female and am not so sure that I would really want to….
From these discussions with other TV’s I began to look upon my problem more realistically. I found that when one meets others dressed femininely one’s reactions is not just an erotic one, as it may have been when gazing in the mirror at oneself. Clothes cease to be both a beginning and an end…they are merely clothes and one becomes more interested in the personality wearing them. I came to see that, if (a) TV goes deeper than just the narcissistic level, we become aware that it’s not just a love of feminine clothes…Everything becomes clearer and our make-believe world, although still existing, is not so make-believe. Together we could discuss our problem intelligently without the overpowering sexual aspect distorting our thinking. I began to know myself and to accept myself for better or worse.
– excerpt Denise, “Cover Girl for January – Miss Denise,” Transvestia, Vol. I No. 7, January 1961 p. 3-4.
Click to view Transvestia #7 at the Transgender Archive at the University of Victoria.
