Transvestism More An Outlet For Escapism, Waterbury Democrat (Article, January 1944)
Full Text
TRANSVESTISM MORE AN OUTLET ESCAPISM THAN MENTAL ILLNESS SAYS WRITER
Editor of the Democrat:
Not long ago a Connecticut woman published a letter to the press condemning the practice of women and girls promenading around in pants. How justified was this female dissident? We doubt that she had any justification at all and to [elucidate] our position regarding "cross-dressing" or transvestism let us make clear the following points:
There is an amazing dearth of psychiatric literature covering the subject of "cross-dressing" now so noticeable, especially among the female of the species. This is probably due to the fact that most psychiatrists agree that transvestism is not a mental illness but merely a very harmless eccentricity that does no harm when indulged in by either sex. For many years the male "cross-dresser" has been flaunted as a character to be looked upon with grave suspicion and an individual to disturb overzealous police. Yet the really intelligent police officer is fully cognizant that no distinction should be made between the women who wears trousers and the man who wears a dress although why either sex should want to do so is beyond many persons to understand. The fact is usually cited by the ignorant or uninitiated into the wide expanse of the oddities of human behavior that the man who "cross-dresses" is of course homosexual when truth of the matter is he may be merely seeking escape from his masculinity just as the female "cross-dresser" unless there is actual evidence of overt homosexuality and when this is found to be the case he should be dealt with by the courts.
"Escapism" is a psychological phenomenon. Nobody denies this. Men and women prefer a particular mode of dress and yet be perfectly normal individuals so far as being useful citizens of their respective communities is concerned; they may even have a high moral code, be kind to their fellows, interested in life's better things. One of the most ardent male [transvestites] I have known is a well known editor, a gentleman who uses neither liquor or tobacco, but who dons female clothing as often as opportunity presents. Very few [transvestites] of either sex ever land in a mental hospital, as they show no neurotic or psychotic symptoms. Viewed from a broad psychological perspective, this "cross-dressing" rage (thousands of men are [transvestites] without the fact being generally known) may be considered as a perfectly harmless indulgence. For the most part these men and women seem to conform to society except perhaps that they prefer a mode of dress different than that of the general run of the populace although at the present rate of increase of female transvestism it won't be long until more women will be wearing trousers than dresses. But the chief point is that no harm is done anybody.
