Baby Boomers, when did you first realize you weren't the only one who ...

[Leslie Langford]

Wow, so many examples; so little time...

- Back in the early '60's when I was still a young teenager, and reading about people like former G.I. Christine Jorgensen and French performer Coccinelle (Jacques Dufresnoy) who had both undergone sex change operations. These stories were usually featured in cheesy tabloids of the National Enquirer variety with their shocking, screaming headlines and lurid pictures. They were also among my first indications that there might be others out there with inclinations similar to mine.

- Stumbling across a paperback book entitled "Sex Life of a Transvestite" in the most unlikeliest of places - a "mom and pop" type of convenience store circa 1965 when I was 17. It was a real eye-opener for me. The book is no longer in print, but I've attached a link to the amazon shopping website where a reviewer has provided their opinion of it.

It pretty much mirrors my own recollection of the book, and what I find awesome is how far ahead of its time it was. Not only did the author make it abundantly clear that he was completely heterosexual despite his fondness for female attire and presenting himself as his alter ego "Connie" in public - it provided the kinds of insights into this subject that we are still discussing on this forum almost 50 years later as though they were new revelations:

http://www.amazon.com/Sex-life-trans.../dp/B0007H9KZ2

- Back in the '60's and '70's, and '80's, advice columnists Ann Landers and Dear Abby would occasionally publish letters from crossdressers or family members seeking advice. At the beginning, neither Ann nor Abby were very conversant with this topic, were either ambivalent or negative in their comments, and simply regurgitated the typical misconceptions. To the credit of both, they eventually educated themselves properly concerning this complicated topic, and did a complete 180 degree turn compared with their previous views. They also ended up apologizing for their less-than-helpful past advice, and actually became very empathetic and supportive of crossdressers once they realized that we were not some type of perverts, but just regular people - albeit with a "special" gift.

- Seeing female impersonators and impressionists like Jim Bailey starting to appear on mainstream variety television shows such as the Carol Burnett Show (or comedian Flip Wilson's "Geraldine" character, for that matter), and being surprised by the overwhelmingly positive audience response that they received.

- Reading the first newspaper articles about Thailand's "katoeys" (ladyboys") back in the '70's when they were still very much an unknown quantity.

- Starting to see the topic of crossdressing addressed more and more frequently on the '80's and '90's talk shows and generally handled in an informative, empathetic, and non-sensationalistic manner. Phil Donohue, Sally Jesse Raphael, and Jenny Jones were probably the best at this, Montel Williams, Ricki Lake, Rolonda, and Jane Whitney were somewhere in the middle, and smarmy, smirking Geraldo Rivera was dead last (no surprise there!). Sadly, we have gone backwards from those more enlightened days when talk shows treated the whole topic of crossdressing in a more balanced and informative way. We are now left with the likes of Jerry Springer and Maury Povich, whose appeal is primarily focused on the bottom end (read: "redneck" segment) of the viewing audience, and just reinforces their inherent ignorance about this topic. Thank you, television networks, for your current infatuation with "Reality TV".

- Seeing more and more magazines such as "Ladylike", "Tapestry" and "Transformation" devoted to crossdressing appearing in adult bookstores, with the latter actually breaking away from the pack and onto mainstream newsstands because of its overall quality and positive branding.

- Following the Penthouse "Letters" inspired versions of "Forum" and "Variations" magazines throughout the '70, '80's and '90's and reading the letters allegedly sent in by crossdressers describing their experiences and particular turn-ons.

While most of these letters were/are likely made up since so many of them sound the same, what always struck me was the fact that whoever was behind them invariably appeared to be well-versed in the subject, and were therefore likely crossdressers themselves. It seems more than coincidental that they were always so factually "bang-on" in the stories they told, and often mirrored by own feelings, fantasies, fears, and insecurities in that regard. I would expect that only a true "insider" could have that degree of insight into this subject - just like my fellow posters here.

- Then, of course, along came the '90's, together with with the explosion of the Internet and all the information available in it on it. The rest is history...