Trans Youth
The Third Sex Issue 3, article 12 (February 1931)
Since people still speak of transvestism1 (the urge to wear the clothes of the opposite sex) as a degeneracy, perversity and habit, it is very interesting to observe transvestite youth a bit. Here, with the best intentions in the world, one cannot speak of perversity. A very different soul is revealed in which one’s true elementarily nature forces itself out. Often transvestite adolescents attract a lot of attention, which is quite understandable, since in times of emotional turbulence they do not keep the limits they need to be able to live undisturbed. The following case, which is reported from Essen, shows where it leads when such a young human being cannot control themself. One evening the criminal police arrested the youngster E. Lori, who had stolen the amount of 100 marks from his brother in order to buy a woman’s silk dress and other female clothing in a department store. L. stated during his interrogation that he had an irresistible urge to walk in women’s clothes. He was arrested in a well-known coffeehouse on Kettwiger Strasse when he was about to have coffee with a friend.
We learn of a similar case from Wroclaw. The newspapers there reported the following:
“A simply dressed young man of about 16 years of age rented a room in a small inn in the suburbs of Wroclaw. He declared that he wanted to take the early train to Berlin and withdrew. When the housekeeper appeared after a while to present the registration slip, he saw a young girl in a light dress and with strikingly beautiful blond hair standing in front of the mirror. The girl looked at herself pleasantly and was just tracing her eyebrows. The young man seemed to have disappeared. But the housekeeper was soon surprised to find that in front of him was the male guest, who had only transformed in the meantime. They called the nearest police officer and took a closer look at the girls’ clothes. In a suitcase he still had various feminine beauty paraphernalia, all of which had been newly bought. Further, there were women’s pajamas, lingerie and similar discreet items. The police found that it was a 15 1/2 year old bell boy from one of the big hotels in Wroclaw. He suffers from a sickly disposition. Even before that he liked to act like a girl, tied on aprons and adorned himself with ribbons. His disposition had recently been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous elderly acquaintance who had led him to various dishonest activities. Apparently the theft of clothes was also committed under the influence of this “friend”, whose name the boy has not yet mentioned. The stranger whom the police are still looking for was also behind the plan for the Berlin trip.”
What is particularly unfortunate about this affair is that a young transvestite2 falls into the hands of someone who misused him for dishonest purposes. It ought to be the most sacred duty of every elderly individual and every friend, to be leaders and helpers of such boys, who will have so much more difficult life in life than their differently inclined brothers. He must be made aware of good relevant literature, taught with kind words and, if necessary, referred to an understanding doctor. Then such cases as those just described, which are designed to lead transvestite youth3 on a thorny path all their lives, will be impossible in the future.