Antedating of "Transvestite"

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Sun Dec 22 03:52:02 UTC 2013


At 12/21/2013 10:17 PM, Shapiro, Fred wrote:
>transvestite (OED 1922)
>
>1911 _Current Literature_ Nov. 550 (JSTOR)  There are some who ...
>point to the degeneracy of Rome under Heliogabalus, an emperor who
>preferred to wear the habiliments of the opposite sex.  Recently Dr.
>Magnus Hirschfeld, the psychopathic authority, devoted an entire
>book to the question of persons similarly
>inclined, whom he calls "transvestites."

I love it.  Heliogabalus and habiliments.  And the "psychopathic authority".

Joel

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