I Am One

Sooner Belle, Jun 1997 page 3

I Am One
By Ricci, from South Australia

At one time, not all that long ago, there was a man. A lonely man who walked through life bearing a dreadful, shameful secret. He loved dressing as a woman. All his life he carried this burden carefully keeping it secret. All his life he had fought the urges, succumbing, then regaining his control. He wasn't a very happy man

Not that long ago, he made a discovery that changed his life. His problem had a name - crossdressing. More importantly though, it wasn't a problem. Now THAT was a weird concept. Yet, as he read and discovered more about himself, a beautiful woman began to emerge - happy, vivacious, all the things he knew he was but had trouble showing. More importantly though, she looked, felt and acted like a woman, except for a few unfortunate mannerisms.

By now, there were two people living together in the one mind The man and the woman. This concerned him-was he going mad? Then he began to look at the man. Who was this bloke?

Over the years, over the long, dark years, he, like all of us, had created a facade, a mask he hid behind when facing the world. When his _________ came out to play, he no longer needed that mask. Perhaps the woman was the real him? A question that gave rise to some serious soul searching.

That was then and it wasn't all that long ago. I wasn't on the path to madness-I had left that when I acknowledged my feminine side. I was on the path to freedom. It could be argued, there is a masculine gender and a feminine gender The cross dresser walks a continuum between these two. Sometimes one, sometimes the other, but spending most of his or her life somewhere in between, thus effectively creating a third gender.

Ricci came out of her closet, and there was Ricci and Richard. Now I am unifying them. Not squashing them together, but discarding my old facade and creating a new one that embraces both.

I am one person. Sometimes, my masculine side dominates, and it is then that I am Richard. Sometimes, my feminine side dominates, and it is then that I am Ricci. Most of the time, I am Me-masculine and feminine, both elements working together and complementing each other. How I act, depends on the elements most suitable to the situation. How I feel, is driven from the heart. How I dress, depends on how I feel and the situation. One person, one persona, that varies, and a lovely lady who loves going out whenever she can.

Ricci (your Aussie sister)

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