Book Review

The Bliss Of Becoming One!

Integrating "Feminine Feelings" Into the Male Psyche,
Mainstreaming the Gender Community, Rachel Miller

Rainbow Books, Highland City, Fla., 1996

Reviewed by Lee Etscovitz


Rachel Miller's The Bliss of Becoming One! is a transvestite's manifesto written by a heterosexual, married man who crossdresses. It describes the crossdressing experience and at the same time urges transvestites to fight for their right to express themselves more openly. The oneness which Miller extols is, therefore, twofold: the integration of one's being, a self-integration which encompasses male and female feelings simultaneously, and the open and direct involvement of transvestites in society at large. In other words, be yourself, and be yourself with others.

In terms of recognizing, accepting, and integrating oneself as a genetic male who crossdresses, Miller takes the transvestite reader on a journey into greater self-realization. The author uses his own experience to illustrate the various challenges facing the transvestite, such as discovering one's crossdressing preferences, handling those preferences within a marriage, assessing one's sexual preference, and developing one's vision of life as a whole, a vision which includes crossdressing.

When it comes to the problem of social acceptance, Miller climbs atop a soap box and shouts a call to action, saying in effect: "Transvestites of the world, unite! Throw aside (not necessarily away) your wingtips and put on your high heels. You have nothing to lose but your tension!" It is true that Miller is somewhat idealistic in his exhortations, but he does give the reader something to think about. Face it: he apparently practices what he preaches. Of course, what works for him may not work for everyone else. But he does set a good example of positive thinking and doing.

Overall, this book is easy to read, and yet it covers the major aspects of the transvestite experience. I see Miller as being on the right track when it comes to facing both oneself and society as a transvestite, for he realizes, and he even states, that personal and social change begin inside oneself. In other words, the courage which transvestites need in order to face both themselves and society is an inner courage. With courage like that, even the clothes begin to look better on the outside, because they fit better on the inside. That's bliss!


© 1996 Renaissance News and Views. No reproduction without permission of the publisher.