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The Examiner 1991
(notice how the attitude of the press was so different back then)
A TYPICAL evening at the Toronto Cross-Dressers Club reveals a bevy of fabulous
beauties. But don't ask them for a date - they're ALL MEN!
The exclusive, members-only club caters to a specific clientele — guys who enjoy dressing up as women, explains owner Paddy Aldridge, who, oddly enough, is a woman.
In the four months the club's been open, more than 75 men have become members at a cost of $35 to $600. Most say they enjoy the ambiance that allows them to satisfy their bizarre fetish without public scorn.
They're also drawn to the club's well outfitted transvestite boutique, Take A Walk On The Wildside Inc., which provides cross-dressing clients with a wide range of services, including makeup, dressing and transformation sessions that can turn the most masculine man into a feminine gal.
The boutique offers the kind of clothes that would make the most fashion-conscious woman green with envy — fashionable wigs, sensuous lingerie, sexy garter belts, soft silk stockings, sparkling jewelry and eye-popping evening wear. It also provides breast forms (to create what nature forgot) and cross-dressing books, magazines and videos.
Says owner Aldndge: "The club and boutique are like a breath of fresh
air for many of my clients. They're so relieved. When they walk in the store,
they're like a kid in a candy store."
While a few of the club's transvestite clients are gay, the vast majority are
straight men who just happen to enjoy dressing as women. Some developed their
fascination for women's clothing as children, while others discovered the need
to dress up in adulthood.
Many are married — and have a normal relationship with their wives, says Aldridge. However, while they don't mind sharing a blouse and skirt with their husbands, most wives REFUSE to let them bring their fetish into the bedroom.
Adds Aldridge: "Some of the girls who do support it are happy because there's a distinct personality change when the husband cross-dresses.
"Many of the men are in real macho jobs, high positions, company presidents. They're under a lot of pressure, and they can't relax until they assume another role."
According to the men who visit the Toronto Cross-Dressers Club regularly, the outrageous hot spot offers a place where they can act out their private fantasy in the company of others who understand.
"I love this place," says a customer named "Betty."
"Before I discovered the club, I lived a private hell. Only my wife knew about my cross-dressing, and I lived in terror that my friends would discover my obsession and drop me like a hot potato.
"But here, everyone shares a common interest. We swap fashion and makeup tips and provide support for those who are just beginning to learn the joys of transvestism."
"Betty" adds: "We're not perverts or gays, we're normal guys who enjoy the feel of women's clothing on our bodies.
"And at the club, we can pursue this desire without fear of ridicule. It's wonderful!"
MANY cross-dressers hold macho jobs, but they can't relax until they assume
a female role.
July 9, 1991/EXAMINER
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