For Tolerance and Civility

[Lydia]

Hi all,

This is not a rant or a rave. It is just a response from one who is not easily moved to write long letters and bare my soul to the world. I cannot help responding, however, to some personal gibes and complaints that I am seeing on this forum. I find such posts upsetting and unecessary, and I hope that they will not serve to drive away readers and contributors.

Let me summarize where I come from in the crossdressing phenomenon. As most of us, I started early and was roundly punished for it. My mother beat me with a rubber hose, when she found I had filched her bra or stockings. My beloved wife of almost 50 years, barely tolerated my curious compulsions. Guilt ruled my life, and I believed that I was an unique sort of freak. After my wife died (now almost 10 years ago), I decided that there was nothing to feel guilty about, and began to accumulate a wardrobe - strictly a closet CD. Then I met my current SO, and bared my secret to her. She is entirely understanding and supportive. You should see the frilly panties she bought me for Valentines Day ! Finding this forum has been of huge importance to understanding myself. I appreciate the rational editing here, and I don't find the same degree of comfort in other similar forums. Reading of the serious as well as the frivolous problems and opinions reveals as much about myself as about the contributors.

So far, my external expeditions en femme have been confined to visits to the ATM, the gas station, and drives to and from my SO's house (10 minutes of excitement). I am much too old and ugly to pass - perhaps at 100 paces on a dark and stormy night. The challenge is there, however.

Back to this forum. Certainly, within the bounds of good taste, any opinions and ideas should tolerated here. We are all, to some extent, victims of intolerance and bigotry, and we cannot permit ourselves to exhibit the kind of behavior we abhor.

I admire the decision of the administrators of this board to set aside an area for more acrid discussions. But if some of the acerbity spills over into other threads, so be it. One is not obliged to read it or respond to it. We get bombarded with unpleasant advertising and spam, but we shrug it off in the main. Even the Patriot Act has not created a secret police like the infamous GESTAPO.

This forum is an interesting, stimulating, educational, and emotionally satisfying experience. Certainly let's avoid personal criticisms.

Hugs to all,
Willy

[CJ]

Hi all,

Willy,

What else can I say? I concur, I concur. Beautifully put. Thanks.

Love,
CJ

[Kyra]

Ditto

Willy, you should post more!

Hugs,
Kyra

[Virginia]

Thanks for being there Willy!
Well put and with participants like you I think we will soon put this behind us!
Virginia

[Samantha Jane]

Hi Willy,

I whole heartly agree with everything you say.

Over the few days, I have felt somewhat saddened with the atmosphere in some of the threads.

Some people have pointed out in other threads, that these these things go in cycles and soon burn themselves out. That said that I did start to wander a little.

The other sites I visited were good, fun, full of great girls and at my time of visiting, they had a few more people posting.
However, as the saying goes 'it's quality rather than quantity' that I think most people here crave and the site has quality, with support and fun by the bucket load.
I'm like most other people, I will go around other peoples houses to socialise, but it is always lovely to come back home afterwards.

Love Charlotte xx

PS: Still the same Charlotte, only I want to add my middle name Anne

[Paige]

Willy,

From another "mature" CD might I just add to others here that your post was very good. I agree with your outlook. Maybe it has to do with age.

Keep posting, I'm sure you have more to say and we will all be looking forward to your posts.

Paige

[Anita]

Hi Willy--
It's good to hear from you again, especially on such an important topic as this one. I'm glad to hear that your current SO is supportive--I'm ALWAYS glad to hear about that. Fifty years is a long time to live with intolerance, though I'm sure that other things were very worthwhile during that time.

Don't be shy about posting again.
A

[Lydia]

Hi all,

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I don't post often, but I read a lot. Back years ago when I was active on ham radio, I was not a rag chewer, but I sure listened a great deal - and learned from it.

The notion of tolerance and free speech sparked me however. I think that the Internet has been a boon toward free speech, and now especially with the proliferation of blogs. With free speech, there needs to be more attention to the feelings of the readers, and tolerance toward the views of others. In other words, there is a responsibility that goes with the privilege.

This forum is a fine example of good balance, good sense, and general intelligence.

When the spur of the moment stabs me in the rght place, I'll be back.

Hugs to all,
Willy