Providentia

The Abe Sada Incident (Part Two)

Continued from Part One

During the eight-session interrogation of Sada Abe, police found her strangely compelling as she talked about killing Kichizo Ishida. Sada was emphatic in saying that "I loved him so much, I wanted him all to myself. But since we were not husband and wife, as long as he lived he could be embraced by other women. I knew that if I killed him no other woman could ever touch him again, so I killed him.....". Asked why cut off his genitals, she replied ""Because I couldn't take his head or body with me. I wanted to take the part of him that brought back to me the most vivid memories." The public was fascinated with the case. While murders due to jealousy were hardly uncommon, the strange story of the geisha-turned-harlot who killed out of love mesmerized Japanese society (and you thought the Lorena Bobbitt case was memorable).

Sada Abe's trial began on November 25th, 1936 and crowds gathered for hours before the courthouse even opened to catch a glimpse of her (she wore a bizarre conical hat when entering and leaving the courtroom to hide her face). Eager reporters relayed as much of her sensational testimony as government censors allowed (even one of the three judges who tried her case later admitted to being sexually aroused by the explicit details). Considering the conservative nature of Japanese society at the time, Sada's testimony (which became a bestseller afterward) was explosive. One leading newspaper described the fascination with the case as "Sada mania" and many of the young women who watched the case were called "Sada fans".

The media furour didn't focus on Sada alone. Goro Omiya had been investigated by the police for his possible involvement in the murder but was finally released. He resigned from his political and academic posts and disappeared from public view. Kichizo Ishida's wife was devastated by her husband's death (although she could hardly have been unaware of his womanizing) but managed to keep the restaurant going. Ironically, the Yoshidaya restaurant flourished thanks to the publicity of the case. Even the inn where the murder had taken place attracted eager customers (many couples specifically asked for the room where Ishida had died).

Any hope for a lengthy trial was squashed when Sada Abe simply pled guilty to the charges against her. Despite her plea, numerous witnesses were called (including Sada's sister) and Ishida's severed genitals were presented as evidence. There was no question of the verdict, only the sentence that she would receive. Sada had been hoping for the death penalty so that she could join Ishida while the prosecution asked for a ten-year sentence. The six-year sentence that she received came as a surprise to everyone in the courtroom. In handing down the sentence, the judge explained his decision by stressing the role that Ishida had played in the events leading up to his death. He also discussed Sada's mental state at the time (despite Sada's objections, her lawyer insisted that she had been insane at the time of the murder). The judge concluded that the sentence would be enough time for Sada to rehabilitate herself in prison and start a new life upon release. Since she never committed another crime, he was probably right.

Sada's time in prison would represent the most stable period in her life. She would later describe the prison staff as "loving and caring people" and actually felt herself part of a community. Despite setbacks (especially on the first anniversary of Ishida's death), she was able to function and even studied Buddhist philosophy while in prison. Due to her being a model prisoner, her sentence was later commuted and she was released on November 10, 1940. Unfortunately, her notoriety kept her in the public eye for the rest of her life.

Even living under an alias, Sada found that public fascination with her case made starting a new life impossible. Since she left prison without any real income, she lived with her sister and brother-in-law for a time but wartime rationing forced her to support herself. Under the name "Yoshii Masako" she went to work as a maid but was fired when her employers learned her true identity. A "serious man" then asked her to become his mistress and she reluctantly accepted. This relationship ended after several years when his family learned who she really was.

Although Sada realized that her name had become "poisonous" and was distressed that the public thought of her as a "sex pervert", this would change over time as postwar attitudes concerning sexuality became more liberalized. Still, there were few occupations that were open to her as a notorious woman living alone and the stigma of her past continued to haunt her. She sued the author of a scandalous book based on supposed interviews with her (this was settled out of court) and even published her own autobiography in 1948. After years of living in semi-anonymity and working in pubs and restaurants, Sada finally managed to drop out of sight. Last seen in 1970, nothing else is known about her life. Occasional later rumours of her committing suicide or entering a convent sprang up but nothing was ever confirmed and there is no known death date.

Despite her disappearance, the fascination with Sada's case ever really ended. Her life has been the subject of non-fiction books, novels, psychoanalytic essays, and movies. The 1976 erotic classic, The Realm of the Senses is probably the best-known of the three films made about Sada's life. The film's explicit sex scenes (and its gruesome ending) caused it to be banned or censored in countries around the world but it introduced viewers to a bizarre case that is still largely unknown outside of Japan. Whether Sada Abe is a feminist icon or a notorious murderer (and she has been described as both), her case represents an important test of the changing sexual mores of Japanese culture. Whatever her final fate, Sada Abe will be remembered.

The Abe Sada Incident (Part One)

On May 18, 1936, Sada Abe strangled her lover, Kichizo Ishida, to death. After laying with the body for several hours, she took a kitchen knife and severed his genitals. Wrapping them in a magazine cover, she used his blood to write Sada, Kichi Futari-kiri ("Sada, Kichi together") on his left thigh and on a bed sheet. She then carved her name on his left arm, got dressed, and walked out of the room in the Tokyo inn where they had been staying. Sada instructed the staff not to disturb Ishida and left the inn. Shortly afterward, she went to see a politically prominent former lover, Goro Amiya, and apologized to him repeatedly. He had no idea what she was talking about but she was well aware that this career was about to be ruined by the adverse publicity due to her involvement with him. She was right.

Born to a well-off Tokyo family in 1905, Sada Abe (or Abe Sada depending on the naming tradition used) was doted on by her mother who encouraged her to be free-spirited and independent. At the age of fifteen, she was raped by an acquaintance. While her parents supported her through the investigation that followed, Sada was never the same afterward.

As she became more uncontrollable, her father sold her to a geisha house in Yokohama although family members would later disagree as to why. While Sada maintained that she was being punished for her promiscuous behaviour, her sister would state that she had been perfectly willing. Becoming an accomplished geisha was a mark of distinction for Japanese women of the time and Sada had often expressed her wish to pursue this lifestyle.

Whatever ideas Sada about the glamorous life of a geisha, the reality was very different. After contracting syphilis from a client, she turned to prostitution and began working in Osaka's brothel district. Working as a licensed prostitute posed more problems than she was prepared to deal with and she eventually drifted towards unlicensed prostitution (with all the usual dangers). After both her parents died, she became even more unrestrained. A raid on the brothel where she was working in 1934 led to her becoming the mistress of a well-connected friend of the brothel owner. A string of other lovers followed as she tried to get out of prostitution entirely. In 1936, Sada became an apprentice in a restaurant in an attempt at starting a new life. This was how she met Kichizo Ishida.

Despite being the owner of the Yoshidaya restaurant where Sada worked, it was really his wife who ran the business. The 42-year old Ishida was a frequent womanizer who was bored with his marriage and it didn't take long from him to notice his free-spirited apprentice. Sada in turn, despite already being involved with Omiya at the time, didn't hesitate when the handsome Ishida approached her (she would later say that "I never met such a sexy man"). Their lovemaking bouts were legendary and often lasted for days. Whatever Ishida's plans, Sada found herself falling in love with him (possibly for the first time in her life). Just being his mistress wasn't enough for her, she wanted to be his wife and the idea of sharing him another woman infuriated her.

Sada grew more despondent as Ishida drew away from her and she began drinking heavily. Inspired by a play that she had seen featuring a geisha threatening a lover with a knife, Sada bought a large kitchen knife and threatened Ishida with it at their next meeting. Ishida was amused by her threats and took her off to an inn in the Ogu red light district for their next lovemaking marathon. What happened next is mainly based on Sada's testimony. After two days of lovemaking, she took the obi off her kimono and began strangling him. He found the erotic asphyxia enjoyable and told he to do it while he was sleeping. On the morning of May 18th, she strangled him to death (whether intentionally or not is open to debate) and would later say that she felt a "sense of clarity" on realizing that he was dead. After cutting off her lover's genitals, she put on his underwear and left the inn at 8:00 am. The mutilated body was found by a maid some time later and the hunt for Sada Abe began.

There was a nationwide panic over the lurid media accounts describing the deranged Sada being at large. Reported sightings came in from all over Japan. Goro Omiya got swept up in the media frenzy and his involvement with Sada thoroughly destroyed his political career. As for Sada herself, she stayed at a nearby inn and reportedly made plans to commit suicide. Acting on a tip, police tracked her down to her hotel room on May 20 and she gave up immediately. Ishida's severed genitals, still wrapped in the magazine cover, were found in her handbag.

News of Sada's capture was reported nationwide and even announced in Japan's National Diet. Given the political upheavals of the time, the bizarre sex scandal made for a welcome diversion and the public ate up every detail of the testimony that she provided during her interrogation.

And the media frenzy was only just beginning...

Continue to Part Two.

Investigation Underway in Ohio Necrophilia Case

A former employee of the Hamilton County Coroner's Office in Cincinnati, Ohio has been indicted for allegedly abusing the corpse of a 1982 murder victim. Prosecutor Joe Deters says 54 year-old Kenneth Douglas was charged after his DNA matched semen taken from a victim's body. He had worked at the coroner's office from 1976 to 1992. Douglas remains jailed under a $700,000 cash bond on one charge of gross abuse of a corpse. He's alleged to have sexually abused the body of murder victim 19-year old Karen Range while he worked as an a morgue attendant. Both Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters and Hamilton County Coroner Dr. O'dell Owens say they have no explanation why anyone would commit such a crime.

The charge emerged following an analysis of semen taken from Range's body at the insistence of the attorneys of the man convicted of her murder. David Steffen was convicted in 1983 and is currently on Ohio's death row. Physical evidence had never been able to determine who had sexually assaulted her and had ruled out Steffen and Range's fiance. Steffen's attorneys had been arguing that he deserved a new trial because of the mystery surrounding the fluid.

Prosecutors now believe that Douglas had assaulted the corpse in the morgue before an autopsy could be held. Douglas' DNA was entered into a nationwide database on March 17, 2008 after being convicted of a drug trafficking offense. Prosecutors and the Coroner's office plan to review cases that Douglas handled to see if there are any others similar to the Range case. After leaving the Coroner's office in 1992, he later worked at a Cincinnati funeral home. The Coroner has been besieged by calls from concerned family members who have threatened litigation.

While Douglas is suspected of necrophilia, a formal psychiatric diagnosis has not been made. He faces twelve months in prison if convicted.

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Are You A Good Wife?

The online version of the American Psychological Association's Monitor presents an interesting look back at a rating scale developed in the 1930s by George W. Crane of Northwestern University. The Marital Rating Scale-Wife's Chart has a straightforward enough purpose: rating wives in terms of their positive and negative characteristics. The test could be completed by either the husband or wife and measured wives in terms of merits or demerits.

Items for which wives could receive demerits included: slow in coming to bed, doesn't like children, wears red nail polish, uses profanity, going to bed with curlers in hair or too much face cream.  Merits for wives included: has meals on time, can play a musical instrument, dresses for breakfast, and neat housekeeper. Adding up the merits and demerits on the test yielded a score that ranged from "very poor" to "very superior".

Crane, who also had his own counseling practice as well as a nationally syndicated newspaper column, developed the test by interviewing 600 husbands to determine the most important positive and negative traits in wives.  No wives were interviewed and it doesn't seem to have occurred to Crane to develop an equivalent test for husbands (the man had his priorities). 

In addition to his syndicated articles on marriage (which were very well received at the time), George Crane also launched the Scientific Marriage Foundation in 1957. As one of the first computer dating services, he was definitely at the forefront for his time although changing attitudes seem to have left him behind otherwise.

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Stories I've Been Following

Just catching up a bit.  I'm still in Italy enjoying la dolce vita. Things should be back to normal by next week.

Just some stories I've been following:

Letter Causes Woman to Kill Herself

A Worcestshire woman with a history of depression drowned herself after receiving a letter from a mental health institute telling her to go for a psychiatric assessment. She had apparently been afraid that she would be held involuntarily due to her suicide history.

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Convicted Pedophile Could Seek Chemical Castration

One of my pet peeves.  The term "chemical castration" is misleading since it involves using chemical to suppress serum testosterone levels in the offender's system. It is not analogous to physical castration (also known as a bilateral orchidectomy) which is irreversible.Chemical suppression is only effective while the offender remains on the medication. It is a controversial practice in many countries (more on that later).

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After Escape, Oregon Closes Psychiatric Facility

The state has closed a Washington County center for mentally ill patients after one resident alone in the backyard for a nighttime smoke climbed a chair, cleared a fence and fled.
Alex Volobuev, 53, told police he didn’t want to go back to the Connell House in Cornelius last week because “the staff is crazier than the residents.”

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Pleasing Yourself

I remember a few years back attending a meeting and hearing sex therapist and media figure, Sue Johanson give a talk on sexuality. At one point, she had us in stitches by saying, “Surveys show that 97% of men reported that they have masturbated at some time in their life and the other three per cent are LIARS” (O.K., not an original joke but her delivery was superb). On the list of topics that are guaranteed to make an audience squirm, masturbation must be close to the top. The very word makes people uncomfortable and has led to a long list of often-bizarre euphemisms ranging from “abusing the usual suspect“to “zipper surfing” (I’ve always been partial to “choking the chicken” myself).

The history of masturbation is long and colourful with artistic portrayals dating back to Ancient Egypt and Sumeria. I won't even try to get into the different religious views on masturbation over time (along with homosexuality, contraception, adultery and other forms of non-procreative sex, masturbation was routinely denounced as a mortal sin), although Judeo-Christian teachings have strongly influenced philosophical and medical opinions on the subject.

The earliest medical treatises on masturbation referred to it as "onanism" after the Biblical story of Onan who incurred God's wrath by "spilling his seed". The fact that the practice described in Genesis was closer to coitus interruptus than masturbation failed to prevent the term's widespread use (then again, the people of Sodom probably didn't actually practice sodomy either).

It was in 1716 when a pamphlet titled Onania was anonymously published in England. Denouncing the heinous sin of "self-pollution", the pamphlet provided a long list of medical complaints that would afflict abusers including epilepsy, venereal disease, and impotence. Swiss physician Samuel-August Tissot followed up with his own work, L' Onanisme, in 1760 in which he maintained that abnormal loss of semen would lead to a host of problems such as rheumatism, nervous disorders, headaches, and blurred vision (yes, this is where "Stop it or you'll go blind" originated).

Despite the absence of anything resembling empirical evidence, Tissot's pronouncements were echoed by numerous other medical authorities and the perception of masturbation as a debilitating illness continued well into the twentieth century. Philosophers,theologians, social thinkers and physicians alike weighed in on the evils of "self-abuse" and an estimated 60 per cent of all illnesses were linked to masturbation.

Various remedies were proposed including mechanical restraints (chastity belts), physical discipline, and circumcision. Between 1856 and 1932 alone, the U.S. Patent Office gave out 33 patents for "anti-masturbation devices". Some of the more incredible inventions included a "spermatorrhea bandage" to restrain the penis at night and avoid erections, spike-lined penis rings, and "the Cage", a metal cage to be placed around a boy's genitala.

While Havelock Ellis and other early researchers into sexology attempted to reverse the negative stigma associated with masturbation, the entrenched attitudes persisted. A popular text on sexology by William Walling published in 1904 railed against masturbation as a "shameful and criminal act" that was "the most frequent, as well as the most fatal, of all vices". Second only to "libertinism" (whatever that is), "it is from the age of fourteen to twenty that its ravages are most frequent and most deplorable."

Signs identifying the frequent masturbator include: "downcast, averted glance, and the disposition to solitude. Prominent characteristics are loss of memory, aversion, indifference to legitimate pleasure and sports, mental abstractions, and morose disposition". The consequences of persistent masturbation are given to be severe. "Those who persist will surely die the most horrible of all deaths." He also describes "youths who stood high in their classes who suddenly, without obvious cause, became stupid as dunces, or losing their vivacity, seemed to fail rapidly in intelligence and to disappoint the high hopes which had been entertained of them" due to masturbation.

If anything, Walling was even more negative regarding female masturbation (after first reassuring his readers that such a thing did indeed exist).  Signs of such "degradation" occurring include: madness or melancholy, solitude or indifference, an aversion to legitimate pleasures, vaginal inflammation, and "nymphomania". Parents and health professionals were warned to stay vigilant and to instruct girls in the destructive nature of masturbation and its "horrible consequences".

Later sexologists including Alfred Kinsey,William Masters and Virginia Johnson have managed to remove much of the medical stigma surrounding masturbation but the taboo remains. It was as recently as 1994 when Jocelyn Elders, then Surgeon-General of the United States, was fired from that position for, among other things, daring to suggest that masturbation was a normal aspect of sexuality. Unfortunately, the shame and guilt that many adolescents are made to feel over being caught "playing with themselves" is likely to continue.

The Politics of Gender Identity Disorder

Gender Identity Disorder (GID) is a clinical term referring to a persistent inability to accept one's own gender. Diagnostic criteria include: a persistent and strong cross-gender identification as well as a strong persistent discomfort about ones's assigned sex (gender dysphoria). While primarily diagnosed in children, cases of GID have also been identified in adolescents and adults. Intended as a diagnostic category to address problems experienced by transsexuals and transgendered patients, GID was first included  in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1980.

There is an active controversy concerning use of the GID diagnosis and many activists argue for its removal from the DSM. They maintain that the existence of the diagnosis stigmatizes transgendered people (and, by association, all sexual minorities) by identifying GID as a mental illness. Other transgender activists acknowledge the value of the GID diagnosis for patients seeking sexual reassignment surgery.  Treatment of GID patients has given rise to recommended standards of care although a formal consensus among health professionals has yet to be established.

As part of the ongoing process designed to release the revised version of the DSM in 2012, the American Psychiatric Association announced on May 1 that Dr. Ken Zucker of Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) would be the chair for the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders workgroup. Despite his prominence in gender identity research, Dr. Zucker's appointment has met with opposition due to his advocacy of reparative therapy approaches for treating GID in children. Lesbian and gay activists have also voiced concern over articles that he has written which apparently link GID to homosexuality although this interpretation of his work remains controversial.

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The Castrato

There are different traditions concerning why Giovanni Velluti was castrated as a young boy. Born in Montolmo, Italy in 1780, his father had planned a military career for him but this plan changed abruptly when Giovanni developed a high fever. According to the most common legend, his parents had taken him to a local surgeon for treatment and the surgeon, mistaking the parents` intentions, castrated Giovanni instead. That marked the end of any military career for the boy and he was sent to be trained as a singer.

Castration in boys between the ages of seven and twelve prevents the larynx from undergoing the normal physiological changes associated with puberty and enables boy sopranos to keep their large vocal range throughout their lives. While some testosterone continues to be produced by the adrenal glands, the reduced sex hormone levels in their bodies results in other physical changes including lack of facial hair, physical tallness, smooth skin, rounding of the hips and a high speaking voice. The very term "castrato" or "eunuch" was often considered offensive and words such as "musico" or "virtuoso" were preferred (political correctness has a long history).

While castrati have been around since ancient times, the use of castrated boys as Church singers was first introduced in 16th century Spain. Women were not allowed to sing in choirs (due to one of St. Paul's teachings requiring women to be silent in church) and castrati seemed ideal for falsetto roles. The angelic quality of their voices caused this innovation to spread across many European countries but it was in Italy where the tradition of the castrato singer took root. By all accounts, the purity of their voices combined the awesome vocal quality of boy sopranos with the lung capacity of adult men. The spread of opera across the continent made castrati widely sought after as singers and they often became the superstars of their day.

Despite the fact that castrations for non-medical purposes had become illegal by Giovanni`s time, there were still doctors (and even barbers) across Italy who practiced the operation discreetly. The castrations would then be explained away as being due to congenital problems or "accidents". While the primitive nature of the surgery meant that many boys died of blood loss or infection, most survived to continue their musical careers. It may never be known many boys were castrated over the years but some estimates suggest that there were thousands.

The competition among castrati was fierce and only the greatest singers were allowed to become opera stars. For the rest, there were the church choirs and the modest living that these positions provided. Many poor Italian families found that having one son castrated meant an opportunity for the entire family to have a better life as a result. Church doctrine banned castrati from marrying or taking holy orders and their lives tended to be focused exclusively on their music and providing for their families.

Giovanni Velluti is widely considered to be the last great castrato opera singer. While the popularity of castrati as singers and the sponsorship of the Catholic church ensured a steady market for centuries, this era came to an end during Velluti's lifetime. He mesmerized audiences across Europe and many operatic roles were written just for him. Although he was a prima donna by nature with singers and music directors often finding it impossible to work with him, Velluti was in a position to demand (and get) special treatment. He made his London debut in 1825 despite growing English opposition to castrato singers. As the first castrato to sing opera in England in twenty-five years, he certainly had his share of fans and critics. Velluti even became music director for a season but financial problems and poor reviews caused him to leave England. By 1830, he had retired from stage and became a gentleman farmer until his death in 1861.

Aside from his musical career, Velluti became legendary for his flamboyant clothes. feminine good looks, and romantic escapades with numerous women in high society. Contrary to popular belief, castrati are not sexless. If anything, many castrati are said to be able to hold an erection longer than an uncastrated male due to lack of ejaculatory tension. Women often saw Velluti as an ideal lover since there was no pregnancy risk (plus husbands seemed incapable of believing that a castrato could be romancing their wives).

After Velluti's retirement, there were no more roles for castrati in opera and, with a Papal declaration condemning the practice in 1878, few choir roles were available either. Despite official church doctrine, it was only in 1913 when Alessandro Moreschi, the last Vatican castrato, was removed from the Sistine choir. He made two gramophone recordings in 1902 and 1904 which are the only ones of its kind in existence. Even given the poor sound quality, Moreschi's voice evokes an earlier era although he was well past his prime by the time the recordings were made. It was his very public funeral in 1922 that truly marked the end of the castrato age.

While countertenors and falsettos are often used in opera to simulate the castrato effect and androgynous singers continue to have musical careers today, we can only imagine how it must have been during the long period when castrati reigned supreme as singers. It is hard to believe that sexual mutilation of young boys could have been allowed for so long but, like many other examples of similar practices, maybe it just seemed like a good idea at the time.

Keeping Up Appearances

One of the most memorable figures of the eighteenth century must surely be the Chevalier Charles D'Eon(or Chevaliere Charlotte D'Eon as he became more famously known). Born in Tonnerre, France in 1728 to a distinguished family, Charles Geneviève Louis Auguste André Timothée Éon de Beaumont completed his education in 1749 and began a diplomatic career. He also became a spy for King Louis XV and took part in an espionage mission to the Russian court. While dressed as a woman, he became a close associate of the then-Empress. Later, posing as the uncle of the woman he had previously pretended to be, he reportedly convinced the Empress to sign an important treaty with France. After returning from Russia in 1761, he became a military officer and fought in the Seven Years War. When the war ended in 1763, along with a decoration for bravery, he also earned the rank of Chevalier and a position with the French embassy in London. As a favourite of English society, D'Eon was in a good position to remain in England after a quarrel with the new ambassador prevented him from returning to France. He took revenge by writing a best-selling book that scandalized the English and French courts and D'Eon lived in England as an exile for fourteen years. Until the rumours started...

D'Eon's boyish appearance, absence of facial hair, and lack of interest in female companionship led to speculation that he was really a woman. Allegations concering his gender arose in England and in France and became the subject of substantial wagers. It was a trial in 1777 before Lord Mansfield that forced the rumours into the open. The grounds for the trial were straightforward enough: a surgeon named Hayes had made a substantial bet with a broker over whether D'Eon was really a woman. While D'Eon was not directly involved, the humiliation caused by the trial led him to quit England and return to France. King Louis XV had died by this time and his successor, Louis XVI was less kindly disposed towards him. D'Eon was told on arriving in France that the King had issued a decree that he "should resume the dress of his sex"

The Chevalier took the King at his word and, for the rest of his life, dressed and behaved like a proper French lady (in addition to a pension, the King also provided D'Eon with funds for a new wardrobe). He later claimed that he had been born a girl but that his father had raised him as a boy to ensure an inheritance from his in-laws. In 1779, Chevaliere D'Eon (as he was then called), published his (probably ghostwritten) memoirs La Vie Militaire, politique, et privée de Mademoiselle d'Eon. When the American Revolution broke out, D'Eon asked for permission to abandon his female dress and join the military but his offer was rebuffed. D'Eon returned to England in 1785 and stayed in London until his death in 1810. The French Revolution brought an end to the royal pension on which he had been living and he spent the last years of his life supporting himself by participating in fencing demonstrations (until an injury forced an end to his fencing career). His efforts to complete another autobiography never got past the planning stage and he died in poverty. It was only when his body was laid out for burial that (as one contemporary writer described it): "death proved the folly of those who had forced him into petticoats; for his manhood was placed beyond all doubt by an anatomical examination of his body". Even though he had lived with a woman, Mrs. Mary Cole, for the last fifteen years of his life, she had never suspected that he was really a man. He is buried in St. Pancras Cemetery in London where his grave still attracts visitors.

Despite various attempts at attaching a proper diagnostic label to describe the Chevalier's gender-bending life, he continues to defy classification. His case gave rise to an early term for cross-dressing, eonism, although it is has since fallen into disuse. Was D'Eon a transvestite or something more? His absence of facial hair and effeminate features suggest that he may have been a transsexual although there is insufficient information to tell either way. So, much like James Barry with whom he has been often compared, the Chevalier D'Eon remains a mystery long after his death. Perhaps that's the way that he would have wanted it.

Car Fetishist Sentenced

A 45-year old Alberta man was sentenced to time served and two years probation for indecent exposure charges arising from an apparent sexual fetish for classic cars. The defendant (not named in the original news story) pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent exposure for repeatedly climbing on top of classic cars and masturbating in public. On March 22 of this year, he was caught masturbating on top of a $50,000 BMW Sedan at a Home and Garden show at the Northlands Agri Com. He was observed on two other occasions pleasuring himself on other cars in the Edmonton area.

A psychiatric evaluation report submitted at the time of his sentencing indicated that the man was sexually aroused by classic cars and also had a longstanding history of minor mental retardation due to a thyroid condition. While deemed to be a high risk for committing similar sexual offenses in future, he was not considered to pose an active risk to the public at large. In the submitted report, psychiatrist Curtis Woods indicated that the offender "announced that he is specifically sexually attracted to 'the roof top ... it's curved like a woman's body, the sex appeal, it felt good". He also reported a sexual attraction to motorcycles

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