Tollefson, Thomas J. papers, 1926-1995

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Summary

Title:
Thomas J. Tollefson papers
Dates:
1926-1995
Creators:
Tollefson, Thomas J., 1930-2019
Abstract:
This collection consists of materials relating to gender and sex, with a particular focus on transgender and transsexual experiences, located mainly in California and entirely in The United States. Featured publications include Transvestia, Skirted Men, Female Mimics, and Tapestry and newsletters include "The Transsexual Voice" and "Femme Forum".
Extent:
1 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[item description], Thomas J. Tollefson papers (0250-L2017.19). Lambda Archives of San Diego, San Diego, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of materials relating to gender and sex, with a particular focus on transgender and transsexual experiences, located mainly in California and entirely in The United States. Materials include magazines, newsletters, newspapers, articles, medical publications, financial reports, a bound thesis, a nonfiction book, a physical sash, and a separate collection of books. Dates of materials range from 1926 to 1995. Featured publications include Transvestia, Skirted Men, Female Mimics, and Tapestry. Newsletters include "The Transsexual Voice" and "Femme Forum". Featured organizations include Phi Pi Epsilon, Foundation for Personal Expression, and the associated publishing company Chevalier Publications. Nonfiction publications include the Buckner Thesis and the book Strange Loves.

Biographical / historical:

Thomas J. Tollefson (1930-2019) was a local San Diegan antiquarian bookseller who collected a range of materials relating to gender and sex. Tollefson was also a veteran of the U.S. Army.

This collection contains a large number of materials related to organizations and publications that Dr. Virginia Prince either founded or was involved with. Dr. Virginia Prince was born in 1912 in Los Angeles and began crossdressing at the age of twelve. Prince attended Pomona College and earned a PhD in pharmacology from the University of San Francisco in 1939, prior to transitioning. In 1960, Prince published the first issue of Transvestia through Los Angeles based Chevalier Publishing. In 1961, Prince founded the first known crossdressing organization titled Hose & Heels Club. Later, she created the organization Foundation for Personal Expression and the sorority Phi Pi Epsilon. Dr. Virginia Prince passed away in her Los Angeles home in 2009.

The collection includes 41 issues of Transvestia. The publication was founded and edited by Prince in 1960 and continued until 1986, producing six issues per year. Dr. Virginia Prince remained Editor until 1980 and then sold Transvestia to Carol Beecroft. Transvestia is referenced by The University of Virginia as "the first widely distributed magazine focused on the crossdressing community". It was originally founded with a sole focus on the crossdressing community but later expanded its scope to include the wider trans community.

Additionally, Virginia Prince founded the crossdressing sorority Phi Pi Epsilon which was associated with her organization Foundation for Personal Expression. Foundation for Personal Expression was created with the goal of publishing medical research regarding crossdressing and transvestite experiences. Both Phi Pi Epsilon and Foundation for Personal Expression are referred to with the acronym "FPE", relevant to the acronym "FP" which she used to stand for the terms "Femmiphile" and "FemmePersonator".

In Transvestia's Vol 17, No. 100, published in 1979, Dr. Virginia Prince describes how she coined the acronym "TV" in the 1950s as a shorthand for transvestite. When she noticed that the term was becoming popular in pornographic magazines, she stated that she decided to create a new term, "Femmiphile", which she defined as a "lover of the feminine". Prince began using the term "FP", which later inspired the acronym "FPE", used for both Phi Pi Epsilon and Foundation for Personal Expression. This is related to another term she coined, "FemmePersonator", which she created to "give life to the feminine self".

A scanned archive of the complete collection of Transvestia's 111 issues, spanning from 1960-1988, are available through University of Victoria. These PDFs are all text searchable. Transvestia Volume 17, Number 100, published in 1979 and titled "The Life and Times of Virginia" contains an extensive autobiography on Dr. Virginia Prince's life and work.

Full searchable issues of Transvestia: https://vault.library.uvic.ca/collections/6576cedf-1282-4089-8351-08f73f4199b4?locale=en

Sources: Prince, Victoria. Transvestia. 100th ed. Vol. 17. Los Angeles, California: Chevalier Publishing, 1979.

"Virginia Prince & Transvestia." University of Victoria. Accessed April 30, 2025. https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/collections/virgina-prince/index.php.

Acquisition information:
Thomas J. Tollefson, 2017.
Arrangement:

This collection consists of 1 box with 12 folders and no series.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Charlie Spadone
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-12-10 19:33:24 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright was transferred to Lambda Archives of San Diego, but copyright restrictions may apply for some materials. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Responsibility for obtaining permissions for any use and distribution of these materials rests exclusively with the user and not Lambda Archives of San Diego. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from Lambda Archives of San Diego as owners of the physical property.

Preferred citation:

[item description], Thomas J. Tollefson papers (0250-L2017.19). Lambda Archives of San Diego, San Diego, Calif.

Location of this collection:
4545 Park Blvd, Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92116, US
Contact:
(619) 260-1522
info@lambdaarchives.org
Website