Chance to Dress

MIT professor and geologist Dr. John Southard, the subject of Alice Dungen Bouvrie's non-judgmental documentary, doesn't see cross-dressing as some sort of shameful secret. His wife, Rev. Jean Southard, says he informed her about it early in their marriage, but she already had some idea (although she's a Presbyterian minister, he's an atheist). John's deceased first wife was more tolerant than actually supportive. Despite a relatively stable home life, John recalls that he was a shy and anxious child, but suffered no major trauma. The desire to cross-dress manifested in his teens, but he kept it quiet, especially after his father caught him in the act and expressed disapproval. Since he isn't transgender, he also does not identify as a woman, but he does attend a social group for cross-dressers. Most of the time, John dresses as a man, but when he does wear women's clothing, he refers to himself as Tephra, a geological term involving volcanic ash. To John, it isn't about being different people, but rather different modes of the same person. Jean believes that he appears more relaxed as Tephra. Dr. John Grotzinger, chief scientist of the Curiosity Mars mission—and a friend—counts himself among the few professional colleagues to have met Tephra. Grotzinger describes John as brilliant, noting that he proposed the idea that water once flowed across the surface of Mars, years before scientists were able to prove it. John's comfort in talking about himself, combined with the support of his social circle, could well help other cross-dressers find self-acceptance. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)