Baron becomes a countess after German court ruling
Baron wears women’s clothes
The Lancashire Daily Post Friday August 30, 1912
The Lancashire Daily Post Friday August 30, 1912
From his earliest childhood Baron von Zobelitz, a member of an ancient but very poor German family, showed a pronounced inclination to don girls’ clothes and to play with dolls and ply his needle. These eccentricities gave him much trouble, for his father was a violent man and the son was obliged to put up with much harsh treatment and severe whippings at frequent intervals. As soon as he could claim a will of his own he flatly refused to wear male clothing and began to make women’s clothes for himself, since his furious parents refused to buy him any. Now, by a decision of a Berlin court he can now call himself Countess Geraldine von Zobelistz and is entitled to dress as such. He no longer makes clothes just for himself and is now a ladies’ tailor.
The case has attracted considerable attention but German expert Dr Magnus Herschfeld said: “This is something that has been and is common in all ages and all countries. It is an instinctive desire to dress in the clothes of the opposite Sex.”
