In the 1960s, a group of cross-dressing men and transgender women spent weekends at an upstate New York retreat unlike any other. Owned by Susanna Valenti and her wife, Marie, Casa Susanna was a private, modest property where guests could escape the constraints of societal norms and express their gender freely. In an era marked by stigma and persecution, Susanna and Marie's Catskill Mountains sanctuary offered solace, camaraderie and a welcoming space for self-discovery. Valenti advertised the resort in Transvestia, an underground print magazine; Transvestia's subscribers, who referred to themselves as "TV's" (short for transvestites), passed on news of Casa Susanna’s existence through word-of-mouth.

Explore this underground community's secluded getaway through a trove of lost-and-found images  and Valenti’s words, excerpted from her Transvestia column, “Susanna Says.”

Casa Susanna. Hope you like the name of the new place. It shines at night in the bright red letters mnailed on the trunk of a hundred-year old maple tree at the entrance... That sign was the only chance I've ever had to have my name in big letters for everybody to see... A good many TV's have added now a new picture of themselves standing by that old maple tree to their collection. —"Susanna Says," October 1964

The resort itself is secluded, way off the highway. The guests are never introduced to each other by their real names. Each gives a first name (a girl's name of course) and that's all. Discretion is a "must"... But to make things really fool proof, the management of the Resort maintains most cordial and friendly relations with the town's chief of Police. He protects us!! —Susanna Says,"  May 1960

Ever sat at a table in the company of 6 or 10 “girl friends” and let a wave of bubbling fun permeate the entire scene? —"Susanna Says," October 1961

A one-acre lake has been built and it should be a marvellous place for fun, with boating and swimming, "a la femme" of course. The only trouble is that there's a drought and the spring that feeds the lake resembles now a TV about to step outdoors for the first time... it barely flows, and the lake is only half full. —"Susanna Says," August 1965

We have some swings, originally placed there for children. A few weeks ago, Dorothea from Chicago, who was our guest, discovered with Susanna that it was marvelous fun to sit on those swings and “catch up’"so to speak with that part of our girlhood which had been denied to us. —"Susanna Says," October 1961

There’s absolutely nothing as heavenly as a sleeveless summer frock. Last summer, I spent an entire month at Casa Susanna in the mountains and I learned to appreciate flats and no stockings when running around the property. —"Susanna Says," April 1965

So, when a TV dresses and goes to a TV party, or knows that he will be watched by the public in the street, or that he will be watched by TV wives, he most certainly has to contend with an audience. Shouldn’t he do as much as the female impersonator on the stage, namely, to look his very, very best? —"Susanna Says," April 1967

I feel that a full-time transvestite has simply reversed his original situation: and now he lives as a woman with a “boy-within." The difference between the original “girl-within” and the present “boy-within” is that she was hungry for experience, for freedom, for a chance to be. The present boy-within has no such hunger. He has lived, and fully. He well knows the meaning of freedom and responsibility. Now he simply takes a back seat… and with a wise smile on his face, he lets her do the driving… and as a good backseat driver should, he keeps his mouth shut. —"Susanna Says," 1970

To take TV pictures it isn't always necessary to stand in front of the camera making believe we are some sort of Rita Hayworth or Elizabeth Taylor... we decided to register on film the healthy expression of fun and joy that pervades a TV gathering… candid camera style... unposed and unexpected...these show the TV as she really looks to others. —"Susanna Says," December 1965

Have you ever curled up with a book and spent hours absorbed in it with only a faint consciousness of your "self"? You put the book down and march to the kitchen for a cup of coffee…the click click of your high heels on the floor does not seem at all strange or out of place… it feels natural… as it should be. You are a female, not a man in dresses, and that's that. —"Susanna Says," March 1961

We were desperately trying to find ourselves, to see if we could fit somehow, comfortably, in the midst of our society, and we shuddered to think that it might be an impossible task. We seem to have moved forward to a certain extent. A good number of people, many more than there were one hundred issues ago, know about us. —"Susanna Says," 1979

We would like to thank the Art Gallery of Ontario for providing access to its extraordinary collection of images from Casa Susanna. To explore, visit the AGO's collection.