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by Anonymous User on Sunday September 09, @03:05PM EST (#1)
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It's all well and good to say that dress codes shouldn't discriminate according to gender, but does that mean little boys should be allowed to wear dresses, and little girls suits and ties? This is actually an issue near and dear to transgender activists, as some of these crossdressing kids are actually MtF/FtM transsexuals. Transsexuals generally know they're of the wrong gender when they're very young.
But, let's make it easy and say that a particular kid isn't a transsexual, he or she just wants to crossdress to satisfy a fetish or simply to disrupt the learning environment. One of my ex-boyfriends is a crossdresser. This is different from a transsexual in that a transsexual feels that they are of the wrong gender. My ex is secure in his maleness, and he has no desire to take hormones or undergo sexual reassignment surgery, but he has a very deep fetish about dressing up and presenting as female. He says he has a feminine side that must be expressed. I think he's right; his attempts to supress this have lead him to nothing but pain and alcohol and drug abuse.
BUT...He doesn't dare go to work en femme, as he knows that would be disruptive and inappropriate (as well as dangerous to him personally--transgendereds have a murder rate 16 times higher than we "genetic" men and women). He dresses outside of work, both at home and when he goes to transgender-friendly clubs and other places. Should he be allowed to go to work en femme--and by this I mean a wig, jewelry, full make-up, breast falsies, the whole nine yards--because to not allow him to engage in his fetish on company time would be "discriminatory"?
Granted, crossdressing females are far more accepted than crossdressing males. In fact, female-to-male transsexuals (FtMs) often call themselves "the hidden transsexuals." Not only do they often "pass" better than the MtFs, but society is not as harsh on a woman in a suit as they are on a man in a dress.
I'm *very* pro-transgender rights, but even among transgendereds themselves, there is debate in this area. Where does the right of an individual stop, and the right of a workplace or a school to ban what they deem disruptive behavior begin?
It's interesting to see this posted here, for a primarily heterosexual and non-transgendered male audience. This is the kind of article I usually see posted on TG rights sites.
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When I posted this article, I wasn't considering a TG audience, but I can see why this is a great topic for that audience.
Personally, I believe work environments and learning environments *should* have dress codes, codes that maintain the environment the company wants to establish. HOWEVER, I believe whatever codes adopted by those establishments should apply equally to both sexes.
We can take any equality to an extreme, but in this case, I see the point of the Texas mom.
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by Anonymous User on Sunday September 09, @03:45PM EST (#3)
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This reminds me of when, while in traffic court, a bailiff in LA said: "If you are male, please remove your hats." I then borrowed another guy's cap and put it on. The bailiff was angry as hell, but I refused to remove it, "unless it applies to everyone." The judge later put my case last and refused to hear it unless I removed my hat. I repeated my position and didn't take it off. He refused my case and I later filed complaints with the Commission on Judicial Performance. The judge then lied by telling them he was regulating hats based on the size of the hat and not gender. I also learned that now they are telling both sexes to remove their hats. I'm still pursuing the complaint, but it's pretty clear they're not going to do anything.
Marc Angelucci
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It's interesting to see this posted here, for a primarily heterosexual and non-transgendered male audience. This is the kind of article I usually see posted on TG rights sites.
Btw, Anon., no offense, but I don't think our audience here is intended to be primarily heterosexual and non-transgendered. This forum is intended for anyone interested in men's rights and issues, including heterosexual, homosexual, transgender, cross-dressers, women, or whomever.
Am I right on that, Scott? That's what I gather from our Philosophy page. The site is for anyone, but it focuses on rights and issues which directly affect men of all types, which is why you see fewer postings here directly about gay rights or race issues. We do post news about those issues from time to time, though, when they are of particular interest to the men's movement at large.
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Marc, that's GREAT!!! :) God bless the guys who stand up for men impromptu like that. :)
What would you have done if the judge had attempted to hold you in contempt?
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Yes, Nightmist - we aim to be inclusive of anyone who is supportive of men's rights, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion....etc.
I've received supportive e-mails from gay men about the site, so I know they're reading it. I've never heard from any transgendered people, though.
Scott
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by Anonymous User on Sunday September 09, @07:26PM EST (#7)
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I know. =) I was really basing my comment on observations I've garnered from reading the posts, most of which appear to be written by straight, genetic guys. Of course, these are just the people who post messages. I'm sure there are lots of folks who read the articles but never post. Not everyone likes using message boards.
BTW, this is a very interesting topic, very pertinent in an era where traditional gender roles and definitions are continuously being redefined.
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