Crossdressing in the workplace...

[maverick]

I was reading a human resources article dealing with workplace transvestites this morning, and it seems like the overwhelming majority of issues that have to deal with crossdressing are targeted at men that dress like women.

Personally, I think that's a really sexist position, considering I've been presenting male at my office for almost half a year now, and I've never even had my gender identity called into question. Granted, I'm sure there is a lot of behind-hand speculation about my sexuality, but nobody has ever tapped me for "inappropriate dress". I know part of it is that the wardrobes of women have been pretty gender-neutralized over the last twenty years, but that's certainly not the case in my office. Women wear blouses and skirts, and men wear button-down shirts and jeans/slacks. I am the only "woman" there who dresses overtly like a young man. And still, no one has ever mentioned it to me. It's puzzling.

It really bothers me that if I was a man who wanted to dress like a woman, I would probably be summarily fired if I was ever bold enough to try it, but because I'm a biological female who dresses like a man, nobody even blinks and I actually get treated with more respect than when I was presenting as a female.

Patriachal society say what?

[TheJoker]

Bisexual girls are seen as fantasy material while bisexual boys are not cool.Gay males are seen as weak,failure..Lesbians not so much.Most of the parents would be more okay to have lesbian daughter instead of homosexual son.

World's hatred of gays usually depends on hatred of homosexuals.Because we are living in a world ruled by straight males. And they fear from gay men.

[Allecto]

In our society, femininity is seen as a bad thing. It really sucks.

[Zontar]

There is still an aura of "perversion" circling cross-dressing, which is why environments like the workplace or the church may be viewed as "inappropriate." That all depends on how you define cross-dressing though...if you're transgender, dressing "appropriately" is the real cross-dressing as far as I'm concerned.

[TheJoker]

[British Lad]

Society is creupt and bigoted, and all run by Straight Males and as far as I am concerned until we have a gay rule PM (Male or female I am not being sexist, but female is more likely) we will never have full equality

[Daniel]

TANGENT ALERT

My mother is currently doing her internship to be a principal. A boy was written up for inappropriate dress. He was wearing a skirt.

This issue was not the skirt. The issue was the LENGTH of the skirt. By school regulations, shorts and skirts must go past the fingertips. His fell very short of that. His parents then came in and bitched at my mother for being a bigot. She then showed them a picture of me in drag. She obviously has no issue. She just refuses to be lenient on any rule for any excuse.

She then told the parents to buy the kid leggings and there wouldn't be an issue.

Win? Yes.

[Miss Bubbles]

Well im sorry if i upset anyone but i plan on dressing in drag when i work in an office but i really want to do it for school but im not brave ebough

[Ianthe]

Originally Posted by 50ftQueenie

In our society, femininity is seen as a bad thing. It really sucks.

^^This, really.

I always say, if men and women were truly considered equal, it would be just as acceptable for men to adopt feminine roles and behaviors as it is for women to adopt masculine ones.

But it isn't. Men are punished much more severely for gender nonconformity. It's because it elevates the role with less status--to "choose" the feminine over the masculine elevates the feminine. This is a bigger threat to the status quo than the reverse, because "choosing" the masculine over the feminine supports the premise that the masculine is superior.

Dress codes should be the same for everybody. Otherwise, it's discriminatory. If you let anyone wear skirts to work, you should let everyone who wants to.

I'm really curious about the content of the HR article. What does it say, exactly? And how do they really define male and female attire, anyway? Who gets to decide?

[Revan]

Originally Posted by Daniel

TANGENT ALERT

My mother is currently doing her internship to be a principal. A boy was written up for inappropriate dress. He was wearing a skirt.

This issue was not the skirt. The issue was the LENGTH of the skirt. By school regulations, shorts and skirts must go past the fingertips. His fell very short of that. His parents then came in and bitched at my mother for being a bigot. She then showed them a picture of me in drag. She obviously has no issue. She just refuses to be lenient on any rule for any excuse.

She then told the parents to buy the kid leggings and there wouldn't be an issue.

Win? Yes.

Definite win.

[maverick]

Human Rights Campaign Workplace Gender Transition Guidelines

HR Community Forums - Cross dressing?

Workplace Guidelines for Transgendered Persons - TNET

Guyana - What People Say About Crossdressing Being A Criminal Offense

^ These are three of the things I was looking at, I know there was one or two other sites but I didn't bookmark them. I was actually checking to see if it was illegal in my state to discriminate based on cross-dressing. (It isn't. Wise man says duh.)

I'm really curious about the content of the HR article. What does it say, exactly? And how do they really define male and female attire, anyway? Who gets to decide?

I think the biggest issue that I've come across is men wearing high heels and skirts/dresses. Other than that, it seems like HR tries to avoid accusing employees of cross-dressing at all.

Like, with the outfit I'm wearing to work today, it'd be hard for them to accuse me of dressing like a boy, even though I'm wearing a crewneck sweater, men's jeans, and a ball cap, just because those are all three articles of clothing a woman has society's permission to wear.

It seems like as far as females cross-dressing goes, the big deal is their refusal to wear dresses and feminized clothing at formal events, such as proms and weddings. It's not so much about the fact that Sam wants to wear a tux, it's about how Samantha doesn't want to wear an evening gown.





And women who wear tuxes are not allowed to wear pants, apparently. If your ass isn't hanging out in fishnets, how can we tell you're femme?