Tracii's teenage education awareness program.

[Leslie Langford]

I totally sympathize with you and what you did Tracii - and frankly, considering the way teenagers dress these days - not to mention their tatts, body piercings, general rudeness and sense of entitlement etc., who the h*ll are THEY to judge anyone else's appearance or lifestyle.

But on another level, I worry about you and what you did - and especially considering the following line you wrote:

"...By this time he is getting very uneasy and wanting to leave I said this lesson has just started hoss you can't leave only a pu&&y would leave..."

Fact is, you're an adult and the kid was a minor, and this could have been construed as threatening behavior on your part, and maybe even a case of forcible confinement (kidnapping? hostage-taking?) since you weren't about to let him rejoin his friends until you had had your say.

In a worst-case scenario, Security could have gotten involved, the security cam videos of the encounter trotted out, and you could have found yourself in a great big heap of doggy-do and led off the premises in handcuffs, Texas-justice style...

Just sayin'...

[~Joanne~]

I found it odd he never mentioned my girls skinny jeans I guess he was Ok with them LOL.

Or the sandals.....seems he was more interested in your toes than anything else. Maybe a foot fetish? I think you handled it very well. You owned the moment and kept control. A lot better than I may have.

[Tina B.]

Well if the boy didn't learn anything else, he learned a guy with painted toes can be scary, so you might want to keep you mouth shut in public even when you see something you don't understand!

[Barbra P]

While it’s true there can be some serious legal repercussions from an adult vs. minor altercation I don’t think that was the case here. Tracii would have had to physically restrain the boy and there is no mention of any physical contact with the boy. The video tapes from the security cameras would show that the boy followed Tracii to another isle and the rest of the group followed. Security personnel viewing the incident live on a screen might think “Uh Oh” that looks trouble brewing, but then again they might just ignore it as their main focus is shoplifters.

If I was the responding officer and based on the story as told here by Tracii and provided the tapes pretty much substantiated Tracii’s telling I would conclude that Tracii was in the clear. It might be possible to tell from the tapes that this was not a conversation between old friends but it would not be possible to tell what was said. It might be evident that the teenagers were taunting Tracii or might not be apparent. In either case, in all probability, I don’t think I would assume that Tracii was the instigator; I don’t recall ever having a situation where one person approached a group of four and aggressively challenged them, at least not outside of a bar with sober individuals. I would be much more inclined to believe that Tracii was the victim here, not the teenage boy, he could have walked away with the other three but didn’t. Why? Well maybe his pride wouldn’t let him, he was too macho to let another male, especially one wearing toenail polish, intimidate him. Then too there is/was past experience to go on. It is/was not uncommon to get calls involving teenagers harassing someone at a mall or in a store and invariably the victim is/was someone they felt they could ridicule, intimidate, and get the upper hand if things turned physical. Just about any LEO with any time on the job can read a situation like this one and tell the instigators from the initial victim. In this case the tables may have turned when Tracii stood his ground, but Tracci was still the victim.

[Sabrina133]

Or the sandals.....seems he was more interested in your toes than anything else. Maybe a foot fetish? I think you handled it very well. You owned the moment and kept control. A lot better than I may have.

LOL, I agree. Maybe after it was over, he had one of his girl friends paint his toes --- forced him to paint his toes that is...

Nicely done Tracii. Often times the best way to defuse a situation is to call the aggressor on it. Most turn out to be nothing but punk bullies.

[Angie G]

Good for you girl.
Angie

[daviolin]

Three cheers for Tracii. I get so sick of stupidity in the human race. It hasen't happened to me yet. But the day it does, I hope I can conger up the intelligence to do it right as you did. Daviolin

[VictoriaPaul]

I wonder if dress punishment would work on such teenage boys. I wonder if they would find that they like it. It might be messed up though.

This story reminds me of a time when I was 16, and I met a group of teens my age in a Barnes an Noble bookstore. One of them had long blond hair and was wearing a knee length ruffled white skirt. His friends totally accepted him. He said "its really comfortable" and that it was the only reason he wore it (sounds legit, since he paired it with a t-shirt and sneakers).

I kind of looked at him with skepticism and mild dissaproval (since I walked into the store with my best friend).

Later that night I met him again, outside, in the downtown area. By this point I was drunk on 4 glasses of red wine, and I said to him in a hushed voice: "remember when you said that skirts are really comfortable?..." I leaned in and whispered near his ear: "I know".

He smiled and then I went home.

[Allison Chaynes]

Tracii, just one question. After he finished peeing his pants with embarassment, did you post a pic to People of WalMart?

[Tracii G]

Allison I wish I had my cam with me but my purse was in the car.LOL.
That particular WalMart has 2 trans people working there so thats why I go to that store.One is a FtM and one is MtF and I know both quite well.
Its not a super center just a small store but I choose that one because the management supports the trans community openly.

[Chickhe]

Way to go... I believe most teenagers have feelings and want to be seen as being respectful, even if they don't understand how to show respect yet. They live in a popularity contest and I think its still not popular to be reprimanded in front of your friends. So you need to stand up to them, not threating them, but they need to know in the real world what they did was wrong. ...and if you don't tell them, they won't know.

[Tracii G]

The two boys needed an adjustment but the girls were fine.They all heard me I'm sure so maybe they all got a lesson in manners.

[Marlana]

Way to handle the situation Tracii.

[STACY B]

Your are such a Bully ,,lol,,,, An so mean ,, I just don't know where that mean streak comes from Lady ,, Shame ,,Shame ,, SCARING that little Punk like that ,, I wonder if it was his friend or Girl friend that changed his Pampers after they left ?
Maybe he just left it in till he got home an got Mamma to handle it .. Rub a Dub Dub ,,,,
Somebody made a Poo,,Poo,, !!!

[Tracii G]

I burned his pride a little and thats a good thing he'll get over it.

[famousunknown]

This went fine, but what if it had gone the other way? What if the kid had pulled out a gun or knife? One shot and you're out like a light.
It's possible, you know. You can roll however you want, that's your call. But this whole "education awareness program" might backfire someday. Sometimes it's better to just walk away. Just sayin.

[Tracii G]

I suppose he could have pulled a gun or knife but I'm proficient in disarming a person of both items plus I was armed as well.
I can't go thru life being afraid of things like some people can its not in my nature.
All the "what ifs" people throw out there are just covers for their own timidness.

[DebbieL]

I've been known to give "lessons" to teens. I usually refer to it as a "lesson in manners". I also address the group rather than one. I'll ask them about all their assumptions. Usually they assume that I'm gay, perverted, and wierd, possibly poor. I then tell them that I have been married twice, have 2 kids and a step-daughter, never missed a child support payment, and make a six figure income. I then tell them "I've been this way since I was 4 years old, I have always felt like a girl trapped in a boy's body, and struggled with it for years, even attempting suicide a few times". That usually makes their eyes pop wide open, and then I finish with something like "About 1 in 10 boys are like me, but living in "stealth", terrified that people like you will treat them the way you treated me. Many will kill themselves before they are 30 years old, others will get married, have families, and become leaders in the community. We see things from many different perspectives, which makes it easier for us to see solutions that seem invisible to others.". I also add that there were numerous LGBT people who were responsible for the internet, their cell phones, GPS, texting, and facebook, along with nearly every other major innovation they like so much today.

Some even recognize me in male mode and greet me with a very happy and friendly "Hi Debbie", which makes me feel wonderful - to be acknowledged for who I really am.

[Barbara Ella]

Good on you girl. Something we are arguing about here in Illinois right now, and will likely have mandated carry shortly. Proper training is essential for self defense and protection.

Barbara

[Aly Cat]

You are my hero. I wish i had a backbone when it came to this sort of stuff. Im too quiet and non-confrontational for my own good.

[Leah Lynn]

Tracii, if we were closer, I'd buy you a beer, or whatever your drink is! Cheers!

Leah

[Tracii G]

Diet Pepsi for me thanks Leah.

[docrobbysherry]

While I enjoyed your story immensely and admire your courage, I don't think confrontations like that r good idea in most cases.

However, I support your rite to dress and respond to ignorant fools any way u like!

[Tracii G]

The reason I reacted to him the way I did was because he thought he could intimidate or shame me in some way by making a childish scene about what I was wearing.
I stood up to him to show I wasn't afraid of his actions and that I wasn't going to back down.
Its a psychological thing more than anything.The only harm was to his ego nothing more.
The technique is to turn the tide of ridicule to his side and make him defend his position which he couldn't do.
How would I have looked if I turned tail and run out of the store? That would only have made him more embolden to attack others like me/us and I wasn't about to let that happen.
If more in the trans community would stand their ground and educate rather than be afraid of their own shadow I think we could make some progress.
Sorry to be so vocal but the trans community means a lot to me.
My little rant is over and if the mods want to delete the thread thats fine too.

[Emjay]

Wow Tracii,

Kids can really be rude can't they? I think you handled it perfectly though, you kept your wits about you, got your point across wonderfully, and were non-violent. Hopefully the kid really will take a lesson from this and realize that people are people no matter how they present themselves. There are enough jerks in this world already, to have one less in the future would be great!

Bravo!