would you stop crossdressing if anticrossdressing/impersonating laws are enforced?

[reinasblack]

There are still laws that are mainly not enforced that make it a arrestable offense to impersonate,masquerade and dress like a women. See article about sir Lady java " the worlds prettiest man". There was rule 9.

Would you break the law?

Would you dress in private are secretly?

Those laws are probably now considered unconstitutional in the USA but there was a time in new york ,los angeles and Oakland when you where carted off to jail and embarrassed. You had to be more secretive and closeted then now. There was few clubs and no internet to bring the 1.4 Million in the USA together to share interest and aid each others.

[MissVirginia-Mae]

I would never stop dressing.....and it doesnt matter how many times I was arrested
:love:

[RADER]

I only dress inside my house, so that law would not affect me.
Now if they enforced under dressing, well they just might get
an argument from me. After all, what they do not see, does
not concern them.
Rader

[ChristinaK]

When I started going out I didn't know if it was legal or not. I trusted that most people would not pay enough attention to figure it out, which is true, or most people would not want to get involved enough to call the police, which is also true.

[Lana Mae]

I would continue to dress!! Being illegal would just add some spice to the mix!! LOL Hugs Lana Mae

[Pattie]

I don't think this would ever happen in this country, it would take a civil war to change the constitution

[reinasblack]

1845 statute prohibiting cross-dressing. As originally enacted, the New York statute made it a crime to assemble “disguised” in public places

an arrestable offence
the 1845 statute that made it a crime in the state to masquerade
Attention According to Oakland's Code of Ordinances, your style is illegal.

Immoral Dress Code 9.08.080 has been in place since 1879: “It is unlawful for any person in the city to appear in any public place nude or in the attire of a person of the opposite sex, or in any indecent or lewd attire.”
In terms of concentration of same sex couples, Oakland is ranked among the top five major metropolitan areas in the nation. Certainly our city is as socially conscious as it is diverse. Yet shockingly, in 2010, cross-dressing remains an offense “against public peace and decency.”
I first learned of this wacky time warp while attending an Oakland LGBT Roundtable meeting. Stephanie McLeod, pictured above,an intern with City Council Member Rebecca Kaplan’s office, created a slide show presentation which contextualized the ordinance.
The civil war ended and the 15th amendment was ratified. Population explosions accompanied the gold rush and the transcontinental railroad; the latter saw Oakland grow from 1,500 people in 1860 to more than 36,000 in 1880. As the railroad’s western terminus, Oakland experienced a rush of new businesses, new manufacturing industries and new jobs. Migrants from the south, and immigrants from China and Southern Europe, changed the demographics of the area.
“People who were not perceived to be part of the social ‘norm’ were marginalized and criminalized,” said McLeod. “Everyone is affected by this, not just queer people. If this law was enforced today, all the women on the police and fire departments could be charged with a misdemeanor for cross-dressing.”


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Sir Lady Java (1943–unknown , living in Hollywood, Calif.) performer, activist
Originally from New Orleans, Sir Lady Java had been working in Los Angeles for two years in 1967, and was then performing and waiting at the Redd Foxx Club. She was billed as "The Prettiest Man on Earth". It was said that she had dated Redd Foxx and Sammy Davis Jr.


The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) decided to enforce their Rule 9, whereby it was illegal for performers to impersonate by means of costume or dress a member of the opposite sex unless they had a special permit issued by the LA Board of Police Commissioners. They told the club owner that he would lose his license if Lady Java continued to perform, and her act was dropped. She teamed with the American Civil Liberties Union which challenged the rule as unconstitutional. Meanwhile Lady Java protested outside the club that the rule deprived her of her livelihood, and was favorably reported in the LA Advocate (later The Advocate) and Jet Magazine.

The legal challenge was thwarted in that only a club owner could file the appeal: the Redd Foxx Club owner would not, nor would any other club owner. However in 1969 another club owner did appeal the LAPD rules that prevented him from showing movies on the grounds that the interpretations of the rules were arbitrary and shifting. The California Supreme Court agreed and struck down the movie license rules. The LAPD Commission realized that all such rules could be challenged, and quietly informed the club owners that drag shows were now permitted.

In August 1971, Lady Java was guest of honor at the Alpha Chapter (Los Angeles) of the Full Personality Expression (FPE) showing that the chapter was more open-minded than FPE's national spokesperson, Virginia Prince.

Lady Java had a part, on effect playing herself, in the 1976 film, The Human Tornado. She is kidnapped and then rescued.

[CDTiffany]

2016 YEAH!!!!
If you feel the need to Glamorize, Get all all dolled up, Dressed to the nines, rock your new little black dress. Or come out for the first time.
Do your research online. "including this website" We are all going out!!!!
It's good times!
Reinasblack. Get a posy, And enjoy your T-Girl Experienece. Safty in numbers!
XOXO Tiffany Amber Rhoads.

[Kate Simmons]

I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. :battingeyelashes::)

[Tracii G]

I have seen this question a lot on other CD sites and its usually from a closet girl that has issues with those of us who go out in the world as our girl self.
Call it jealousy or whatever but to use the word masquerade I have a problem with that.
If I am being me how exactly how am I masquerading?
If its obvious I am male how am I impersonating?

[Allisa]

I did it a long time ago when you could get arrested for it so why stop now. Also I used to break the law daily by using drugs recreationally and alcohol below age. I guess I'm just a law breaking radical.

[Karmen]

I would not stop crossdressing, but I would stop going out dressed in female clothes. I would just dress at home.

[Lorileah]

2010
Oakland, California

Immoral Dress Code 9.08.080 from 1879 was amended on May 21, 2010 to exclude "in the attire of a person of the opposite sex."

[suzanne]

Such a law would force me to become an activist. Some laws just shouldn't exist, and if they do, need to be fought until they are off the books. Either by protest or by court challenge or by referendum. That's how the gay community won the rights they have now, not by waiting patiently until society saw fit to bestow them.

[TrishaTX]

ahh NO I would still dress. yes, even here in Texas...LOL

[Tracii G]

I would not stop.

[Zafira Skye]

I consider myself incredibly fortunate to live in a country which legislates for acceptance of difference in sexual and gender expression and lifestyle. There is nothing in the act of crossdressing that offends any law in my country and many other nations of the world. As I understand it, the hierarchy of most major religions do not consider the act of crossdressing immoral. Beyond the written law of our legislative bodies, there is still elements of deep seated intolerance of crossdressing in my country, even though acceptance of same sex marriage and homosexuality is thankfully acknowledged and celebrated. That said, nothing will ever stop me from enjoying my normality of wearing feminine clothing!

[Dana44]

I dressed years ago and it wasn't like it is now. I thought some places t was illegal and I went out and was likely passable but never thought about it was legal or not. How would they know me. Now, I don't pass as well as I used to but still try and look pretty good. I am who I am and in this area is so conserve that it still might be a problem and that don't stop me from going out. Yeah I would push the limits and would try to make an example of it. Why have any fear to do things.

[Jilmac]

I dressed alone for many years, so if any antiquated laws were enforced I would just go back to dressing alone

[Nadine Spirit]

2010
Oakland, California



I suppose then that I already did it, being as I know I was in Oakland, dressed as a woman, before the amendment occurred. So would I do it again, uh yeah.

And masquerading, really?

[lingerieLiz]

Since I started going out in the late 50s I did and didn't know how much trouble I could get in. Going to jail dressed was not a good thing to have happen. I guess I must have passed pretty good since I walked by the police and they never said anything. Drove all over the country dressed.

[Julogden]

It would depend on what the penalty is. If it was punishable by death, then I'd tend to keep things under wraps, which I had to do for much of my life. The first time I went out dressed was around 1978, and things could have gotten messy if I'd run across the wrong police officer. I did experience harassment by Chicago police long after it had become legal here, in the early 1990's, so even though it's legal, you can still have an unpleasant experience if you encounter a cop who wants to cause problems for you.

In the 1990's, I had a CD friend who was a retired Chicago cop who had arrested many a CD over the years just for dressing. Pretty ironic.

[BOBBI G.]

That's almost like asking if I would stop breathing if they were to make it illegal to breathe our polluted air.H.ll, no.

Bobbi

[Raychel]

Not that it is an issue here, But make me think.
I don't change my facial appearance at all so
not really impersonating or masquerading just dressing like a women.
So if there was a law, I wonder where this would fit. :thinking:

[sometimes_miss]

I only dress inside my house, so that law would not affect me. Now if they enforced under dressing, well they just might get an argument from me. After all, what they do not see, does not concern them. Rader

There are a whole lot of laws on the books that regulate what we do out of sight of the rest of the world, on our own property, that doesn't affect anyone else.

[Lorileah]

be careful, people. If this degrades into politics, it's gone

[Cristy2]

I was just reading an article about anti-crossdressing laws still on the books. According to the article crossdressing is technically illegal in 30 states due to laws still on the books, but no longer enforced. The last known case of a crossdresser being arrested for crossdressing was in Ohio in 1989 when a crossdresser suspected of drug trafficking was arrested for questioning using the out dated law against crossdressing in the state of Ohio.

[reinasblack]

Wow people hear are actually old enough to have been around in the USA when the decency,impersonation and masqurading laws were agressively enforced. Gays and crossdressers where thought to be communist in the 50's and 60's i believe.

There are some folk here that evaded a misdemeaner conviction are more i see.

Who violated rule number 9 from sir lady java performance days?
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) decided to enforce their Rule 9, whereby it was illegal for performers to impersonate by means of costume or dress a member of the opposite sex unless they had a special permit issued by the LA Board of Police Commissioners.

[Teresa]

I can't remember when those laws were changed in the UK, but it didn't stop crossdressing happening it , obviously still in the closet alone but out there were private clubs that provided a dressing service, I say that in the loosest terms , the authorities knew of them but often ignored them.

They were archaic laws then and there's no way it's going to happen again, it wouldn't have stopped me anyway, but it would make a DADT situation harder to avoid .

[susan54]

I used to go out occasionally at night when I was a student. This was just after a young man had been prosecuted for a crime that I think was called pervading in women's attire. All of this was in Scotlandaround 1970. I remember the guy pled guilty. One night I was out in my car in a dress i had borrowed from my unsuspecting sister and was parked. I noticed a police car approaching and lay on the seat. They stopped alongside and shone a torch in and must have seen me but just drove off. At this time I thought you could still be prosecuted so it was scary. But I carried on - it did not scare me off.

[gailprice]

Noooooooo i would not stop why should I :eek:

[reinasblack]

jail food is horrible, jail does not have pay per view are show time, Hbo.
I don't like to be told when to get up and go to sleep.
I don't want a public record of me cross dressing.

[Richelle423]

I'm already serving a life sentence as a CD!

[Nicki nylons]

No I would not stop what I do in my own time is my business besides it makes me feel wonderful

[joandher]

Here in the UK it was illegal to impersonate a member of the opposite sex and yes you could go to court and even jail,
we had a society that was called the Beaumont Society ,who gave members a card to carry in case of being arrested and they would help,
i carried mine but was fortunate not to get caught,but was frightened in case my mum found it

[Lily Catherine]

To me it's not exactly a life sentence as it were. Here in Singapore, physical protests and activism aren't a part of the public conscience except once in a while. Were such laws in place, I reckon peaceful activism would be a good way to start calling for their repeal. While no linger enforced, the symbolic shadow of this kind of law is already a stigma: to be a pariah of a lawbreaker amongst your fellow citizens.

[jennifer0918]

I would go deep deep into the closet,I mean I'm a little out of the cd closet but not enough to come clean with my SO.As far completely stop crossdressing I think it's impossible.
In my view I would have to a lot of research before venturing out I would stick to friendly cities San Francisco, Miami and NYC. I'm just glad that we came a long way with gay marriage, and LGBT issues. I can't imagine America going backwards only forward the world is changing too fast.But if all else fails I'll move to Canada,I AM JENNIFER HEAR ME ROAR!!