Are cd's discriminated against?Wishing for acceptance....

[sarah378619]

Their have been plenty of classes of people who have been discriminated against. I think Cds/TS's are not alowed to express themselves( wear skirts/ dresses,be female). Women have fought for their rights to be who they want to be, why not cd's/TS's. I think their is a sterotype that hurts our community, instead of the fact that we come from all walks of life and just want to be us. Maybe someday we will be able to dress the way we feel just like everyone else. I hope people will open up their hearts and accept different people of all kinds and realize we are on one planet and need each other. what do you girls think.
Huggs,
Sarah

[Holly]

Sarah I think the tide IS turning. We've come a long way, but we have a loooooooooooong way to go. It won't happen in my lifetime but all of us now are preparing the way for future generation.

[sarah378619]

I can always hope can't I. it starts with us loving ourselves. That we have meaning. I think it is close/but I agree their is a long way too.
Huggs,
Sarah

[Jennifer Giovannetta]

Its funny, I was thinking about this the other day. Women are encouraged to become anything they want to be. Firefighters, Police Officers, Correction Officers, and the like. I have witnessed women on contruction sites. I saw a woman wearing a sun dress, high heel sandals, with her hard had and saftey glasses. There is a new television show where the women are bounty hunters. My point is that women enjoy the best of both worlds. Its funny that todays society encourages women to follow any dream they like. Yes I know, these are jobs that women should have equal right to apply for.
Why is it that society does not want to accept our needs and desires. After all some men could complain that allowing women to do some of the jobs that require some physical stregnth makes the men who work with them them pick up the slack.
Its just funny thats all. I wonder what it is like to be a woman, not because I am a CD, but to be encouraged to do whatever I wanted in life.
Oh, and I am not forgetting about our brothers in our plight, the female to male crossdressers. But it just appears to be harder for us.
:2c:

[Nastasha]

I'd definitely say yes we are. But .. I have noticed that I am treated better in stores now when I shop then I was 10 years ago.

Most of the sales ladies that I am comfortable talking with say that there are more and more men shopping for and dressing in womens clothes, especially jeans.

The younger generation of men wear womens jeans because they are more comfortable.

Time will tell.

[Kate Simmons]

I think it depends on our outlook. I already accept everyone else for who they are. In that respect it has to happen by example and one step at a time. That is really the way women did it.It was never handed to them on a platter for sure. It's the people who show what they are made of and what they are capable of doing and what they are willing to endure to "get there". Complaining about it certainly does not become us and will never get us any where. Living and doing shows where the true "mustard" resides. Works for me.:happy:

[Stephenie S]

Dear Jennifer,

What planet are you living on?

You can do anything you like. At least in modern American society, you can. There are no laws agaist your dressing however you please, and those of us who DO dress the way we please have found it surprisingly easy.

Most, if not ALL your fears are in your own head. The fear, guilt, and shame, are all your own products.

Of course there is prejudice. It would be foolish to asume not, but you are going to encounter (and have to deal with) small minded people throughout your entire life. If you let them govern your behavior you are condemming your self to a lifetime of writing to forums such as this one in hopes of finding consolation for your own timidity.

The situations where you would encounter real danger for dressing or acting the way you want occur in places where you would be in danger no matter WHAT you were wearing. Worried about bikers? Stay the heck out of biker bars. Why would you want to go there anyway? Testosterone and alcohol are a dangerous combination for ANYONE! Stay away from them. If you live a civilized life, you can pretty much do what you want.

Does Karren Hutton tremble in fear in her closet? No she does not. She is out and about in the world. Is she going to get to the end of her life and wish she had done it differently? I doubt it. Nor am I, dear, nor am I!

You CAN do anything you want (within reason), hon. Stop saying I can't, and start trying to figure out what you really want to do and then DO it. This forum is a great place for all the support you could possibly want, but if you begin from a point of, "I can't", then you won't.

Lovies,
Stephenie

[CaptLex]

Jennifer,

Some men also have jobs that were once considered solely female domain (hairdressers, secretaries, flight attendants), and the times they truly are a-changing. There are also more and more stay-at-home dads now than a decade ago, and nobody is shocked by that anymore. Keep the faith.

[Butterfly Bill]

Ditto and right on to everything Stephenie said. Just wear what you want. You don't have to pass. Do it within reason, don't wear anything a GG wouldn't wear in a situation similar to what you're in (don't wear a bikini to church, for example), but do it.

[Jamie001]

Right on Butterfly Bill and Stephanie S!! You are my heros on this forum! Women won their fashion freedom because they had the courage to just get out there and wear what they wanted to wear. When asked about what they were wearing they also didn't make up lies like folks on this fourn do about shaving their legs or losing a bet and having to paint their toenails. They jsut said that they are wearing it "because they like it". These women had courage. Us CDs will have to do the same or we will never be accepted. We must push the envelope in male-mode and get out there and incorporate fem items into our drab wardrobe. The question is:

"Do we have the courage to get out there and advance the cause, or will we continue to cower in the closet hoping that other CDs will advance the cause for us?"

"Do we want to be part of the solution or part of the problem?"

Please ask yourself that question.

Jamie :-)
Fashion Freedom for All !!


Ditto and right on to everything Stephenie said. Just wear what you want. You don't have to pass. Do it within reason, don't wear anything a GG wouldn't wear in a situation similar to what you're in (don't wear a bikini to church, for example), but do it.

[michelleliz]

cding and transgender out in the open comes at a very high price . Loss of marriage and loss of jobs.
I know I have been there a few times

Michelle Liz

[Jamie001]

It is important to have an accepting wife and don't CD while on the job. Otherwise, if you have an accepting wife, you can CD whenever you are not on the job.


cding and transgender out in the open comes at a very high price . Loss of marriage and loss of jobs.
I know I have been there a few times

Michelle Liz

[Toyah]

There are hundreds of discriminations why would society put us to the top of the list. We slip under the radar no one cares apart from ourselves and personally I dont think thats too bad

[trannie T]

As long as we act like there is something wrong with being crossdressers others will have a difficult time accepting us. We must accept ourselves before we can expect others to accept us.
There is nothing wrong with being a crossdresser.
There is nothing wrong with crossdressing.
As long as we act like poor scared little bunnies hiding in the closet we will have a difficult time being accepted.

[Jamie001]

Amen! Thankyou Trannie T for this post. As long as we act like there is something wrong and hide in the closet, we will never be accepted. We need to push the envelope in male-mode as women did many years ago and still do today. Do we have the courage that it takes? That is the real question, or will we hide in the closet forever?



As long as we act like there is something wrong with being crossdressers others will have a difficult time accepting us. We must accept ourselves before we can expect others to accept us.
There is nothing wrong with being a crossdresser.
There is nothing wrong with crossdressing.
As long as we act like poor scared little bunnies hiding in the closet we will have a difficult time being accepted.

[Shelly Preston]

Most of our discrimination comes from the fact that the media dont always portray us in a very good light

This pick ot the crossdressing to sensationalise the story which makes life more difficult for the law abiding CD

It plays right into the hands of the macho type who will never understand if you explained it until doomsday

[Jamie001]

It is well known that Rudy Guliani is one of us and it didn't seem to hurt him. Folks at work that are interested in voting for him don't think anything of it and they are republicans. I believe that most of the problem is in our own mind.


Most of our discrimination comes from the fact that the media dont always portray us in a very good light

This pick ot the crossdressing to sensationalise the story which makes life more difficult for the law abiding CD

It plays right into the hands of the macho type who will never understand if you explained it until doomsday

[Shelly Preston]

Hi jamie

Your right it never hurt Gulliani or J Edgar Hoover but it its not the people in power that have the problem its the little guys and girls at the bottom that suffer

[Jamie001]

Shelly, I really don't believe that you are correct. That is the lie that we constantly tell ourselves! The big guys that are in positions of power have much more to loose and are judged more critically for not conforming to the "norm" for males. We need to push the envelope in male mode whether that means wearing toenail polish or earrings, or other fem items for all to see while still presenting as a male. That is how women obtained fashion freedom and I believe that it is the only way that we can do it.

Jamie


Hi jamie

Your right it never hurt Gulliani or J Edgar Hoover but it its not the people in power that have the problem its the little guys and girls at the bottom that suffer

[Veronica 1]

I also agree with Trannie T. Until we accept the fact that we have the same rights as the so called normal people we will be hiding behind our own fear of rejection. I am new to dressing and have been a member of this board for about a week now,( so glad that I found you all), and have gone from worrying about what people would think to not giving a Sh***. I have always been an extrovert so maybe this has some bearing on my own thinking, but if you hide behind your fears, which are usually only a preconceived picture of what you should be as compared to what you are, we, as a society will have a hard time to gain acceptance. Run up the flag, march in the parade , and show the world what you are made of. It was not that long ago that the gay and lesbian groups were totally abhorred but now they have record turnouts at the Pride parades across the country.

[trannie T]

Ronnie and Jamie thank you for your kind words.

The title of this thread includes ". . . wishing for acceptance" wishing is not going to do a thing. If we wish to be accepted we must take action. I do not agree with Shelly in placing blame on the media. Of course we receive negative press, there are very few trans-gendered people willing to be outed by the media. There are actions each one of us can do even if we're hidden in the darkest of closets. Most important is not to tolerate any type of discrimination, whether it is against Hindus, Mexicans or crossdressers. If someone makes a negative comment about a group of people do not let it go unchallenged. Our actions will determine how others will view us.

[Veronica 1]

Ronnie and Jamie thank you for your kind words.

Most important is not to tolerate any type of discrimination, whether it is against Hindus, Mexicans or crossdressers.

You, dear, have a way with words. If only more people thought this way, the military budget could be put towards the homeless and poor.

[Melanie R]

In my 27 years of being out in public worldwide enfemme, I have learned that if you act and dress with dignity you will be treated with dignity. When you are out in public dress like the other women you will see. If you walk around in a mall in a short skirt and 4 inch heels, people will notice you. Discrimination against transgendered persons in many of our churches, places of employment and some public places is a reality that we all face. This will not change until we have ENDA nationally and anti-discrimination laws in states.