Illegal?

[Donna Delite]

I saw on the tv show "cops" where the arrested a guy for being dressed up like a women in public, no prostitution was involved. Is this illegal in some states?

[Niya W]

was this current or old episode of cops ? remeber they re run stuff from the 80's so it might of been illegal then

[Donna Delite]

I'm not sure, the cars looked like from the 90's

[obsessedwithpantyhose]

cding is NOT illegal.. i have seen a few of them shows and i can tell u it was because he had done something wrong b4 he got arested and u just missed what it was..

i have rode around on my bicycle while dressed and rode past cops and not been stoped or even givin a second glance,, so long as ur not hangin out they dont care :p

[veronica]

yes. in california it is the same as wearing a mask and or disguise. you have to carry a fem i.d. when in fem with the same # as your drab i.d.

it is also illeagel for persons 16 and older to be anywhere in public without a state issued i.d.

[Donna Delite]

I think this show was in Ca.

[Elysia]

Is it really illegal to wear a disguise?




yes. in california it is the same as wearing a mask and or disguise. you have to carry a fem i.d. when in fem with the same # as your drab i.d.

it is also illeagel for persons 16 and older to be anywhere in public without a state issued i.d.

[Niya W]

yes. in california it is the same as wearing a mask and or disguise. you have to carry a fem i.d. when in fem with the same # as your drab i.d.

it is also illeagel for persons 16 and older to be anywhere in public without a state issued i.d.
excuse me ? I'm cali CD and can tell you your wrong on both counts. I've never had an Issue with be stopped while dressed. I cant tell you how man cops I now that either are tranny chasers or are CD's them selfs.

In fact california has some the strictest anti transgender discrimination laws in the nation.

[Julie York]

Batman and Superman are in trouble now!

[Sarah Ellis]

Here in the UK you can be arrested under laws concerning breach of the peace or lewd conduct... It wouldn't be an issue with ID, not as yet anyway as we don't carry ID cards in the UK yet.

[Milla]

well he waz definately busted big time . ;)

[veronica]

niya

read the california penal codes, although the laws are rarely inforced (just like front windows on cars being tinted, or s--t hanging off the rearview mirror) they are still very real usually only inforced at officers discretion.

check with the CHP that's what i did

[Niya W]

niya

read the california penal codes, although the laws are rarely inforced (just like front windows on cars being tinted, or s--t hanging off the rearview mirror) they are still very real usually only inforced at officers discretion.

check with the CHP that's what i did
what year is this ? the cop had to be lying or full of it .

http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=10119&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm If thats the case how could the pass law saying that you can not fire some for dressing in thier gender role ? If not legal a woman , if man dresses like woman(cause she feels that her gender role) that would be cross dressing

http://www.genderadvocates.org/News/CaliforniaSenate.html
Land lords cant kick you out for being transgender


never ask a cop a question reguarding the laws, ask a lawyer. I've asked three diffrent cops the same qustions about weather or not having ammution in the mag of gun is consider a loaded weapon and got three diffrent answers.

I'll put my faith in the two lawyer I know that are transgender.

[jade lee]

Do we have any CD lawyer here that can help us on the question?

[Niya W]

Do we have any CD lawyer here that can help us on the question?
I know one and the other is a transexual

[DonnaT]

There are some states and municipalities that have laws or ordinances against CDing. Most are old laws and rarely enforced unless an officer is up on the laws and has had a bad day or is just being an a**hole. Too much paper work.

And yes, even states that have passed laws about discrimination with regard to gender identity/expression still have the old laws on the books. These laws stay on record until repealed, or until a court decision overturns them. Problem is, a lot of arrests don't get to court to challange the law because of the anti-discrimination laws, and the person arrested is usually too embarrased to take the case to civil court.

[vplshowoff]

http://www.hrc.org/

Human Rights Campaign lists some laws but doesn't appear to have info about crossdressing.

[Chrissycd]

many cops do whatever the hell they want to irregardless of any laws they are paid to enforce. I am not a cop lover and never will be. "protect and serve" means nothing to some of them. If they decide to make you a victim, I'd avoid confrontation and then hire a lawyer after the fact. Angry cops are ugly cops and they'll never change.

[Alie]

I would imagine what they suspect you of. Also what they
personally feel about you.

Try to stay away from trouble sounds the best.

[Deanna2]

There is a British movie about the (mis)adventures of a CD called 'Just Like a Woman'. In one sequence she gets picked up for a traffic offence and when the coppers discover what she is they give her a hard time - in the lockup and more. Now I know the English police have a policy on handling of TG's, CD's and others, but it is not followed out in the real world.

Luvya

[jjjjohanne]

Back when I was on AOL, I chatted with a guy from Texas who said he was busted (it may have been just a ticket) for "impersonating a woman." Apparently, it isn't legal everywhere...

[gender_blender]

Additionally, not all states have laws that protect transgender discrimination in the workplace. I know Maine, though quite liberal, surprisingly doesn't have such a policy. I have been lucky to have found a workplace in the previous summers that prides itself on diversity and quality of the services they provide, and didn't care that I followed the female dress code.

This is also a reason why I have looked to states that do have such protective laws for my recent college-graduate post-scholastic gender-bending existence to find an appropriate degree-oriented career.


Charlie

[Jeri Kay]

I saw a CD busted on a cop show also, but she was stopped because
she was driving erratically. I think she tried to out run them because
she was dressed, and it was late at night.

[Mitzi]

I've had three encounters with police while en femme in Los Angeles.. Each time I had to show my drivers (drab) license. The police never made an issue of the dressing.

The first time, four of us "girls" were going home from a TG ball after midnight. The officer looked at my license, looked at the "girls", then told me to drive carefully, and let us go.

Another time, I was walking in Hollywood to a TG bar, when two officers stopped me, hassled me for a while, supposedly for possible soliciting... Good cop/ bad cop bit...let's run him/her in...she hasn't done anything wrong, let her go...they eventually let me go. It was nearing election time, and a push was on to clean up Hollywood, but I kinda think the "bad" cop was just feeling ornery.

The third time, (I just told this story on another forum) I was stopped for a traffic violation. Two officers had me get out of the car, looked at my license, and wrote me up a ticket. Very polite throughout. Afterwards, one of the officers sidled up to me and asked....are those your real nails?

So, is it illegal to CD in California? Maybe, but certainly not often enforced.

Mitzi

[Jenifer1961]

-------
I saw on the tv show "cops" where the arrested a guy for being dressed up like a women in public, no prostitution was involved. Is this illegal in some states?
----------

thats why I dont watch that show.. makes all cops look like bad people, when all of em aren't..

if they did arrest just for wearing womens clouths, that should be illegal if you ask me... Imean, you are wearing clothes, you not naked..look at scottish people, they wear kilts, what the difference and that than wearing a skirt?? and whos dang bussiness is it of anyone else what you wear..

sorry, didnt mean to vent anger this much, I always get a tad mad when see a story like this.. even if i wasn't what I am, i'd still be mad that just because a guy decides to dress up like a lady, doesnt mean he has broken any law..

Ok, I'll be quit now;)

[Rachel Ann]

CDing is legal in California - but it does get you extra police scrutiny. Obviously you don't want to drive drunk or carry drugs, especially while dressed.

The soliciting-for-prostitution thing is trickier, being a judgment call. If the cop observes you in any posture or interaction that s/he thinks suggests solicitation, they can arrest you and let it get sorted out later. Don't loiter on street corners, talk to people in cars when on foot, or talk to people on foot when driving. Better still, just don't talk to anybody when you're outdoors, especially after dark. And keep moving.

If you are arrested, the cops can have a lot of "fun" with you - like throwing you, dressed, in to a tank with a bunch of lowlifes and looking the other way.



… many cops do whatever the hell they want to irregardless of any laws they are paid to enforce.
Sadly, this has always been true, everywhere. If you have 99 good cops and one bad cop, the bad one is the only one most people ever encounter. It very much depends on locality. Everywhere you go, local folks know of places where it's just not safe for anybody to go. Sometimes because of the gangstas, sometimes because of the cops.

But, I would be astonished if a officer being filmed for “Cops” failed to mind his/her P’s and Q’s.

I was taught when growing up: “Never place a cop in a position where he has to prove his authority”. (There weren’t female cops then, just “police women”.)



... a guy from Texas who said he was busted for "impersonating a woman" …
Nothing they do in Texas surprises me. Sometimes I’m not even sure that they have written laws there. There are bar fights everywhere, but in Texas, everybody has a gun. *shiver*



Is it really illegal to wear a disguise?
Only if for purposes of criminal activity or "deception". Otherwise, everyone who goes out on Halloween would be subject to arrest.



… you have to carry a fem i.d. when in fem with the same # as your drab i.d. …
I’m not sure you could get the DMV to issue you one. Some of us have taken to carrying a laminated ID with boy pic and info on one side, girl pic and name on the other. Worthless by itself, but it helps deal with the fact that you don't look like the picture on your drivers' license.



it is also illegal for persons 16 and older to be anywhere in public without a state issued i.d.
Not quite. If you fail to produce ID on demand, they may choose to detain you until they determine your true identity and that you aren’t a fugitive or anything. But lots of forms of ID will do – out of state DLs, passports, military IDs, etc..

If you have no ID and are still in your teens, how do they know you're 16? Actually there's a curfew here for minors under a certain age, but most cops have better things to do than give kids a ride home.



... Most are old laws and rarely enforced unless an officer ... has had a bad day or is just being an a**hole.
Archaic laws, never repealed, are the bane of our system. It gives them a pass to shake people down. We got rid of most of the California laws like that in the early 70s, thanks to Willie Brown.

New York used to have some really old ones, like criminalizing “fornication” and prohibiting stores from opening on Sundays. New York being New York, you just had to give the beat cop some money when he came by.



... Problem is, a lot of arrests don't get to court to challange the law because of the anti-discrimination laws, and the person arrested is usually too embarrased to take the case to civil court.
Anti-discrimination laws have almost nothing to do with it. People are arrested, then released, all the time without an explanation or an apology. You can file a complaint and/or sue the police if you have $50,000 or so to spare – but most of those cases lose. Plus, if you do that, you usually have to leave town – sometimes the county – forever.



what year is this ? the cop had to be lying or full of it.
No, I know people who have been pulled over for that recently. It's a "probable cause" thing for people whose looks they don't like, and whom they wish to examine more closely.

I have even gotten differing legal information from different lawyers!



http://www.genderadvocates.org/News/CaliforniaSenate.html
Land lords cant kick you out for being transgender
No, but they can make your life so miserable that you can't stand it there anymore. Especially in localities where it's a sellers' market, and there are no rent control or tenants' rights protection laws.


I'm not making any of this up. It has all happened here to people I know in recent years. And I didn't have to take their word for it.


-----------------------------------------------------------------

Around here, most of the cops are nice enough about CDing - but then, this is one of the most T-friendly places in the world! I don't know about other states, or other parts of California. That's why I live here. :)

[LindaLeeColby]

Under AB 196 (effective January 2004) and specifically in Section 422.76 of the penal code, gender is defined as to include a defendant's "perception" of their identity, appearance or behavior whether or not that identity, appearance or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with that persons sex at birth. That change in the penal code now negates all criminal references to those cross dressing for any reason.

It is not illegal and in fact, I filed a civil action against a Sacramento Policeman who stopped me for a defective tail light then went on to cuff me while he and another officer searched my car (after that probable cause stop). They did so without my permission, without giving me my rights or why they conducted that search. Both officers were cited by their departments as acting inappropriately and illegally (civil rights) in extending that stop to those cuffs and in searching my car.

A pedestrian had stopped and actually told the policemen that he was acting as a witness on my behalf (thank the stars). We settled out of court but the city in agreeing to my settlement also noted they were giving their police force new guidelines on males appearing as females.

Hugs
Linda Lee

[Rachel Ann]

We settled out of court but the city in agreeing to my settlement also noted they were giving their police force new guidelines on males appearing as females.
You are very lucky, Linda. Most people who sue the police are perpetually harassed forever. Maybe the police involved were very unpopular with the other officers in their department.

[RobynP]

So, is it illegal to CD in California? Maybe, but certainly not often enforced.

Mitzi

Umm... It is not illegal in California or any other state... One of my cd "big sisters" is a retired Police Chief. Another cd friend of mine is a retired CHP (California Highway Patrol). I've been to cd conventions where the police will come and give a talk on this very question. If it was/is illegal, they could have arrested the whole room full of us.

Robyn P.

[Donna Delite]

really, what's the big deal? Women go out dressed like men everyday.