Crossdresssing Hobo Question

[Vallari]

We have this "famous" crossdresser in Austin, TX named "Lindsay" I believe. She is a hobo and walks around downtown wearing thongs and skimpy lingirie...and often nothing else. From what I've seen she is'nt too concerned with passing. I wondered for the longest time if this hurts the whole CD'ing scene in Austin or if it helps us in some roundabout way. Personally I see it hurting us as it gives others the wrong impression about CD'rs.

What do you all think about this? Does anyone else have a famous crossdresser in their area along these circumstances?

[Wendy me]

her choise and as long as the thong dose not ride up i can't see it hurtting......

[kysmet]

'His' name is Leslie and I do think that it hurts us to some degree. Did you know that Leslie also ran for Mayor last term and also runs for City Council every time they vote? She got 2% of the mayoral votes. I guess that counts for something. However, she presented herself as a 'he' and wore a suit during the whole thing. But, in all actuality Leslie does less harm than the TG prostitutes that seem to plague Austin these past few years. It also didn't help that the Austin Chronicle ran an article a couple of years ago that put us in the same category as said prostitutes. There is only one redeeming quality in all of this in my opinion. Austin is quite the liberal town and is quite a decent place to live for those of us special enough to call ourselves CD/TG/TS. Many companies, businesses, and people support us in our endeavours. There is even a group here that lobbies every year for Transgender rights. Which, I'm sure there are many groups around the US that do the same. I just feel safer here than I probably would anywhere else. Leslie or not.

Ericka Jean

[Vallari]

'His' name is Leslie and I do think that it hurts us to some degree. Did you know that Leslie also ran for Mayor last term and also runs for City Council every time they vote? She got 2% of the mayoral votes. I guess that counts for something. However, she presented herself as a 'he' and wore a suit during the whole thing. But, in all actuality Leslie does less harm than the TG prostitutes that seem to plague Austin these past few years. It also didn't help that the Austin Chronicle ran an article a couple of years ago that put us in the same category as said prostitutes. There is only one redeeming quality in all of this in my opinion. Austin is quite the liberal town and is quite a decent place to live for those of us special enough to call ourselves CD/TG/TS. Many companies, businesses, and people support us in our endeavours. There is even a group here that lobbies every year for Transgender rights. Which, I'm sure there are many groups around the US that do the same. I just feel safer here than I probably would anywhere else. Leslie or not.

Ericka Jean

You make some good points, Ericka. Sorry about the name confusion as well . I'll agree that Austin is a pretty good place for us to live. I like to think of this place as the "Key West of the Midwest" lol.

[Imogen_Mann]

There's one or two similar folk in this neck of the woods, but they're more "care in the community" than hobo. No one takes them seriously, although they do worry some people, they do no harm to what little tg community my town has to offer. (I.e... there's me, and i know there must be others).
The local kids tend to be mean to them, give them a hard time every so often, Not the goths or the skaters so much, as the trendies and townies and chav's, who seem to hate everyone, so they probably hate TG folks too.

I suspect that the town I'm in is small compared to Austin (big town ? city ?), so we luckily dont run to a newsworthy number of prostitutes of any kind. I'm in a position with my employment where I would be privvy to such information, and as far as I am aware we have no TG prostitutes in the town at all, just two inidpendent parlours and one escort agency and a hand full of working mums (dommes and aunties etc...) I think, knowing the population here, that if TG prostitute was outed by the local press, no one would worry about it for more than a week or so. It certainly wouldnt change anyones views on the TG community as a whole.

What would be worrying in this area is, if a transgendered person was found doing something non TG related, yet illegal or otherwise antisocial, and put on an ASBO, and then the press got hold of it, there would be a witch hunt for more TG people, as everyone here abouts is fired up about getting every single minor offender in the town on an ASBO at any cost.... It's been suggested that ASBO's be handed out for domestic arguments held in the street, loud music in cars, wearing provocative clothing was also suggested at one local meeting as a potential ASBO offence... and with idiots like that in the community, a guy in knickers would be a prime target.
Thankfully the team who hand out ASBO's have a grain of common sense... but it proves that there are idiots amongst us who will find offence in anything thats not formed as part of thier particular world view.

XX

Jayme.

Ps... ASBO is an "Anti-Social Behaviour Order" Handed out by our legal system to curb minor offenders. There is also a thing called an ABC, an "Acceptable Behaviour Contract" which is similar but les restrictive, these tend to be put in place by local authorities or the police before making an application for the issue of an ASBO.

[kathy gg]

Hmm, we have had a few that I have seen in the surburb where we live, near Toronto. For a while I worked at a prominent furniture store and we had large windows so we got a really good view of one of our busiest corners in downtown. I know of one cd who wore a wig that looked a dead animal and that bright god awful red lipstick ....I also believe she had some sort of autism. She seemed harmless, but just as someone else mentioned locals teasing, that seemed to be a problem. I can remember one time she made it to one of our groups Wed nite meetings, this one was win a free make over from Mary Kay cosmetics. She won the make over which was nice and she was quiet but you could tell that something was not 'right' with her. Well the next day I was riding my bike to work and who do I see walking down the street, 'her'. I ducked down an alley. Not so much that I would not want to be seen near her, but I am not sure she had enough common sense not to 'out' me in public.

There was also a couple who were on govt. assistence, and would occasionally buy something at our store, I seem to recall a social worker coming in with them when they bought a dinnette. Well they literally wore each others clothes and the man was in a motorized wheelchair and the lady was deaf. Actually they were quiet the pair. He would be yelling at her and she would be calling him 'her little weirdo'. There also seemed to be some mental disability going on as well, but again totally harmless and actually our staff were very accomodating to them. But I remember the guy wearing this polka dot dress thing and a funny hat.

Now..do I think that 'hurts' the cause? I think what happens when people see these 'hobo cd's they assume there is mental illness, which then some people who are not in the 'know' will assoicate to non-hobo like cd's. So some concur 'well if that bum is cded and he is nuts, then all the other ones who cd must be nuts too" Because it all comes down to all the people in the closet not standing up and saying "hey we are not all nuts."

ANyway....probably does not help, but I dont' think most people have to connect too far from their already negative view of dressing to equate it to some form of mental illness. Lack of knowledge is our real culprit, not the hobo-dressers.

hugs
kathy in canada

[ladyfydiana]

I really dont think it matters what you do if you are a CD.Someone is going to find a problem with it so just live your life and take the good with the bad.