Sad but true. I have heard a local cop tell me, to my face, that if they want to they could take anyone into custody, anytime, there's always something they kind find as grounds. It wasn't said as bragging or to incite fear, just as a matter of fact, which made it all the more chilling.Originally Posted by Sarah Charles
I doubt it, but there might be laws against visibly stripping down or changing in your car or applying makeup while driving.
Not sure if I'd want to call up the police station. Contacting the ACLU or other organization is a good suggestion.
I did run web searches against my city website (and the adjacent city's website) -- I didn't find anything posted about crossdressing. Of course, it might be enveloped in a broader law such as causing public disorder, etc.
Yes...it seems like there's a double standard in society. A woman can dress completely like a man, and little is noticed. If a man wear's a dress, it really attracts attention.Of course, you have the men who dress in women's clothes, but as many of you know women wear men's clothing for work, comfort, and pleasure. These would include sports jerseys (i.e. football, basketball, Hockey, Baseball, etc, etc.), suits and tuxes, shirts, pants, construction uniforms, etc, etc, etc.
I ran across an article about a man in India being arrested for crossdressing, with an actual law forbidding it. Of course, that's in India, and not in Europe / the United States. There are probably several countries with laws against crossdressing.Ya know, if there really are any such laws or ordinances on the books somewhere, I would really be interested in hearing about them.
If there was such a law, the jails would be full of women wearing trousers/pants
In Utah the Legislature last year refused to allow a bill pass that included protection from eviction or from being fired from a job because a person is transgendered. Their story is "It's a slippery slope to where we are granting protected status to everyone when the laws are there already." However in this situation they just targeted transgendered people for discrimination without the protection or reasonable recourse. Can I call them idiots here or is that wrong?
So, even if there are no laws against crossdressing, you do it at your own peril.
Sarah
Being transgender isn't a lifestyle choice. How you deal with it is.
[QUOTE .However in this situation they just targeted transgendered people for discrimination without the protection or reasonable recourse. Can I call them idiots here or is that wrong?
So, even if there are no laws against crossdressing, you do it at your own peril.[/QUOTE]
It is wrong to call them idiots. To do so is an insult to all the decent idiots in the world.
It takes a real man to wear a dress.
The end of the first week after my transition to 24/7 female I got stopped for speeding in my pretty outfit and wig.
My driver's license still said male and had my old male name on it. He made no comment whatsoever and treated me as he would anyone else. If he called me sir, I certainly couldn't object due to my ID. But I don't remember how he addressed me or if he used any pronoun.
This is Las Vegas. The police are fairly trans friendly, but one would not use ma'am for my girlfriend and said he was only going by the ID which was still M.
Last edited by Empress Lainie; 05-24-2009 at 09:33 PM. Reason: two words omitted
[SIZE=2]Ascended Ancient[/SIZE]
I well remember the days when I would have to hide whenever I saw a patrol car coming down the street. Then most of those laws were deleted from the books. I well remember a few times in the early seventies reading in the paper where someone was arrested for 'impersonating a woman'. Then things seemed to change and we now have a lot more freedom to express ourselves. I pray that its going to get even better yet in my lifetime.
Oh definitely.Not sure if I'd want to call up the police station. Contacting the ACLU or other organization is a good suggestion.
I did run web searches against my city website (and the adjacent city's website) -- I didn't find anything posted about crossdressing. Of course, it might be enveloped in a broader law such as causing public disorder, etc.
Yes...it seems like there's a double standard in society. A woman can dress completely like a man, and little is noticed. If a man wear's a dress, it really attracts attention.
Women seem to get away with a lot of things nowadays when it comes to wearing clothes, but for men it's like a one way street.
You can't go the other way because society says so.
Hugs!
JoAnn
I love to see a beautiful woman in a nice dress, but then again, I also want to wear that dress.
I'm surprised everyone missed this one...
http://media.www.thenichollsworth.co...-2939242.shtml
Note, for history buffs, the cops who were harassing drag queens that started the Stonewall Riots were using anti-crossdressing laws as justification.
Marla
A lot depends on what you are doing, and where. It also may depend on how you are dressed. Hanging out in parks is not a good idea, because of familys and children in the area. Dressing like a hooker, and hanging out is not a good idea. Wearing a dress and heels, and no wig or makeup is not a good idea. Disorderly conduct can be whatever a cop says it is. A little common sense goes a long way.
the only time you may get trouble is if commit a crime then you may be
charged with wearing a disguise , so dont drink and drive
"not becoming to his or her sex." ?!?
That is so vague and all-encompassing as to be completely useless. One could argue that a loose t-shirt, frumpy work pants, and a gardening smock are "not becoming" to the female sex, or that a 1970's style electric blue polyester leisure suit is "not becoming" to the male sex (and in the second case, you might be right).
I'm no lawyer, but it sounds pretty unconstitutional to me, and I'm sure all it would take would be one courageous test-case to knock the thing down.
And, for the record, I think cocktail dresses and high heels are VERY becoming to the male sex!
Amen! I've half a mind to go down there dressed en femme, but only partially and sit in a park until arrested.
Dress unbecoming to his or her sex? *drool* I'd love to try that in court!
Already mentioned specifically in my earlier post in this thread, in which I summarized the results of an earlier thread I ran on this general topic in which I chased down some rumours and specific laws.
Hetic.. i best think twice b4 i pop down the shops.. great.. one more thing to worry about.. (^^,)
~xTx~
With respect: I consider the above to be "scaremongering". I also consider saying "Tell absolutely no one!" (a paraphrase of another recent posting of yours) to be "scaremongering". I appreciate that perhaps at some time some bad things might have happened to you, but your posts tend to adopt these position as if they were truisms, that if one does not pass perfectly that one should hide deeply in the closet.
If it is true that "Disorderly conduct can be whatever a cop says it is", then the lesson that we should learn from that is not that we should hide: the lesson we should learn from that is that we should employ our democratic rights (those of us who live in places that supposedly have rights) and fight to curtail the power of the police to make arbitrary "disorderly conduct" decisions. And if we aren't willing to do that, then the preventive lesson to be learned is not cross-dressing specific the preventive lesson is that since ANYTHING could be "disorderly conduct", that we aren't willing to struggle for our freedoms, that we should, everyone one of us, "pure male" or whatever our gender indication, stay home inside, doors locked and shades drawn and stereo barely audible at best -- because, after all, a cop might decide that the way we hold the watering can to sprinkle our flowers is "disorderly conduct". When anything might be arbitrarily deemed disorderly conduct and we aren't willing to push back against that, then what you've done is internalized the idea that everything is "disorderly conduct" and they just haven't gotten around to tossing you in jail for the way that everything you do is messed up.
If I recall correctly, I did get stopped once by a passing patrol car when I was walking down a side street in late dusk near where I live. I was new to the game, wearing an unfashionable dress, my lipstick was smeared, and I didn't have the hang of those shoes yet. My memory (not the greatest) is that one of the people on the street had reported me -- not for being a cross-dresser (or at least the police didn't mention anything about that), but because I was a stranger dressed a little more shabbily than would be typical for the neighbourhood, and the person had been concerned that I might be "casing" the neighbourhood. If there was any trans-phobia on the part of the neighbour, the police did not hint of it in any way: they were polite to me, explained clearly why they had stopped me, and upon hearing my explanation that No, I lived just a few streets over and was taking advantage of the nice weather to go for a walk, were completely satisfied. Before they left, they cautioned me to be a bit more careful walking alone at night on those streets, as the street lighting is weaker in the middle of the block and they had heard of random prowlers sometimes in the area, strangers from out of the area who come to our (better-off) neighbourhood and take advantage of "targets of opportunity" to mug people in the darker stretches.
In the entire encounter, if there was the slightest hint on the part of the police about my cross-dressing being unusual, it was (at most) in the subtle reminder that as a mid-sized woman in heels, that the muggers would probably perceive me as more vulnerable than the muggers would tend to perceive a guy with a typical guy swagger. No condemnation or repulsion at all: at most a gentle guideance on smart safety for when I was out as a female.
Now, if I were putting on "**** clothes" and going to hang around the area the prostitutes hang out, or putting on short party-dresses and no jacket and standing around on downtown street corners with a little clutch purse, not going anywhere, then Yes, of course I wouldn't be surprised if the police got the idea that I was there as a prostitute and stopped by to say something. But I have walked right by policemen (and women) while "gender-bending", obvious femme clothes but no wig and probably no makeup: if they glance at me at all (not uncommon, because police do routinely practice "situational awareness" and glance at people they pass to be sure there is no obvious threat) then they don't bother to look at me, break stride, or otherwise treat me any different from anyone else who is obviously just "going about their business". My wearing a skirt or a dress or pretty top or carrying a purse isn't a threat to anyone, and I'm not "moving strangely" -- if anything, they'd probably assess that I am less of a problem than the average person. Attitude: I act like I belong there, that my clothes are perfectly normal clothes, and, ergo, I do belong there. Except it isn't an "act" in the sense of a pretense: I'm comfortable being who I am, dressed as I am, and I just proceed normally, because it is normal for me.
It is unconstitutional to have a law against cross-dressing as it violates your rights to free speech which includes freedom of expression. Unless the town wants to deal with a lawsuit backed by the ACLU, it would be unwise for any officer to press charges should a town ordinance exist. If a cop gives you a hard time about why you are dressed, get their name and badge number and file a complaint with the agency.
Apparently still a law on the books in Pueblo, Colo. that requires CD's to "Wear men's underwear underneath their gear..." LOL!
First of all, nothing bad has ever happened to me[knock on wood], because I've always used common sense.With respect: I consider the above to be "scaremongering". I also consider saying "Tell absolutely no one!" (a paraphrase of another recent posting of yours) to be "scaremongering". I appreciate that perhaps at some time some bad things might have happened to you, but your posts tend to adopt these position as if they were truisms, that if one does not pass perfectly that one should hide deeply in the closet.
If it is true that "Disorderly conduct can be whatever a cop says it is", then the lesson that we should learn from that is not that we should hide: the lesson we should learn from that is that we should employ our democratic rights (those of us who live in places that supposedly have rights) and fight to curtail the power of the police to make arbitrary "disorderly conduct" decisions. And if we aren't willing to do that, then the preventive lesson to be learned is not cross-dressing specific the preventive lesson is that since ANYTHING could be "disorderly conduct", that we aren't willing to struggle for our freedoms, that we should, everyone one of us, "pure male" or whatever our gender indication, stay home inside, doors locked and shades drawn and stereo barely audible at best -- because, after all, a cop might decide that the way we hold the watering can to sprinkle our flowers is "disorderly conduct". When anything might be arbitrarily deemed disorderly conduct and we aren't willing to push back against that, then what you've done is internalized the idea that everything is "disorderly conduct" and they just haven't gotten around to tossing you in jail for the way that everything you do is messed up.
Second, you go and fight the good fight, and get back to me on how it works out for you, and how much it costs in lawyer fees. If you go looking for trouble, you can usually find it.
My point was that a guy in heels and a dress, and no makeup or wig, is more likely to attract unwanted attention, than the same guy in heels, dress, makeup and a wig, who is at least making an effort to pass. I really feel that if someone is going to dress and go outside, they should at least make an effort to pass, and not simply try to test the limits.
Do a search on crossdressing law. There are many results both to protect, and, procecute crossdressers.
Suzy i could just see the femanists having a ball with that lol
I did, many years ago, get mail (snail mail) from a friend in BC Canada.. She stated that ( my memory aint the best but will try) "a friend of hers, dressed up as a woman with **** doing his makeup. said he was a good looking chick etc. walked into the local police station with a bunch of flowers and gave it to them to "pretty" up the place.."
She said the station was full of cops and all was fine till he started to leave. Thats when he was proposisioned by one cop. said he identified himself to the cop as a man. and the cops said "yeah i know"
he didnt get in any trouble but he did have to talk himself out of a date for that night lol
now i know the words are not exactly as she said as it was a long time ago.. but you get the drift
i remember cos she got busted for drunk in public, or what ever its called and she saw the flowers about 3 days later still there lol
I would soooooooooooooooo never do that.. not out here anyway, too many places to hide my corpse lol
Hmm...for the article linked to above - For the crossdressing portion of the law - I wonder if they plan on convicting any women for dressing like men.I'm surprised everyone missed this one...
http://media.www.thenichollsworth.co...-2939242.shtml
Note, for history buffs, the cops who were harassing drag queens that started the Stonewall Riots were using anti-crossdressing laws as justification.
Marla
To a reasonable extent this sounds logical to me. No, in theory, we shouldn't have to be afraid, but if you crossdress in a time, place, and manner that is likely to get people stirred up, you're probably going to get accused of some other crime (disorderly conduct, etc).A lot depends on what you are doing, and where. It also may depend on how you are dressed. Hanging out in parks is not a good idea, because of familys and children in the area. Dressing like a hooker, and hanging out is not a good idea. Wearing a dress and heels, and no wig or makeup is not a good idea. Disorderly conduct can be whatever a cop says it is. A little common sense goes a long way.
I live in the conservative south - it would seem logical that I could get complaints / get stopped if I were in a park while dressed.
Likewise overdressing and lingering or walking about areas you don't live could arouse suspicion.
I'd be curious though on how likely you are to be cited for wearing a dress/pantyhose/heels without a wig/makeup to make it more believeable.
Another question - While crossdressed, how would you know what stores you can visit without trouble? I understand busineses have a reasonable amount of freedom in asking people to leave / banning them.
They explicitly stated that the law was unneccssary because the group in question was already proteced by existing law and did not require seperate protection.
I am straight.
It's Louisiana government. I live ten minutes across the boarder, and have family all over Louisiana. There is no more inept, crooked, and down right useless government than Louisiana's. Mayor Wonka(I don't remember what his name is......the NOLA mayor that talked about the chocolate city(thus mayor Wonka)) was probably as competent as any of them. You would have to see it to believe what Louisiana will pull. Great food, fun culture, but the inmates are running the asylum...
Like his politics or not(which I'm not a huge fan of but...), Bobby Jindal is probably the least corrupt person to hold a parish level or higher office in 50 years.
Posting Permissions
