Public Mocking of CD'ing?

[Jenniferathome]

They are not mocking cross dressers. In fact, in all likelihood, the boys wearing the prom dresses do not know cross dressers exist. It is just a silly high school ritual and shows complete lack of creativity. While it is true that the result is, "a boy in a dress looks funny" to me it is no attack on cross dressers. No one thinks, "Oh, this is how cross dressers are." They are thinking,"Doesn't Dave look ridiculous." And he does!

I think that there is just too much political correctness going on these days. Basically, doing anything can offend someone so are we to do nothing?

Let it go. And when you choose to go out, represent the best you can.

[Tracii G]

I think that there is just too much political correctness going on these days. Basically, doing anything can offend someone so are we to do nothing?

Let it go. And when you choose to go out, represent the best you can.[/QUOTE]


I agree with Jennifer 100% the world is getting too PC.People get butt hurt too easily.
I call it the "its all about me syndrome".
Now that might piss a few younger cd's off me putting it that way but you can't control what others do and think about you or anyone else for that matter.
Just represent as best you can and be proud of yourself they can't take that away from you.

[StacyLynn]

I completely understand where you're coming from. It's certainly not an open mocking because they're doing it from a place of total ignorance, but it definitely reinforces the stereotype that crossdressing is unnatural and a "joke." It's because of events like this that the general population doesn't understand who crossdressers really are. I personally wouldn't take too much offense to it because I know it's nothing personal, but I do harbor a small resentment to how it can negatively affect the crossdressing community.

[PaulaQ]

They are not mocking cross dressers. In fact, in all likelihood, the boys wearing the prom dresses do not know cross dressers exist. It is just a silly high school ritual and shows complete lack of creativity.

...

I think that there is just too much political correctness going on these days. Basically, doing anything can offend someone so are we to do nothing?

Perhaps the school should celebrate the heritage of students of African American descent by getting all the white kids to put on blackface and put on silly little skits and songs. Tee hee, tee hee! Maybe they could schedule this on Martin Luther King's Birthday, or some other such significant day.

And while I think we (hopefully) all agree that such an event would be really offensive to the African American students of that school, and to the community at large, I find it interesting that doing more or less the exact same thing with regard to gender gets a pass. Because this isn't the 1950's - it's the 21st century, and people know, or should know, that transgender folks exist, and that mockery is cruel.

[Zylia]

Well, they're obviously mocking women, not unlike many 'actual' cross-dressers.

[Amanda M]

As usual. jennifer has nailed it. Come on. Lighten up folks. When people get anxious about this sort of things, it is a often an expresion of their own guilt/ shame/insecurity.

AprilMayy - your fellow students (I suspect) do not know that you crossdress. Therefore, how can they be subtly mocking you? Perhaps the problem is that you are a bit worried that if you go for it, they might guess

For what it's worth, if you make a sham of the whole thing, you will be letting yourself down. Be brave, get shaved, made up, powdered and fancied up and be great!

[PaulaQ]

Uncle Tom's Cabin

[TinaRavin]

while i can see where your comming from i havr to agree with some of the others here... its 1) high school who cares, 2) not aimed at you personally again who cares, 3) not ment in any way at all to target crossdressers or any member of the TG comunity. it to show all the work the real girls put into it to look pretty.

i would just look at it for what it is.. harmless high school nonsense.

[Vickie_CDTV]

Take it from someone twice you age, life is offensive. I see things everyday that mock and offend things I believe in. There are people all around me who do things I don't agree with, and say things I don't approve of. If I stopped to protest everything that offended me I would never get anything done. Personally, I find political correctness and the hypersensitive culture we now live in to be more offensive than anything.

Anyway, I doubt the boys are really doing it to make fun of trans people, and I doubt they even know any trans people or even care about trans people one way or another. They just want to embarrass each other. I'd also worry, given that you are in high school, if you complain and the boys find out that you were the reason their event was cancelled, you may find yourself dealing with more trouble than it is worth. You need to pick your battles, and this, in the grand scheme of things, may not be worth it.

[PaulaQ]

BTW, I agree that they aren't directly mocking trans* - or it would doubtless be a much nastier affair. That doesn't change the inherent offensiveness of their actions. I doubt most of the kids involved are even hateful people - they are probably a pretty nice bunch - just ignorant as all hell. That still doesn't make it OK.

[CONSUELO]

So, what if one of the boys took it very seriously and made himself look completely feminine and indistinguishable from one of the girls attending the Prom. Would that be considered funny? What if one of the girls came dressed in male attire and looking exactly like a boy with no makeup and a boyish hairstyle. Would she be shunned or applauded?

[Cristy2]

They used to do stuff like that when I was in school back in the 70's and early 80's. Never really paid that much attention to it to be honest.

[DonnaT]

Personally, I don't have a problem with it. I've never felt that such events were mocking CDs/TGs.

Many schools have similar events, such as womanless beauty pageants, cross dress day, or football players dressing a cheerleaders at a pep rally, etc.

I admired the guys for having the courage to cross dress in public.

But times are a changing, like using the term crossdresser now instead of transvestite, and getting the word out that the term tranny/trannie is no longer acceptable to the TG community.

Thus, if you feel deeply about such activities in school, as being discriminatory, then campaign against it. Start a movement across the US.

What does get me upset, however, are the "religious right" parents who try and get such events stopped as being a sin.

[sometimes_miss]

Well, they're obviously mocking women, not unlike many 'actual' cross-dressers.

This is what everyone is missing. They're not making fun of crossdressers. They're poking fun at the girls and all the trouble girls go through to look good at prom. It has absolutely nothing to do with crossdressers. NOTHING!

[Chickhe]

Simple way to look at things like that... it is not about you. Nobody is mocking you and nobody knows how you feel. So there is nothing to feel bad about.

[dianne_1234]

I agree with Zylia and sometimes_miss: They are mocking women, which is worse (IMHO) than mocking cross dressers. That's not right. As a crossdresser I like to think I'm *more* in tune with my feminine side, not blind to it.

On the other hand, I wonder what percentage of those boys dressing as girls look forward to it...?

[Jenny Gurl]

Perhaps the school should celebrate the heritage of students of African American descent by getting all the white kids to put on blackface and put on silly little skits and songs. Tee hee, tee hee! Maybe they could schedule this on Martin Luther King's Birthday, or some other such significant day.

This was big news a short while back. A white girl (Julianne Hough) wanted to do a group Halloween theme of the very popular "Orange is the new Black" on Netflix. Someone had to play the Character "Crazy Eyes" and they were all white. One did black makeup and the news all but Crucified her. I know school events have been done for years but eventually they have to adjust to the times. I dare say after a cross dressing event like this as a joke, any man who showed up in a dress for the real prom would be turned away at many schools, just like the girls who want to wear a tux and go with their girlfriend.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...icle-1.1497396

[Adriana Moretti]

It is just a silly high school ritual and shows complete lack of creativity.
Let it go. And when you choose to go out, represent the best you can.

yes...this is HIGH SCHOOL we are talking about here...REMEMBER what that was like???..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WlvPclQnmQ

.April half those boys probably LOVED being dressed, dont be surprized if one or two turn into dressers...just a thought...your better than everyone at your school anyway because you are you...and you are a rare unique person...

[CONSUELO]

I agree with Lorileah. The potential insults involved in this "harmless prank" are several. Why is it OK to make fun of some group that does not include you. There are many things that can be done at a prom that are humourous and this is not one.

[AllieSF]

Sorry Lorileah, but you and many others are many just too big a deal out of all this. They are not intentionally nor unintentionally mocking anyone. They are following a school sanctioned ritual to do something different prior to their prom. If it is mocking women, then as someone else said early in this thread we CD's are doing the same, and according to your reasoning we should stop and show more respect to women and whoever else is offended by it, including the men who do not understand why another guy may want to wear women's clothing and actually go out into the real world. What about those guys who dress up for Halloween as women, regular ones or sexy ones? They must be mocking women and must stop doing that according to your reasoning. Actually, they should just ban Halloween because people mock priests, nuns (you know the pregnant nun costumes), football players, hobos, injured war veterans with crutches and fake bloody bandages, vampires and everyone else. What about all those wonderful pet owners who continually dress up their pets in dresses, and sweaters and put pink bows in their dog's fur to make them look pretty? That must be mocking the poor pets who are more than happy not taking baths, wearing their own fur without adornments. I think that all vets should be telling their clients to treat their pets with more respect and stop living their cute fantasies at pet's expense. What about this charity events where men dress as women in support of the event? I sure someone out there will consider that an insult to women.

The point is that we do things all the time that someone can take as an insult, when in fact they are not, except for that offended someone. If you want to look for offenses, they are there everywhere from the funny ads (reference the recent Veet ad thread or some of the Honda commercials that depict the man as a complete idiot while the wife gets everything), the initiation rites of passage into select groups like fraternities and sororities, to even the military, as someone pointed out above. Being respectful is one thing and it is good, having fun is another when it, in my opinion, is innocent as this schools annual pre-prom special activities.

I understand how someone can see something that someone else is doing and feel bad. That does not always mean that the other person is doing something wrong. I would guess that most of the time it just means that the offended feeling bad person sees something that reminds them of their own issues that they have yet to come to terms with. It is not bad to feel that way and is probably very natural. However, instead of leading a campaign to end a simple school ritual because one feels bad, the person needs to learn how to deal with their own issues and get on with their lives. If the ritual or activity was obviously directed toward them in the sense of discrimination, putting down some subset group of people, then yes, that is wrong. This whole ritual is there to have a good time by all. If one of the contestants doesn't want to participate they can always say no. Yes, they will probably take some flack for that, but learning to stand and hold your ground about what you will or will not do is also a very good learning process. Standing out from the crowd when necessary is good.

On a closing note, I am one who believes that the more press that we get, the more that we TG's are out there in all shapes, forms and presentations, the more non TG people participate in our dress up activities in plays, school rituals such as this one the more and other public ones like the charity men in heels walks or crossdressing for charity events, that over the long term the general public will start to understand that we are also part of their society and this real world and that as human beings we have the same rights as anyone else in this diverse world.

[PaulaQ]

Sorry Lorileah, but you and many others are many just too big a deal out of all this. They are not intentionally nor unintentionally mocking anyone.

OK Allie, you sold me.

It's harmless fun. I mean, it's not like TG people are depicted negatively in the media ever:
- cross dressing men are treated with dignity, not for laughs
- drag queens are viewed as serious entertainers
- transsexuals are treated as regular human beings, not creepy, deceptive "things", or hopelessly exotic sex objects

I think the African American folks were kind of over the top about complaining about minstrel shows too - but those were before my time!

You are right - what we are forgetting about is the societal context - that overall feeling of love, acceptance, tolerance - and dare I say it - a little envy perhaps? - from society at large. Yes, we should just develop a thicker hide!

I mean, it would be totally different if we were ridiculed, threatened, attacked, and reviled at nearly every turn! In that context, the event might be considered to have an unconcious subtext of "look at how ridiculous men in women's clothes look," and "this is only allowed once a year - for laughs."

[Babbs]

They are not mocking cross dressers. In fact, in all likelihood, the boys wearing the prom dresses do not know cross dressers exist. It is just a silly high school ritual and shows complete lack of creativity. While it is true that the result is, "a boy in a dress looks funny" to me it is no attack on cross dressers. No one thinks, "Oh, this is how cross dressers are." They are thinking,"Doesn't Dave look ridiculous." And he does!

I think that there is just too much political correctness going on these days. Basically, doing anything can offend someone so are we to do nothing?

Let it go. And when you choose to go out, represent the best you can.

Jenn, I think you are absolutely correct!

[NicoleScott]

If they don't know you are a CDer, then they could not be mocking you. It was your choice to be offended by other people having a little fun.