Dina’s Diner September 21, 2020

PLEAD NOT GUILTY

Renee Reyes

I came across an article by well-known transperson Renee Reyes on her own website. The headline for her essay was Do You Feel Guilty About Your Desire to Crossdress? There wasn’t a dateline for the piece but the content applies at any time.

The first point she makes is to accept your transgenderism or desire to crossdress because that’s the way you’re wired. Although she doesn’t say it explicitly, for males who are compelled to crossdress (even if they never really accomplish much of it), the conflict over our outward male projection and hidden desires can be problematic. The idea of coming to terms with it within your own head seems a necessary first step to not going crazy.

Her next point was “Don’t let your life get in the way of your transgenderism…and don’t let your transgenderism get in the way of your life.” I think this is a good point and one that is apropos for newly active crossdressers. It’s easy to let the euphoria of crossdressing start to overtake our psyches. I went through that phase many years ago. Maybe you did also. As Renee writes, “Balance is the key to long term happiness – in all areas of your life.”

Some other topics Renee brings up are related to maintaining a secret life unknown to many of your family members and friends; how to come out with trustworthy people in your life; how to deal with getting “caught” while crossdressed; and dealing with sexual fantasies or real sexual experiences related to crossdressing. She also discusses seeking counseling if the pressure gets too great.

Renee’s essay touched on a couple of thoughts I’ve held for a long time. I already mentioned the newly liberated crossdresser going a bit overboard. Besides experiences of our own or observed in others, the online forums are filled with folks who seem to have let their dreams or fantasies get too far out in front of themselves. It’s somewhat understandable. Troubling nonetheless.

Although I wouldn’t call it guilt about crossdressing, I still have nightmares about my secret getting out. I wake up and wonder how I would ever deal with the embarrassment if, say, the secret was outed to co-workers. And I don’t even work anymore! If you’re a compartmentalizer, you really, really need those dividing barriers in place to keep your sanity.

EVER HEAR OF THE THREE ARTICLE RULE?

I came across an article that appeared on the History.com website on June 29, 2019. The article was headlined When Dressing in Drag Was Labeled a Crime in the 20th Century. The article dealt with the pre-Stonewall riot decades, primarily the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. A brief video that accompanied the online article noted that in the 1950s homosexual acts were considered a crime in 49 states. There only were 49 states in the 1950s.

Arrested for drag in 1962.

Local police in many cities across the country rousted gay bars and targeted men (and women) in drag against whom they could use old “masquerade” laws. Those masquerade laws were designed to prevent criminals using masquerades as part of their other illegal activities. The article pointed out that an informal guideline known as the “three article rule” was adopted by the police in arrests of crossdressed individuals. If the detainee could show that he (or she) had at least three articles of clothing that matched their biological gender they would not be arrested.

The article mentioned and quoted from an early female-to-male crossdresser who adopted the male clothing to help her get a job after the defense industries stopped using women as they had in war-time factory jobs. She was hassled after wearing male-appearing clothing in the post-war period trying to pass as male for factory work.

“Police were using this to check their underwear,” Christopher Mitchell (an LGBTQ history researcher) says, using the law as an excuse for street-level sexual assault and sexual humiliation by the police. As the History.com article notes, there was no such “law” and police were conflating the masquerade laws with their interpretation of anti-homosexual statutes of the time.

I thought that the photos accompanying the article were interesting. The crossdressed men being arrested in the photos were dressed pretty conservatively and not risqué at all. These were, after all, the otherwise sedate post-war years. I also wondered if any of us today could point to three articles of male clothing on our bodies when we are crossdressed that would keep us out of the hoosegow. Even if you wore male underpants beneath your smock, what else could you come up with? Would contact lenses count? A male wristwatch?

The next time you go out dressed, remember how lucky we are that most of this harassment is a thing of the past. And just think that without those three items (whatever they could possibly be) you’d be taking a ride in the paddy wagon.

DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR

SoraNews24.com is a Japan-based news and culture website. I found an interesting article dated June 14, 2020 heralding a new service for Japanese crossdressers. It’s a subscription service that will deliver everything the experienced or aspiring crossdresser needs to dress at home.

The SoraNews article said, “Tokyo-based company Uni specializes in services in the field of josou, men dressing as women. In addition to managing a josou bar where customers with no prior experience can dabble in the practice, it also periodically hosts josou events for veterans and newcomers alike. However, the company realizes that not all people interested in trying josou live in a community with access to such facilities and gatherings, and that even those who do may prefer to dress as a woman in a more private way. So for them, Uni is launching Girls Closet, a monthly subscription service that provides women’s clothing and josou advice to users.” It continued, “For a monthly fee, users will get a coordinated rental outfit, cosmetics, and access to an expanding library of video tutorials with josou tips and advice. While anyone can sign up, Girls Closet is conceived as “a subscription service that even men who have never done josou even once can make use of.” Outfits are delivered to the customer’s home, allowing them to try the clothing on and see if it’s to their liking at their leisure, something josou neophytes may feel awkward attempting to do in a brick-and-mortar retail shop. If the ensemble isn’t to the customer’s liking, they can send it back and receive a new one.”

If you understand Japanese, there is a short video explaining the service on the site. The monthly subscription is 10,000 yen or about $93. You can get everything delivered to your door nowadays. Meal kits, designer dresses and work outfits, even used cars, so why not your crossdressing fol de rol?

And we learned a new word for our favorite pastime. If a friend asks you if you josou you can answer confidently Hai!

I’LL NEVER FORGET GOOD OLD WHAT’S HER NAME

I stumbled across an article on the EnFemmeStyle.com blog about how crossdressers choose their names. The writer, Cathy Hamilton, mentioned a few common origins for femme names such as feminizing a male name (e.g. Michael to Michelle) or as an homage to an admired female or just dreamed up out of the blue. The comments from readers recounted their naming stories that covered the myriad sources of inspiration.

The article starts off with this: “Furrow your brow and think back carefully. . . just how did you get your femme name? And did you pick a femme name from the very first day you started cross dressing. . .or was your name something which just sort of came along or appeared some time later?” In my case, I did not have a femme name and it was only after going to my first Renaissance meeting that everyone told me I needed a “name.” Exactly where Dina came from, though, I can’t really say. Apparently, that is a common origin story. Some names just pop into one’s head and seem to fit.

The reader comments ran the gamut with some choosing common names – a couple using the name their parents said they would have chosen for a girl instead of their son. Some have elaborate backstories for their femme monikers. One person mentioned movie star Veronica Lake as her inspiration. (Veronica Lake! Showing your age, there, dear.)

My dear, departed friend April Love started as a Michelle (a feminization of the male name) but changed it. There were “too many Michelles” in our crossdressing group, she said.

Cathy, the author of the piece, mentions that we are lucky to choose our own names which we do not get to do in our non-crossdressing existence. Given that, I am surprised I wasn’t paralyzed with uncertainty choosing my name. When confronted with an endless variety it is sometimes hard to just pick one. Had I not been pressed to come up with something thirty years ago, I might still be dithering.

Ditherella, maybe.

FOR THE GURL WHO WANTS IT ALL – EXCEPT COVID 19

The Asian-centered website NextShark.com had a short article about a timely offering from the thoughtful folks at fashion accessory house Louis Vuitton. The article appeared on the site September 14, 2020.

You want it You need it.

The NextShark article was short enough to copy almost in its entirety. Here we go: “French luxury goods company and fashion house Louis Vuitton is releasing an elegant face shield that comes with gold studs next month. The face shield will come with an elastic, monogrammed headband and a shield attached by golden studs engraved with the famous LV logo, according to Vanity Fair. The shield itself can be moved upwards to turn it into a peaked hat. The French fashion house described the shield that comes equipped with transition lens technology to protect the wearer from the sun. The brand describes the product as “an eye-catching headpiece, both stylish and protective.” The LV face shield is set to be released on October 30 as part of its 2021 Cruise collection.”

The headline to the article announcing the release of the LV face shield was what caught my eye. “Louis Vuitton is releasing $961 Gold-Studded Face Shield.” What? You were expecting a two-for-ten bucks face mask from Louie the V?

But here’s the thing that made me go, hmmmm. I wrote just last month about Covid face masks getting in the way of public crossdressing fun. But what about a clear plastic face shield? Ah, now you’re singin’ my song down at the old Diner (I can hear you saying). Sure, honey, you can get all dolled up, lip gloss and all. And the shield, (ya see?) won’t obscure your natural beauty like the cloth face mask because this one is clear plastic! It’s brilliant. Sure I have some in the Diner’s back room. How many you want?

Make the check payable to Dina’s Diner. Yeah, $961 just like I said, sweetheart.

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Tags: crossdressing, featured, opinion, Transgender

Category: Transgender Fun & Entertainment, Transgender Opinion