No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools

cheeseandrice · February 2012

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/09/virginia-school-district-considers-ban-on-cross-dressing-students/

A school district is considering passing a new addition to their dress code. "The proposal explicitly bans clothing "not in keeping with a student's gender," distracts others from the educational process or poses health concerns."

Thoughts? Is it a 'first amendment right'? Would seeing a (biologically) male classmate of yours wearing a dress really affect your education or pose a health concern?

AllAboutTheBenjamin · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_no-cross-dressing-in-virginia-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:879d920c-493a-463b-aa7e-ff1420d6c858Post:6e72fd1c-978a-4da7-8a7c-1a27237c1aa2">No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools</a>:
[QUOTE]<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/09/virginia-school-district-considers-ban-on-cross-dressing-students/">http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/09/virginia-school-district-considers-ban-on-cross-dressing-students/</a> A school district is considering passing a new addition to their dress code.<strong> " The proposal explicitly bans clothing "not in keeping with a student's gender,"</strong> distracts others from the educational process or poses health concerns." Thoughts? Is it a 'first amendment right'? Would seeing a (biologically) male classmate of yours wearing a dress really affect your education or pose a health concern?
Posted by Steph+J[/QUOTE]

I immediately have to ask - what if the student HAS no exact gender/sex? FFS, one in every two thousand people are born with ambiguous genitals. I met such a person in college and listening to her story (she identified as female but was born with what could kinda be classified as a penis) was heartbreaking.

Bomb threats at schools could affect the education or health of a student. Clothing, whatever.

cheeseandrice · February 2012

I think it's ridiculous. Quite frankly, I think students these days are going to be far more accepting of what someone else wears than the teachers anyway. As long as a student is abiding by the rest of the dress code (skirt length, no low-cut shirts, etc) then I don't care if they're wearing 'mens' or 'womens' clothing.

And to nitpick, I think this line "not in keeping with a student's gender," is particularly funny anyway, because it's basically saying the opposite of what I assume they mean to inforce. If you have a student who is biologically male, but identifies as a female, then that student's gender is female. Therefore, the rule allows the student to dress in 'traditionally female' clothing anyway.

annakb8 · February 2012

I want to know how they are going to determine a student's gender so they can enforce the dress code. Maybe they should have said sex.

Anyway, I think this is stupid. And probably sexist. They would never care about a girl wearing boy clothes, I'm sure they are only upset about boys wearing dresses. That said, kids don't really have first amendment rights on school property so I wouldn't be surprised if this rule stands.

NuggetBrain · February 2012

So does that mean girls can no longer wear "boys" clothes too?

I'mma be honest, when I was in high school as tolerant as I was, if a guy had shown up in a dress I probably would have google-eyed it a little bit.

The more outrageous gay guys in my school usually just wore scarves and bangles and eyeliner and stuff.

musicalsunlight · February 2012

If the Sup Ct said it can't cause a substantial disruption, I guess that would be an interesting analysis in this case. Honestly I could see kids more distracted by a boy in a dress than a girl in a tux (though why would a girl wear a tux to school, seems a little pricey). Sad but true.

mbody · February 2012

Yeaaah, I don't see this going over too well.

Gender is a social label. Sex is biological. So, their entire arguement is meaningless. Now, if they changed it to biological sex, then I guess they can make everyone drop trou to check, but yeaaah, that won't go over too well either.

AllAboutTheBenjamin · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_no-cross-dressing-in-virginia-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:879d920c-493a-463b-aa7e-ff1420d6c858Post:d321d4a1-de97-4ef9-82b5-a27d062941b3">Re: No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools</a>:
[QUOTE]I want to know how they are going to determine a student's gender so they can enforce the dress code. Maybe they should have said sex. Anyway, I think this is stupid. And <strong>probably sexist. They would never care about a girl wearing boy clothes, I'm sure they are only upset about boys wearing dresses. </strong>That said, kids don't really have first amendment rights on school property so I wouldn't be surprised if this rule stands.
Posted by annakb8[/QUOTE]

I didn't even think about that. I had a few boys sweatshirts/sports things I'd wear to school, ffs. Lol, and the last Twins zip-up hoodie Ben bought was from the women's section. I mean, they're sweats, so you can't tell. But they'd be against these rules. That's garbage.

cheeseandrice · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_no-cross-dressing-in-virginia-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:879d920c-493a-463b-aa7e-ff1420d6c858Post:bae90778-edb5-4a47-a166-6170459d347d">Re: No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools</a>:
[QUOTE]So does that mean girls can no longer wear "boys" clothes too? I'mma be honest, when I was in high school as tolerant as I was, <strong>if a guy had shown up in a dress I probably would have google-eyed it a little bit. </strong> The more outrageous gay guys in my school usually just wore scarves and bangles and eyeliner and stuff.
Posted by NuggetBrain[/QUOTE]

<div>True, but would it have been detrimental to your educational opportunity? Would you be so distracted that you couldn't learn?</div>

ErinG93 · February 2012

Wow. That's ridiculous and I feel like it's more discriminatory towards males who identify as females. There were many girls in school that wore sweats, baggy pants, etc. and I doubt the school administration would say anything to them. It seems like the only students they would care about would be males dressing in traditionally female clothing.

ewhiteman06 · February 2012

I'm so incredibly sick of people confusing the term "sex" and "gender".

Sex refers to your biological makeup and physical genitalia.

Gender is a social construction which assigns certain norms, behaviors, emotions and in this case clothing, to a particular sex.

Steph is right. If they identify as a female in regards to their gender, they can wear whatever they want.

This is exactly why we need sex education and tolerance based curriculum taught in our schools. If the school district or whoever is proposing this ridiculous rule, doesn't understand the difference between sex and gender, what does that say about our future?

ETA: How the fvck do they plan on deciding what is "girl clothing" and what is "boy clothing"? This is so absurd. It's as if every other developing country in the world is progressing and we're regressing to the fvcking dark ages.

cheeseandrice · February 2012

cfas, I don't think so. Unless I read it wrong, they (one of the lawyers) was saying the school would have to prove there had been cases of violence, of which there were none.

musicalsunlight · February 2012

It is true that students don't have as many 1st amend rights on school grounds but there have been many exceptions depending on content written in a school newspaper, etc. If I were in HS and a guy showed up in a dress, it would probably cause some talk and staring but if it happened more than once I think people would get used to it.

[Deleted User] · February 2012

I think it's stupid. As long as they are abiding by the dress code, let them wear what they want.

At my high school, we had a "Senior Cross Dress Day" during the week of senior events toward the end of the year. It was just for seniors and almost everyone participated, but it was meant to be hilarious and fun rather than dressing normal.

Regardless, before I attended, it used to be an actual school-scheduled event. But then one year a parent called in all pissy because her son was being exposed to boys wearing dresses and girls wearing men's boots and wifebeaters, and it went against God to do so. She made such a fuss that the school could no longer "approve" of it, so it became a student-fueled event and the school basically said, oh well, can't stop them from dressing up!

NuggetBrain · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_no-cross-dressing-in-virginia-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:879d920c-493a-463b-aa7e-ff1420d6c858Post:fc921f0e-c746-408b-bc15-fc5881a9c997">Re: No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools : True, but would it have been detrimental to your educational opportunity? Would you be so distracted that you couldn't learn?
Posted by Steph+J[/QUOTE]

Hells no, I was just saying I probably would have googly-eyed it for a little bit. But not through all of class or anything.

number55 · February 2012

All I get out of that is that it would be better/acceptable for me to dress really slutty but not like a guy. I know that isn't really what they are saying but yeah, it's assinine.

musicalsunlight · February 2012

What about that whole girl-jeans phase? That was big when I was in HS. Guys were wearing girl jeans all over the place.

ewhiteman06 · February 2012

And the argument that it will prevent violence is a bunch of crap.

It makes ZERO sense to just separate people from each other in order to keep them from hating each other. All that does is perpetuate the ignorance and violence.

We need to teach children that diversity is a very good thing and the fact that we're all different is a strength not a weakness. Society has to change. That takes time.

cheeseandrice · February 2012

no, I know, Nuggs. I figured that's what you meant. I was just countering, because I think that's how some teachers/parents really feel. "OMG that BOY is wearing a DRESS. My child will never be able to learn how calculus now." *eyeroll*

shiit, someone coming to school with neon pink hair is distracting, but you get over it.

number55 · February 2012

Also, equally dumb, (and completely OT) apparently Jay Z and Beyonce are trying to trademark Blue Ivy's name. Lots of dumb stuff happens apparently.

ewhiteman06 · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_no-cross-dressing-in-virginia-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:879d920c-493a-463b-aa7e-ff1420d6c858Post:bef672aa-64a3-4126-b071-3ba8c2bae1ed">Re: No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools</a>:
[QUOTE]Also, equally dumb, (and completely OT) apparently Jay Z and Beyonce are trying to trademark Blue Ivy's name. Lots of dumb stuff happens apparently.
Posted by number55[/QUOTE]

<div>Good lord. It's a stupid name anyway, so it's not like there are going to be tons of people clammering to name their baby that.</div>

adamar15 · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_no-cross-dressing-in-virginia-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:879d920c-493a-463b-aa7e-ff1420d6c858Post:89b468e6-9ae6-4da7-a0df-fe83a9dcb1ac">Re: No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools</a>:
[QUOTE]What about that whole girl-jeans phase? That was big when I was in HS. Guys were wearing girl jeans all over the place.
Posted by musicalsunlight[/QUOTE]

Anything that keeps guys from wearing girl jeans is ok in my book.

JUST KIDDING. But seriously, that really is just not attractive.

maratea · February 2012

OMG. This makes me want to throw things around the room. How can you even quantify what types of clothing fall into a 'gender appropriate' category, given that gender is a construct, something that is created and formed. The way the school has worded this rule is not going to stand up, because they can't prove a student's gender unless the student offers up what they are.

musicalsunlight · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_no-cross-dressing-in-virginia-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:879d920c-493a-463b-aa7e-ff1420d6c858Post:6adf5417-17ee-46d8-92a2-d65d723f13b0">Re: No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools : Anything that keeps guys from wearing girl jeans is ok in my book. JUST KIDDING. But seriously, that really is just not attractive.
Posted by adamar15[/QUOTE]

Haha, I hated it too, didn't think it was attractive. But I mean, according to this rule it would be banned...even though at the time it was a huge trend.

ewhiteman06 · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_no-cross-dressing-in-virginia-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:879d920c-493a-463b-aa7e-ff1420d6c858Post:fb740f20-fe86-4af0-bb9c-1ad37c489a21">Re: No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools</a>:
[QUOTE]OMG. This makes me want to throw things around the room. How can you even quantify what types of clothing fall into a 'gender appropriate' category, given that gender is a construct, something that is created and formed. The way the school has worded this rule is not going to stand up, because they can't prove a student's gender unless the student offers up what they are.
Posted by maratea[/QUOTE]

<div>aFUCKINGmen.</div>

NuggetBrain · February 2012

There were some wierdo guys at my high school that wore bathrobes to school. Over regular clothes. They hung out under the stairs by the office.

chelseamb11 · February 2012

But honestly, short of wearing a suit and tie, is it possible for a girl to be considered cross dressing? It's not like it's the 1800s where girls never wore pants. This is an extremely sexist rule and one very hard to enforce unless a boy was wearing a dress. Who freaking cares if he's wearing a dress? Unless that dress shoots poisonous barbs out of itself if someone looks at it, it does not harm to anyone. If people are so *gasp!* distracted by it, then they need to lighten up. Gender stereotypes do not need to be regulated at school.

musicalsunlight · February 2012

LOL Nuggs. I know which stairs you're talking about. I think the bathrobe trend was weird.

mbody · February 2012

I think the only way that a school has the right to say something to a boy in a dress is if the dress itself is against code. Like it's too short on him or something. But if the dress is within all school dress codes, than anyone should be able to wear it.

celticmyss · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_no-cross-dressing-in-virginia-schools?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:879d920c-493a-463b-aa7e-ff1420d6c858Post:00f843b8-1036-4db7-b977-7b94619cb911">Re: No Cross-Dressing in Virginia Schools</a>:
[QUOTE]There were some wierdo guys at my high school that wore bathrobes to school. Over regular clothes. They hung out under the stairs by the office.
Posted by NuggetBrain[/QUOTE]

<div>Was their last name McPoyle?</div>

Bkseller13 · February 2012

What about kilts? Where do those fall in this whole shitstorm? Not a skirt, a traditional male wardrobe piece, but it looks like a skirt...

P.S. I'm not telling him he's "cross dressing"! Swoon!

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