Master Mechanic?
It figures I ran across this article which fit right in with my recent "Mechanic" post about my basic style and how I go about it-after I wrote it. I passed along five of my "basics" and forgot an important one- being allowed access to a dressing room to try on clothes.
I will say, I have never been denied access anywhere, but years and years ago, Lane Bryant used to discreetly move me to a secluded room. I have always lived with the idea that me being green trumped me being transgender. Most stores simply wanted my money. In fact years ago, my daughter worked for "Victoria's Secret" and there was a regular customer who spent big money on the largest sized items they stocked. Of course he wasn't too sly about who the apparel was for and most of the other clerks steered clear of him. My daughter was on some sort of a commission and saw a monetary opportunity and tried to always wait on him. This was way before she had any inkling of my cross dressing or later transgender gender fluxing. Similar to so many other issues we see in our community, it takes only one misguided bigoted individual to send an old issue once again into the public eye:
Recently, a major site took on the issue with these results:
Like a lot of people, my biggest fitting room worry is that none of the jeans I picked out will make my butt look good. But for many, that’s a microscopic concern compared to the potential human rights violation they might have to endure. For transgender individuals, having a store employee humiliate, dehumanize, or turn you away for simply wanting to try on clothes in their fitting room is a constant — and sadly, legit — worry. Back in July, a transgender woman was expelled from a lingerie store in Austin, Texas. Earlier in 2011, another transgender woman was thrown out of a Macy’s dressing room for make the audacious and ludicrous attempt to just try on some clothes. To see how other mass chain stores dealt with transgender customers, Ashley Hoffman at Styleite cold called a handful of your (probably favorite) stores, inquiring on their transgender fitting room.
As my partner Liz (generic) just told me, this problem won't end until the world understands our interaction in the world is a gender deal and not a sexual one. A penis in the closed dressing room next door in a woman's clothing store is not cause for a panic.
I will say, I have never been denied access anywhere, but years and years ago, Lane Bryant used to discreetly move me to a secluded room. I have always lived with the idea that me being green trumped me being transgender. Most stores simply wanted my money. In fact years ago, my daughter worked for "Victoria's Secret" and there was a regular customer who spent big money on the largest sized items they stocked. Of course he wasn't too sly about who the apparel was for and most of the other clerks steered clear of him. My daughter was on some sort of a commission and saw a monetary opportunity and tried to always wait on him. This was way before she had any inkling of my cross dressing or later transgender gender fluxing. Similar to so many other issues we see in our community, it takes only one misguided bigoted individual to send an old issue once again into the public eye:
Recently, a major site took on the issue with these results:
Like a lot of people, my biggest fitting room worry is that none of the jeans I picked out will make my butt look good. But for many, that’s a microscopic concern compared to the potential human rights violation they might have to endure. For transgender individuals, having a store employee humiliate, dehumanize, or turn you away for simply wanting to try on clothes in their fitting room is a constant — and sadly, legit — worry. Back in July, a transgender woman was expelled from a lingerie store in Austin, Texas. Earlier in 2011, another transgender woman was thrown out of a Macy’s dressing room for make the audacious and ludicrous attempt to just try on some clothes. To see how other mass chain stores dealt with transgender customers, Ashley Hoffman at Styleite cold called a handful of your (probably favorite) stores, inquiring on their transgender fitting room.
As my partner Liz (generic) just told me, this problem won't end until the world understands our interaction in the world is a gender deal and not a sexual one. A penis in the closed dressing room next door in a woman's clothing store is not cause for a panic.
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