What do you feel about these gender/bender days in spirit weeks

[dsc]

We had one at my school today and I have to say, I would have hated to be a gay student today. There sure was a great deal of homophobia on display today. I am torn between thinking I am overreacting and really hating this stuff. I guess what I am asking for is a reality check among people I trust. Am I over reacting? On edit These are where the boys dress as girls and the girls as boys. On edit again, To be clear my problem isn't with the cross dressing but the jokes at the expense of gays made at them. It is a little hard to explain.

[maddezmom]

1. can you explain what it is to me

honestly I've never heard of the term. And yes, I'm an old straight lady who doesn't hear a lot of things. :D

[dsc]

2. Thanks I editted

Boys dress as girls and girls as boys.

[readmoreoften]

3. If schools are okay with a "gender conformity day" where lesbians

come to school wearing pearls, saddle shoes, and angora sweaters and giggle inspidly about boys, and if all the gay boys come to school dressed in football gear and act like neatherthal rapists then I'm fine with it. And, hey, if straight people can't take a joke about themselves in the name of school spirit maybe they ought to lighten up.

[maddezmom]

4. after understanding what the day is about

I doubt this is what's happening. But you're correct, it should be okay.

[Tyo]

5. I've never heard of this

But then my high school was locked in some sort of early 80s time warp. Is it something "official" or is it just something the kids decide to do on their own?

[dsc]

6. It seems to be a big part of homecoming weeks here

both my old school and my new one had these.

[Tyo]

7. Sounds like it could be kinda fun....

What is it that they are doing or saying that you're not comfortable with?

[dsc]

9. All the laughs and so and so looks gay today

The jokes all seem to be at the expense of gays. I might well be over reacting. I just felt a little oppressed today I guess.

[Tyo]

13. Kind of a tough call

If the joking around was getting mean or homophobic or if certain kids were feeling hurt or threatened by it then it was not a good thing. I think it would be better as a theme for a party rather than a school-sanctioned activity. I don't know though. I got beat up in the Lounge the other day for being too thin skinned on another issue so maybe I'm more sensitive to things than I need to be.

[Kikosexy2]

8. If Bill O'Lielly...

cross dresses...then it shouldn't be a problem at all darling...

[Tyo]

10. Thank you sooo much for THAT visual

I'm gonna need some time to recover

[MADem]

11. We never had that in my day....

It's a "Come as You Aren't" theme, then?

Who knows, it might unleash some interesting ideas!

I think excessive censorship is unhelpful. So long as people aren't being unkind to one another, what the heck. I mean really, what's 'boy's clothes' and 'girl's clothes?'

Didn't that David Bowie wear makeup back when? And didn't Katharine Hepburn wear men's suits?

Who cares...let them all experiment and have some amusement, so long as they aren't mean.

The issue of what might be termed "hate speech" is always an issue, and the schools should enforce that every day of the year.

But a simple comment that someone dressed as a boy/girl LOOKS like a boy/girl is more a testament to their costume artistry, not a slur.

[cally]

12. They are not a part of the schools where my kids go

I would be appalled if it was allowed here.

[Huskerchub]

14. Back in the caveman days

when I was in HS we had "dress back-wards day" and it was a mixed bag. Some people understood this to mean crossdress, and it was usually only the jocks and "in" crowd as they were kewl. May others would wear their clothes inside out or back-wards, think straight jackets. Some would wear underwear over their clothes...this was the very very early Madonna/Cyndi Lauper days so it made some sense LOL.

I'm not really sure where I stand on it though. I mean, well what is gender/bender for a girl? Almost all of them wear what was traditionally men's clothing on a daily basis...don't flame me, I didn't make the fashion rules! Really, jeans and t-shirts were traditionally men's work clothing until the 60's. This actually happened once at a place where I worked, the guys in the ware house had to wear full pants, shorts were against company policy. However, the women could wear any length of skirt she wanted, including VERY short mini skirts to do that very same job as the guys in the very same 120 degree warehouse. So one day ALL of the guys came to work in skirts with boxers AND briefs on under them. The women went screaming in mass to HR and had all of the men sent home for "inappropriate dressing for your gender" and sent home without pay. Once the weather got cold, and the women showed up in jeans, the guys went to HR to address the "dressing for your gender" issue and they were sent home again(without pay)for being trouble makers and told that the women could wear anything they wanted as long as it was not shorts! OK, so I've strayed from the topic. I thinking it's all a little high school fun and it might actually make someone think.

[noamnety]

15. Gender Bender Press Release

According to Jodi Clark, advisor to Marlboro Pride, the homecoming dance is both a follow-up and response to the success of the group's first party last year, The Gender Bender Ball.

"We are addressing a desire the group has to host parties with themes that celebrate what Marlboro Pride is trying to do, which is to celebrate the aspects of gay, lesbian, & queer diversity on this campus and to raise awareness of the rest of the community while having a really fun and well-organized party," Clark said.

"This is in recognition that most high school dances were events where gay, lesbian, transgender & bisexual folks always felt a bit on the fringe, if not completely barred from because they didn't feel they could go with their girlfriend or boyfriend," Clark explained. "Many of the students, and even my wife and I, have never been to a Homecoming dance, as they felt like it was full of really silly traditions that celebrated football, a false sense of school spirit, and were just popularity contests for the folks who already knew they were popular in addition to only recognizing heterosexual relationships."

According to Director of Admissions Julie Richardson, this event is another example of "Marlboro valuing diversity and honoring difference."

http://www.marlboro.edu/about/news/pr/2002/nov/01

I have no problem with it, but I've only seen it as something sponsored by the pride group, in part to help raise awareness.

[readmoreoften]

16. Yes something like this is great.

I think in highschools it is promoted like "backwards day" where everyone is supposed to wear their clothes backwards, except you get your "gender backwards". I've heard of them but thankfully I never had to live through one.