Ask Hannah!

Is cross dressing more acceptable in certain countries? How are corporations accepting CD’s as part of their diversity programs, or are those that are out destined to remain in lower paying jobs due to lack of acceptance?

Let’s think local.

There used to be a wig shop in Minneapolis that many local t-girls frequented. I went there twice. Girls like us aren’t uncommon customers at wig shops, right?

The first time I went I had amazing customer service. I tried on a few wigs, the consultant was patient and chatty, and I had a wonderful and affirming time. I bought a new ‘do and was thrilled about the experience.

The next time I visited there was a different clerk and my experience was the complete opposite. I couldn’t tell if they hated t-girls or if they hated their job or if they hated everyone or if they were just having a bad day. A bad day happens to all of us.

So, I had two different experiences at the same shop. Would you say that this shop was “crossdresser friendly”? In my opinion, it had nothing to do with the business but it had everything to do with the staff. One clerk was lovely, the other not so much. One clerk was “crossdresser friendly”, but the other? It’s impossible to say definitively if they were anti-trans or just having a bad day. My point is that it’s difficult for me to decide if girls like me were always welcome in the store.

The point of this story is to emphasize that no matter how progressive a store or a company or even a country can be, your experience and whether you feel accepted is completely down to the individual person(s) you interact with.

Language is key here. I don’t feel that organizations (whether it’s an entire country or a business) will ever say “crossdressing is a-okay with us”. Rather it’s more likely the verbiage is along the lines of gender identity or gender presentation. It’s more common, for example, to see that a company bans discrimination on the basis of gender presentation.

And this is better. ‘Gender presentation’ is a lot more understandable than the term ‘crossdressing’ as that word tends to have a fetish association with it, and, at the very least has a myriad of interpretations. For some of us, crossdressing means panties under boy clothes, for others, crossdressing is presenting completely en femme.

When it comes to other countries in terms of law, sure, there are countries that have stronger protections to their citizens when it comes to anti-discrimination laws pertaining to sexual/gender identity. On the opposite side, there are countries that are very anti-LGBTQ+.

I don’t want to say “crossdressers are accepted in Canada or Ireland (or wherever)” because it’s likely someone lives there had a less than affirming experience.

This is also similar to different corporations. I can’t imagine any company saying “crossdressing is okay” or “crossdressing is not okay”. Rather, the company will either have a policy regarding gender identity/presentation protection or have a dress code in place that prohibits or requires their employees to wear certain articles of clothing.

Could gender identity/presentation influence your career/salary prospects? Absolutely. Ask any woman. But it will be vague. For example, if you are transgender and you are denied a promotion, I don’t think you will be told that you didn’t get the position because you are transgender. It will be along the lines of “we went with a different candidate”. Of course it’s possible the hiring manager completely based their decision on a candidate’s gender identity/presentation but that will likely never be the “official” reason.

It’s like that line in the ‘Barbie’ movie when a male CEO type says “We’re actually doing patriarchy very well… we’re just better at hiding it.”

Love, Hannah

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