Save the ta-tas - Topless transgender men may affect LBGT rights

[Butterfly]

Save the ta-tas - Topless transgender men may affect LBGT rights
The Examiner - San Francisco
June 7, 12:31 AMWilmington Civil Rights ExaminerAngel Clark


http://www.examiner.com/x-41752-Wilmington-Civil-Rights-Examiner~y2010m6d7-Save-the-tatas--Topless-transgender-men-may-affect-LBGT-rights


These men, with female breasts, chose to continue to use the  rights enjoyed by men. When staging rallies and protests in other states, the women who associate themselves with men take off their tops, obeying laws which apply to men while disobeying laws which apply to women. The men in Rehoboth Beach, although they had female sex organs, felt it was appropriate to act in accordance with society's views of men.

One wonders why these men would go through the effort of changing their appearance to that of women simply to continue to act like men.

[Elijah3291]

this article confused me.. because the people were called 'transgender men' and transgender men are FTM's

[TheAetherealMeadow]

To me it seems as if the author is an ignorant bigot and seems to either think that all trans people are MTF and/or that "transgender men" refers to MTFs.

[Dryad]

Besides the obvious stupidity, the notion that women take off their tops to make a parallel with men is just...
*facepalms*

Well; I don't know the laws in the US, but here in the NL, there is no law about going out topless (for as far as I know, anyway). In the UK, you're fine as long as you wear a pair of shoes, a bowler hat and a tie, which basically makes most of the UK residents, by law, naked anyway. Nudity laws are silly; if states care so much about it, they should start by arresting all the animals. :S

[Hauser]

Besides the obvious stupidity, the notion that women take off their tops to make a parallel with men is just...
*facepalms*

Well; I don't know the laws in the US, but here in the NL, there is no law about going out topless (for as far as I know, anyway). In the UK, you're fine as long as you wear a pair of shoes, a bowler hat and a tie, which basically makes most of the UK residents, by law, naked anyway. Nudity laws are silly; if states care so much about it, they should start by arresting all the animals. :S

topless women are not allowed in public...tgirl or not its considered indecent exposure. they should have been arrested legally speaking.

[Dryad]

Still a stupid law.. We are bórn naked. The natural state of all animal-hood is being naked. Everyone save humans are.. Naked, and quite a lot of humans are still naked, too.

Indecent exposure..? That's a whole lot of stupidity, as well, if you ask me. Who decides what is decent? Why are genitals indecent? What's so shocking about bits that everyone else has, too?

Yes; I dress when I go outside. Of course I do; it's socially.. Enforced, nearly. As an unwritten law. But anyone making an actual punishable law of it is just being silly, really.
What's next? Arresting lions for poaching?

[Cindy]

Ignorant. But being ignorant is no justification, legally or morally.

Cindy

[justmeinoz]

Confused me too.  How can you have "both male and female sexual organs" for a start? Unless the breast is considered a sexual organ? which makes even less sense.

Either they were topless women, or they were guys without shirts.

Somewhat bizarre article?

[Colleen Ireland]

Here in Ontario, the solution is simple.  The law was changed about 20 years ago, so it's perfectly legal for any woman (trans or not) to go topless in public.  Very few actually do.  In fact, I've seen only one, and that was at this year's Gay Pride weekend in Toronto, lol...

[jmaxley]

We need more women going topless.       I'm all in favor of that.

[Tree]

honestly, i think that the "save the ta-ta's" campaign is really sexist and objectifying anyway.

/feminist

[Muffin]

The law still sees pre-op MTFs that are STILL transitioning as men so legally they couldn't be charged etc etc. Legally they can be considered MAN-BOOBS. It is strange that the law defenders can change the rules when they see fit. Stupid sensationalism. FAIL.

[rite_of_inversion]

I think that the fact that women can't go topless by law, period, end of statement, is just unfair.

But more than that, women couldn't go topless by social convention, they'd get seriously messed with most of the time.  Also unfair.
It's not like moobies are any less jiggly, right?  Yet men, no matter their physique, are going to show us their nerples when it's hot.

I live where it gets very, very hot.  Wearing nothing but industrial sunblock from the waist up might be really convenient.

That having been said...nobody really wants to see what's left over when a middle-aged person loses over 100 pounds.  Really you don't.  I'm not showing it off, nope, not even in a sports bra-which would be totally legal (since I'm legally female-and third gender isn't a legal option now, is it? ).  Not even mowing the yard in 100 degrees Fahrenheit(which is like 38c?)

There's enough flappy business hanging out of the tank top I do wear.

One of the fun things about being mtf, my wife tells me, is that you get to experience all the BS parts stuck on to being a girl for the first time as an adult.  It makes the BS sooo much more obvious, or to paraphrase her:" It's like I lost ten IQ points when I started taking estrogen and wearing a dress."

(Sorry for rambling)

[GinaDouglas]

The law still sees pre-op MTFs that are STILL transitioning as men so legally they couldn't be charged etc etc. Legally they can be considered MAN-BOOBS. It is strange that the law defenders can change the rules when they see fit. Stupid sensationalism. FAIL.

In Colorado, the Department of Corrections doesn't recognize sex changes.  So a transwoman could go to men's prison for showing her boobs.  But Colorado law also recognizes gender identity, so pre-op and non-op transwomen could also go to prison for showing their boobs.  Under the law, if I was arrested, I would get searched by a female officer and then be put in jail with men.  And with a sex-offense, it could be for life.  So, theoretically, a transwoman could get a life sentence in men's prison for streaking.

I'm gonna put that in my signature.

[Muffin]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Couldn't they just plead moobs for the sake of survival?

[jmaxley]

Hey, if Janet Jackson can do it on national TV...oh, wait, I guess technically that was a wardrobe malfunction.  Right.

I do think it's supremely unfair that men can run around without shirts but women can't.  It's always made me more than a little annoyed.  I wouldn't take advantage of it at this time even if females did have the right, but I'd like to be able to if I wanted.

And once I get top surgery done, one of the first things I'm going to do is run around outside without a shirt.  I imagine it'll feel weird after all the years of societal conditioning.

[GinaDouglas]

And once I get top surgery done, one of the first things I'm going to do is run around outside without a shirt.  I imagine it'll feel weird after all the years of societal conditioning.

It's not just societal conditioning.  It's personal habit.

I remember the first time I went topless as a woman.  Used to going topless for 45 years without thinking about it, then after habitually making sure I never forgot to cover by chest; one warm spring morning, walking the dog alone in an empty park, I pulled my top up to feel the sun on my naked boobs.  It was like I had never, ever gone topless in my life.

[Izumi]

As i read the posts a lot of people are attacking the transgender men issue more then the fact they were topless at a beach that didnt allow topless women.  If you got boobs cover them up, its a modesty thing more then anything, your only allowed to flash them in public on rare occasions like a certain party in new orleans, or nude beaches. 

I really dont like the fact they there obviously exploiting the system, maybe it was a political statement planned on purpose.  When i was first going out full time as a woman i decided on day to go to guy mode for convenience, i didnt want to spend 2 hours doing hair and makeup, my friend caught me and she told me, WE cant do that, that means YOU cant either, stop cheating.  I laughed and said she is right... from that point on I didnt do it again, and i am happy that it only takes me 15minutes to put on my makeup now ^_^.   To me these people are cheating... you cant be expected to be treated like a woman, but not follow the same laws women have to, thats BS.

[Lepidoptera]

I really dont like the fact they there obviously exploiting the system, maybe it was a political statement planned on purpose.  When i was first going out full time as a woman i decided on day to go to guy mode for convenience, i didnt want to spend 2 hours doing hair and makeup, my friend caught me and she told me, WE cant do that, that means YOU cant either, stop cheating.  I laughed and said she is right... from that point on I didnt do it again, and i am happy that it only takes me 15minutes to put on my makeup now ^_^.   To me these people are cheating... you cant be expected to be treated like a woman, but not follow the same laws women have to, thats BS.

I suppose my viewpoint might be different because I'm androgyne, but I don't see what's wrong with not following gender expectations. There are plenty of cis women who go out without makeup or doing their hair or anything else, even if they are expected to "play by the rules". There are plenty of cis women who show their bare breasts in protest of laws, even if by doing so they're breaking the law. Just because someone is MtF doesn't mean she wants to take on a very, very narrow idea of what it means to be a woman. Being a woman isn't about society's rules, but your identity.

[Izumi]

I suppose my viewpoint might be different because I'm androgyne, but I don't see what's wrong with not following gender expectations. There are plenty of cis women who go out without makeup or doing their hair or anything else, even if they are expected to "play by the rules". There are plenty of cis women who show their bare breasts in protest of laws, even if by doing so they're breaking the law. Just because someone is MtF doesn't mean she wants to take on a very, very narrow idea of what it means to be a woman. Being a woman isn't about society's rules, but your identity.

If they wanted to make a point of it being a political statement then they wouldnt have covered up and probably went to jail.  Its one thing to not wear make up its another thing to break the law.  If you dont like the laws then go an change them, however it is against the law in that location to show breasts in public if your a woman, you cant say your a woman and not follow the LAW as a woman does.  Like i said if they were making a statement thats one thing, if they were just in it for themselves, then that hurt other TS women like myself because of the negative image it portrays about us and about what they believe being a woman means.