Changing attitudes

[timemeddler]

I am very sad that our government has started a war against trans and gender non-conforming people. If you remember years ago, there was a war on gay people. It seems that in order to win an election, there must be an enemy, or a group of people that are villainized to create an artificial enemy that must at all costs, be defeated. Even though I don't identify as a tranny, by society's narrow standards, I am gender non-conforming as are pretty much all of the members here with the exception of the kilt wearers that do not wear skirts. I concur with CR that it is going to be a long, hard, bumpy road ahead for all of use especially with the focus on [rad-fem hate-speech redacted] that is really on the rise.

It is really unfortunate because I am fiscally conservative. I just can understand why the conservatives can leave social issues alone that are of no consequence in the grand scheme of the problems that are plaguing our country.

Jamie
Fashion Freedom for Men!!

It probably wont happen with these one term presidents, remember how big the gay marriage issue was during clinton/bush era? Then by obama's time nobody said anything with his policies on the issue because they'd had 8 years to cool off. Now they're being dragged out into the public eye every four years for political gain.

[Mouse]

It probably wont happen with these one term presidents.....

You don't think there will be a 3rd Trump term? Since God moved the bullet, the supreme court is in his pocket, the Senate and House all seem scared of him and unlike 2016, this time he seems to have a plan and a bunch of yes men & women to carry it out.....
Sorry I don't want to perpetuate another Trump thread, but I would not assume relief in 4 years time. Countries this side of the pond are not assuming anything and we are just 50 days in.

[timemeddler]

It probably wont happen with these one term presidents.....

You don't think there will be a 3rd Trump term?

not really.

[moonshadow]

It seems to me like the 2010's might have been the "men in skirts" decade. Towards the end of the decade, the trans movement was taking up most of the bandwidth, many celebrity "men in skirts" from the 2010's have since come out as trans.

These days, half way through the 2020's it seems "men in skirts" was just a fad more or less, with a few hold outs like us, many of whom were doing it before it was "cool" and will continue to do so after the fad fades away. The focus today seems to be on transgender women, but more so with transgender women in women's sports, none of which seems to apply to us.

Thankfully the media have finally found a new flavor (a few of them actually). Transgender women and men in skirts don't seem to be getting many mentions these days. Perhaps that's a good thing.

I think that by and large the "moderate middle" seems to be pretty Libertarian minded, and that mindset will at least abide a man in a skirt even if it's not popular.

My landlord caught me in a long grey Macabi last weekend. It didn't seem to phase him at all.

[Jim]

It probably wont happen with these one term presidents.....

You don't think there will be a 3rd Trump term?

not really.

But due to some "emergency" the 2nd term may not end.

[crfriend]

It seems to me like the 2010's might have been the "men in skirts" decade. Towards the end of the decade, the trans movement was taking up most of the bandwidth, many celebrity "men in skirts" from the 2010's have since come out as trans.

You may well be right about that one, Moon. It does seem that the 2010s were the "Halcyon Years" for Men In Skirts. After that, the trans-* movement sucked all the oxygen from the room, and the new wave of Fascists in the USA captured the stage and have been bloodying everybody else since.

These days, half way through the 2020's it seems "men in skirts" was just a fad more or less, with a few hold outs like us, many of whom were doing it before it was "cool" and will continue to do so after the fad fades away. The focus today seems to be on transgender women, but more so with transgender women in women's sports, none of which seems to apply to us.

Well, trans-* is still very much regarded as "twee" and "in" -- and, as mentioned earlier -- sucked all the oxygen from the room and stole the thunder that might have been ours if we'd distanced. So, we've faded into the background, hidden under somebody else's pile of offal. So it may be all for the better, and it might be saving our hides at the moment because those of us who wear skirts also tend to have reputations and are generally well-regarded in our communities. (This is why your landlord didn't freak out.) Once we can interact with others one-to-one, our true colours come out, and folks generally respect that.

I think that by and large the "moderate middle" seems to be pretty Libertarian minded, and that mindset will at least abide a man in a skirt even if it's not popular.

This has always been, by and large, the way it's been, and continues to be. If we run into trouble, it'll likely be from some moron we (1) don't know, (2) who doesn't know us, and (3) is all stirred up by the general hatred of anybody not precisely like them. Fortunately, these tend to be fairly easy to spot.
-- and avoid.

[crfriend]

You don't think there will be a 3rd Trump term?

Well, Constitutionally he can't, but the USA has been post-Constitutional since 2000, at the very latest. So, it's a crap-shoot.

Countries this side of the pond are not assuming anything and we are just 50 days in.

That's the prevailing sentiment here, too, at least amongst the opposition, and that if he gets a "third term" we'll have a dictator-for-life (along the lines of Putin).. My read on the matter is that our best hope is for a true Patriot who has the tools and the talent to use them, and solve the problem in the Old School manner. However, there is a faint glimmer of hope that somebody deep within the State Department can somehow connect all the dots, convincingly link Trump to being compromised by the KGB, impeach him, find him guilty of High Treason during a time of war (note: Trump is invoking acts that only are applicable in times of war), and hang him from the neck until he is dead. The former is the best hope at the moment as Trump and his pet muskrat's DOG-E are dismantling everything else in the government now. The second is a long-shot at best, but would be the best outcome in a very, very bad situation.

Other than that, I'd simply say, "Let the birds fly" and get it over with. Humanity is too sick to survive.

[timemeddler]

You don't think there will be a 3rd Trump term?

not really.

But due to some "emergency" the 2nd term may not end.

which would likely start the second civil war.

[moonshadow]

Thread locked in 5....4.....3....2....

(We might oughta get this thread back on track... I have more thoughts I'd like to contribute later today if it's not locked down by then.)

[crfriend]

Thread locked in 5....4.....3....2....

That all depends on how many overly-sensitive snowflakes there are in the audience.

We might oughta get this thread back on track... I have more thoughts I'd like to contribute later today if it's not locked down by then.

All of us -- no matter where we live -- are now intimately involved in this imbroglio whether we like it or not, and that fact is inescapable. There's a very real threat that the "birds" (missiles) WILL fly over things, and that will cause serious problems for a damned good chunk of humanity (not to mention all the creatures we share this rock with).

We NEED to be paying attention to this and figuring a good way out of it -- if that is even possible at the moment. Why? Because it affects -- directly -- ALL OF US.

[Myopic Bookworm]

It probably wont happen with these one term presidents.....

You don't think there will be a 3rd Trump term?

not really.

I think that Trump will be retired in favour of Vance running next time.

[moonshadow]

All of us -- no matter where we live -- are now intimately involved in this imbroglio whether we like it or not, and that fact is inescapable. There's a very real threat that the "birds" (missiles) WILL fly over things, and that will cause serious problems for a damned good chunk of humanity (not to mention all the creatures we share this rock with).

*shrugs* The man's approval rating seems stable, while meanwhile the approval ratings for the Democratic Party in general have sunk to record lows.

I don't know of the U.S. is on the right track or not, but it does seem like most Americans are okay with how things are going. Trump may or may not get a third term, but Trumpism is here to stay, of that there is no doubt.

I guess it just is what it is, anyone who has an issue with it is going to have to just deal with it, the man is insanely popular, I mean, he's basically a living God at this point. What are ya gonna do?

And I'm not kicking rocks at Trump or what he represents anymore. I doesn't do any good. Dogging Trump is like pissing in the wind. It will be what it will be. I brought no children into this world, so may the odds be in our favor. It's not that I don't care, but there's just nothing I can do.

If we're about to be blown to smithereens, then I'd like to spend my last days as content as possible. I'll ride the rocket.

I mean, it would be one thing if there actually was some realistic resistance, but there's not. Even in this "blue state" almost everyone I talk to is in full support of Trump's agenda. I'm actually starting to think maybe the elections are rigged around here.

So what do we do...? Get cross with everyone we meet? Most Americans support Donald Trump. You know why? Because despite everything that's happened, Olympia seems fixated on ensuring that transgender women can play women's sports and they have proposed a 6% gas tax hike, and I inagine it's a similar situstion in all blue states. Yep... that's brining the cost of eggs down.

*shrugs*

[moonshadow]

Anyway, to get back on topic, I think that "men in skirts" kinda stalled out towards the end of the 2010s, but that doesn't mean we can't continue to enjoy wearing them.

Regarding my personal situation, skirts don't really seem to "define" me like they used to. I still wear them from time to time, but it no longer feels like something "I have to do". It's not really part of my identity.

I do enjoy feminine expression from time to time, and I've found several tools in my toolbox to help with this. This doesn't mean I want to be a woman, no, I don't claim any sex or gender other than male (at least as far as my physical body goes). I still like my cat-eyes, and I wear them daily, all day, in all circumstances, work, home, play, etc. I still wear my flats around the house at night (they make good evening slippers). My weekend sneakers are still "ladies", and one is even a pink pair. I often wear them with my bibs or bluejeans, and of course, there's my name.

I think for me, skirts were a "gateway garment" to help me explore this other side of me, a side that has been oppressed for my entire life, a "softer" side.

I'm okay with myself, and I think I've reached a point where I really don't have anything to prove to anyone, so I wear what I want. I wear what feels right for the day.

As for the world and society in general, I don't think it's a bad as it sounds. The yellow journalism is getting ridiculous. I've mostly switched it off, judging it be practically useless. Frankly I've just caught "the news" in too many lies and bad reporting over the last several months. Most of it is mass produced by A.I. for the sake of generating clicks, and even local trusted sources are getting in on the act too.

Cheer up guys... you're still free until you're not, and odds are, we'll have some level of freedom for the rest of our lives. Even some Russian men wear skirts. Also, consider that most of us are pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and there's freedom in that.

[Barleymower]

"men in skirts" stalled out towards the end of the 2010s, but that doesn't mean we can't continue to enjoy wearing them.

skirts don't "define" me like they used to. I still wear them from time to time, but it no longer feels like something "I have to do". It's not really part of my identity.

I do enjoy feminine expression from time to time.

I think for me, skirts were a "gateway garment" to help me explore this other side of me, a side that has been oppressed for my entire life, a "softer" side.

I'm okay with myself, and I think I've reached a point where I really don't have anything to prove to anyone,

I agree. I picked out the salient parts that apply to me most.

The future for MIS? The trans movement has hindered and helped. More helped than hindered. I say that because there has been pressure in the past for greater freedom for men. It has all withered on the branch.
The only thing that has gained any traction is the trans movement. There is a lot of anger out there towards trans women and it's getting worse. Once the anger has died down, i think there will be a greater acceptance of gender fluidity and that's a good thing.