hello from Portland Oregon

[Tom Jaye]

I am delighted to find this community of men whose gender values are wide open and accepting of the equality we all, both men and women, want in their lives. I wear skirts, skorts, tights, flats not because I am a cd, but because I came upon the conclusion that women have clothing figured out better by far than men. you see women in tights a tunic top and ballet flats. does it get any more comfortable that that? well, yes....with a skirt.
anyway I would love to meet or chat with anyone out there who relates to this idea that women just do it better with clothes and shoes (except for stilettos!!) far better than men, so far, but we're getting there. also would love to chat with anyone in the PNW of America who is a skirt wearer and a clothing equality advocate.

[Uncle Al]

Join in any conversation you feel comfortable with

Uncle Al

[Tom Jaye]

thanks Uncle Al. I am happy to have found this site!

[Ray]

Smart rig, and thumbs up for the legwear.

Welcome, Tom.

[Tom Jaye]

thank you, Ray. how nice of you. I sincerely do love wearing skirts and am hoping groups like this one make it more and more "legitimate" among men world-wide.

[timemeddler]

right across the river from me. I assume cd means cross dressing? Being religious I used to think that I couldn't wear what I wanted until I realized the cross dressing part was not necessary, but to each his own.

[KiltedBigWave]

Welcome to the cafe, I look forward to seeing more of your posts and pics.

[Tom Jaye]

hey there. thanks for the welcome. I will post more pix. I do sincerely love wearing a skirt. and I have to confefss, I like ballet flats as well.so comfortable. easy on/off and they look great.

you live in a beautiful place. I have spent some time in Pinehurst. probably not the best place to be out and about in a skirt as a guy, but generally a gorgeous place to call home.

I am loving the Pacific Northwest. it's a "you do you" kind of a place. nobody gives a rat's ass what you wear. they are far more concerned with who you are deep down. and I love that. wvwn if I am out and abaout in jeaans or shorts I sometimes wear ballet flats and I have never had even one remark made one way or the other about a guy in flats.

so, how's life there as a skirt guy?
TJ

[KiltedBigWave]

all is well. I do go out running quite often in a short kilt or skirt and will even stop into a pub. Never had a problem or bad comment.

I do love ballet flats and mary janes with my skirts and kilts

[Tom Jaye]

you are a man after my own heart. glad we connected.

do you have favorite flats? I am into Tieks. have 2 pairs and always looking on ebay/poshmark for more.

[timemeddler]

so far the closest thing to a complain I got was for wearing a costume to church right before halloween. I wore a cloak overtop of a full length maxi skirt to create Monk's robe costume. Somehow that got reported to the pastor as a me wearing a mini-skirt which got me a 2nd hand complaint via phone 5 days later. To make the complain even more stupid, two weeks later they were asking for volunteers to help make robes for the kids choir, so it's hard to take that complaint seriously, the pastor himself doesn't even bother to wear a suit.

[Tom Jaye]

sounds like backward thinking on their part. I'm sorry you endured that. you were harming no one.

there are factions that believe anyone like us, a guy who would dress like a woman in some regards, is one of those "groomers" who are berated constantly when there is zero evidence thay actually "groom" anyone. male or female. I have no interest in chhildren whatsoever. I want people who have been around the block a few times. who already know the sexual ropes. AND I like wearing a skirt.

as equality issues become more and more prevalent there needs to be a two way street. women should most definitely be paid the same as a man for doing the exact same job. men should be able to wear whatever the hell they want to wear without fear of repirsal...not unlike the kind you experienced. had your job there been done by a woman instead of you and she decided to wear something that looked like a business suit, she would have been revered, held up as an example of forward thinking and taking charge of her life. you, on the other hand, were punished...for wearing a skirt which that same woman could have worn instead of the suit and been, well, just fine.

I am not religious. if anything I believe a number of our founding fathers were spot on as deists. they knew "this" all didn't happen on its own, that there must be a higher power. but they were beyond organized religion boxing their thinking into a tight, regulated package. they were too smart for that. reverent men who adhered to much of the good advice from religious texts of many stripes, but unwilling to specifically be a Methodist or a Hindu or a follower of Islam. they left those doors open and their thinking open with them.

AND at the time they were around they wore tights and shoes that for all the world look like ballet flats. my personal favorite. women have it figured out. their high heeled shoes look great but are a pain in the butt to wear comfortably. but a pair of t-strap thongs or ballet flats are comfortable, available, easy on and off and look great.

so, I am going to continue with my skirt wearing. as I develop a stronger sense of myself veering out of the mainstream farther and farther, I will probably wear one in the general public. I alerady wear ballet flats a lot and sandals in the warmer months. I paint my toenails, but am not a cd. no wigs, no makeup. just a guy who wants to dress as he wants to dress...and whose feet look better with a little polish on them.

TJ

[timemeddler]

sounds like backward thinking on their part. I'm sorry you endured that. you were harming no one.

there are factions that believe anyone like us, a guy who would dress like a woman in some regards, is one of those "groomers" who are berated constantly when there is zero evidence thay actually "groom" anyone. male or female. I have no interest in chhildren whatsoever. I want people who have been around the block a few times. who already know the sexual ropes. AND I like wearing a skirt.

as equality issues become more and more prevalent there needs to be a two way street. women should most definitely be paid the same as a man for doing the exact same job. men should be able to wear whatever the hell they want to wear without fear of repirsal...not unlike the kind you experienced. had your job there been done by a woman instead of you and she decided to wear something that looked like a business suit, she would have been revered, held up as an example of forward thinking and taking charge of her life. you, on the other hand, were punished...for wearing a skirt which that same woman could have worn instead of the suit and been, well, just fine.

I am not religious. if anything I believe a number of our founding fathers were spot on as deists. they knew "this" all didn't happen on its own, that there must be a higher power. but they were beyond organized religion boxing their thinking into a tight, regulated package. they were too smart for that. reverent men who adhered to much of the good advice from religious texts of many stripes, but unwilling to specifically be a Methodist or a Hindu or a follower of Islam. they left those doors open and their thinking open with them.

AND at the time they were around they wore tights and shoes that for all the world look like ballet flats. my personal favorite. women have it figured out. their high heeled shoes look great but are a pain in the butt to wear comfortably. but a pair of t-strap thongs or ballet flats are comfortable, available, easy on and off and look great.

so, I am going to continue with my skirt wearing. as I develop a stronger sense of myself veering out of the mainstream farther and farther, I will probably wear one in the general public. I alerady wear ballet flats a lot and sandals in the warmer months. I paint my toenails, but am not a cd. no wigs, no makeup. just a guy who wants to dress as he wants to dress...and whose feet look better with a little polish on them.

TJ

thanks, it'll take more than some "I heard you did this" type complaint to make me change, I might even go as far as to wear a kilt suit and engage in my dad's favorite church pastime of berating new age pastors for not wearing a suit. But in the pastors defense even he more or less admitted men's skirts as a fashion item were probably acceptable in some places and circumstances, go figure.

on a positive note I had a compliment on my long skirt at our town tree lighting ceremony.

[rode_kater]

I am not religious. if anything I believe a number of our founding fathers were spot on as deists. they knew "this" all didn't happen on its own, that there must be a higher power. but they were beyond organized religion boxing their thinking into a tight, regulated package. they were too smart for that. reverent men who adhered to much of the good advice from religious texts of many stripes, but unwilling to specifically be a Methodist or a Hindu or a follower of Islam. they left those doors open and their thinking open with them.

And yet, some days I wonder if people remember the right lessons. Especially with the recent comments by a senior politician in the US about "people misinterpreting the separation between church and state". In Europe, centuries of war were fought to achieve that separation, and "separation between church and state" consequently means something completely different depending on which side of the Atlantic you're on. I have no idea what the founding fathers thought on the topic, but people (especially Americans) seem to forget that religious fanatics can bring down a state if given a chance, and that Christianity is no better than any other religion when it comes to the disastrous end results. Pretending otherwise is to simply ignore history.

[Tom Jaye]

couldn't agree more. interesting about your comment about how church and sate are separated differntly in Europe v America. what is that differnce?