skirts/kilts for men great idea

[Tom-n-dayton]

Skirts and kilts for men are a terrific idea but it will never happen here in Dayton, Ohio

[G.Shaw]

[Tom-n-dayton]

Because this is the midwest

[Tom-n-dayton]

Because this is the midwest.

[Bob Pettingell]

Because this is the midwest.

Tom, I'm about to hop a plane and go to Dayton just to prove the point that public attitude about men in skirts has no acceptable venue, anywhere! I would expect police protection, if necessary, if the people of Dayton harrassed me for wearing a skirt. The entire men-in-skirts phenomenon needs a few militant guys and gals to bring wide-spread attention to people's support of men's rights and an organized demonstration in Dayton and in Monterey (see Warren's post, above) would be a fine start!

Perhaps we're seeing an opportunity here, ladies and gentlemen, to start a legal defense fund for skirted men in the US. Maybe a better phrase is an "activist's fund", one that helps pay plane fare and hotel accomodations for those of us who would go to hot spots and daringly expose our skirting for the media. Is this how the women's liberation movement began, with NOW asking for financial support to mount media campaigns in hot spots? Then so be it for men!

Laws already exist that permit us men to wear skirts, so we shouldn't need the legal fund that women needed before laws were made to protect their rights. But it costs money to fly guys around and put them up in hotels for the purpose of creating national publicity over any intolerance of men in skirts. I think for the many men who would wear a skirt if given a little courage, the time is right in our fine nation to make an issue of intolerance.

LET'S HEAR FROM YOU GUYS AND GALS ABOUT THIS!

[G.Shaw]

Because this is the midwest.

Humph. I'm afraid I must disagree. I have been skirted and recieved NO negative reactions and several positive in both Cleveland and Buffalo. These are areas that are very similar in makup to what you live in every day. I also wear a skirt in a smaller more traditionalist area of the south, Macon, GA.

Sorry to burst the bubble here but the fact is MOST people don't care.

Greg

[Mike in Dayton]

While Dayton will never be the birthplace of men in skirts you can wear a skirt around here about the same as anywhere else. I think you will get more looks and snickers behind your back than you might in New York City. The conservativeness of this area does have one benefit: people will leave you alone.

About an hour drive from Dayton is a man made lake. I have heard that this beach has more thong wearers than the other state park beaches. If that is true in this conservative area then no one is going to bother you for wearing a skirt. At least you have cloths on.

So what will it take to get skirt/kilts more mainstream in the Midwest? I think it will start with the teens on the two coasts first. The next generation is always looking for a new clothing style that their parents hate. Once the fad picks up on the coasts then it will mainstream across the rest of the country. It appears to me that the if the boys are wearing those drop down baggy pants of today then a migration to a skirt type design could follow.

Companies getting product out like Utilikilts will help. Just a few guys walking around the Midwest will not cut it. It will take some catalyst to kick it off. Until that happens a guy can wear a skirt in the Midwest but that person will have to have the mental attitude of “this is what I like” and not get discouraged by the conversations that may go on behind your back.

I am curious to know if Tom actually tried to wear a kilt/skirt in southwest Ohio.

[Jeff]

Humph. I'm afraid I must disagree. I have been skirted and recieved NO negative reactions and several positive in both Cleveland and Buffalo. These are areas that are very similar in makup to what you live in every day. I also wear a skirt in a smaller more traditionalist area of the south, Macon, GA. Sorry to burst the bubble here but the fact is MOST people don't care.

Same here... I have been skirting around several parts of Michigan including cities such as Lansing, Bay City (bought a pair of shoes from a male salesman without any problems while skirted), Saginaw, Midland, Flint, Mt. Pleasant, and even a small town such as Weidman (no stoplights even). I think I had about only 5 or 6 negative comments since I started a few years ago.

Jeff - who will be skirting in Saginaw and Mt. Pleasant today

[kilter]

i think i've had yet another little flash of understanding...

most of our fears have a root in subliminal clues.

we haven't had some cross-eyed neanderthal walk up to us in the mall and challenge our masculinity in a skirt. maybe we've had a minor run-in with an ignorant person that has left a lingering edge of extra awareness of our surroundings. a 60-70 year old woman sniped at me in a parking lot some weeks ago: "you COULD wear pants!". i honestly couldn't understand what she said, until it was too late to respond. it has bothered me for weeks.

at any rate, we are made more sensitive to what we THINK others may be thinking.

i have been semi-successful at turning off (or at least, down) the external input that has been a semi-addictive doubly edged sword. i love to see the confusion that others experience, but that reflection of that confusion takes many forms. some forms may not be friendly or even polite.

perhaps, it is just me. it could just be my un-medicated paranoia sneaking peaks around the corner at me.

i hate stream-of-conciousness pieces.

kilter (still getting used to long nails)

[sunshine]

Because this is the midwest

Sorry, but this is not really a reason. The area you live in might by quite conservative compared to others. I live in an area that is considered extreamly conservative and over the past 5 years I have only encountered a handful of people that openly have shown repulsion to the way I was dressed (can't please everyone, oh well).

Get out and wear that skirt/kilt even if you think you are the only one in your area, because a landslide can't happen until that first pebble starts and then it cascades to something monumental.

[tom-in-dayton]

Tom, I'm about to hop a plane and go to Dayton just to prove the point that public attitude about men in skirts has no acceptable venue, anywhere! I would expect police protection, if necessary, if the people of Dayton harrassed me for wearing a skirt. The entire men-in-skirts phenomenon needs a few militant guys and gals to bring wide-spread attention to people's support of men's rights and an organized demonstration in Dayton and in Monterey (see Warren's post, above) would be a fine start! Perhaps we're seeing an opportunity here, ladies and gentlemen, to start a legal defense fund for skirted men in the US. Maybe a better phrase is an "activist's fund", one that helps pay plane fare and hotel accomodations for those of us who would go to hot spots and daringly expose our skirting for the media. Is this how the women's liberation movement began, with NOW asking for financial support to mount media campaigns in hot spots? Then so be it for men! Laws already exist that permit us men to wear skirts, so we shouldn't need the legal fund that women needed before laws were made to protect their rights. But it costs money to fly guys around and put them up in hotels for the purpose of creating national publicity over any intolerance of men in skirts. I think for the many men who would wear a skirt if given a little courage, the time is right in our fine nation to make an issue of intolerance. LET'S HEAR FROM YOU GUYS AND GALS ABOUT THIS!

It'l never fly in dayton( no pun intended). All you'll get is some funny looks but men around here will never take up skirtwearing. A man in a skirt will always be thought of as crossdressers.

[Rye]

Because this is the midwest

I live in columbus Ohio, and according to our last census, Columbus has the largest gay population in the country, and that is only an hour from Dayton.

I'd be more worried about the air force base near you than the fact that you're in the midwest.

[Tom-in-dayton]

Skirts on men just won't fly here(no pun intended). Besides the local media won't pay any attention to you. You would just be considered crossdressers.

[Roy A. Schilling]

Skirts and kilts for men are a terrific idea but it will never happen here in Dayton, Ohio

The only reason it will not happen is because YOU will not let it happen. There are no laws saying you cannot wear a skirt. I have worn a skirt in Cleveland, in Columbus, in Cincinnatti, Sugarcreek, Dover, Millersburg and a whole lot of other Ohio places just because it was a nice sunshiny day. Guess what? the only negative comments I have ever had were from my own family. Everywhere else comments were positive, from MEN & women. Some men have even said they wish they could do what I do and wear a skirt in the open. In my area of Ohio we have a lot of Amish, very conservative religious folk and they dress differently than everyone else. Do you suppose they are not going to wear their conservative clothes just because someone looks at them funny. Quite the opposite is true. If you ask them they will tell you why they wear drab colors and plain clothes. We as skirt wearing males need to do the same, if someone looks at us strangely, don't let it bother you. If they ask why are you wearing a skirt, tell them because you look and feel terrific in it.

[Keith]

I too live in Dayton. I have not tried to wear a skirt yet. This really has to do with my wife's attitude of wearing one. I do wear very blousey shirts all the time. The only negative comment I've had was "did you just come from choir practice?" I guess he thought it must of thought it was choir robe because of its baggy sleves. I do have to admit that I altered a choir robe pattern to make a shirt out of it so I guess he was correct. I do wear my caftans outside aound my apartment complex when taking out the trash and I have not had any trouble. I really don't think a skirt would be that big of deal. Now if I can get up the courge to risk my marriage and wear one.