If you are stigmatised for 'crossdressing', you have a mental disorder according to the DSM V. So if men's rights activists get rid of the stigma arising from the fetish this culture has for disposable men, this disorder will no longer exist

fishwish · 2011-01-09T05:32:06+00:00

I don't know what this is about, but if you want to cross dress, more power to you.

NiceGuysSTFU · 2011-01-09T10:39:23+00:00

Crossdressing is not a mental disorder according to the DSM IV. The DSM V is not to be published for over two more years. Anyway, spam.

ExpendableOne · 2011-01-09T16:37:45+00:00

While there are countless social factors that do contribute to this culture of disposable men, I don't necessarily see how this would be one of them(except maybe in that it is generally acceptable to objectify, vilify or humiliate men for what they wear, much more so than it would be for women); either way, it does still seems like you are simply trying to take advantage of a real issue for men and use it for your own purposes(purposes which are somewhat suspicious considering what you have posted on here so far).

However, I do agree that this a men's rights issue per se; strict gender roles being forced on men, along with the shaming language that is used to reinforce them, certainly hurt and subjugate men(men more so than women, as they are also given far more leniency on what they wear; due mostly to what would otherwise be known as female privilege).

I don't agree with the idea that cloths are gendered to begin with(with a few exceptions maybe, like bra's or jockstraps; though, even then, they are only gendered in their purpose, not necessarily in their use), those are just cultural/social predispositions that we are giving, or have learned to give, to clothing. This also isn't really isn't about transgenderism(which I would agree is a psychological disorder) but really about this common social mentality of needlessly associating genders to objects(whether it is cloths, colours, toys, cars, etc) and how it is being reinforced/perpetutated.

I don't agree that it should be in the DSM but a) I don't really think it matters that much in the first place either(The world doesn't revolve around the DSM) b) it is not specifically directed at men, it is written with gender neutral terms and c) It is qualified in there as "Over a period of at least six months, recurrent and intense sexual arousal from cross‑dressing, as manifested by fantasies, urges, or behaviors."; which in this context, or under these parameters, I would agree is, or should be qualified as, a paraphilia(which is not to say that there is necessarily anything wrong or malevolent with it however). The issue of needlessly associating genders to objects is entirely different than the sexual gratification of individuals who gain pleasure in wearing cloths specifically because of the cultural association these cloths have to the opposite gender(which actually perpetuates the idea of gendered objects).

BolshevikMuppet · 2011-01-09T12:34:58+00:00

I'm really confused why crossdressing is a mens' rights issue.

I mean, all it seems to be is a societal stigma about what clothes and attitudes are acceptable for men and women (women can be more "manly" and still be considered appropriately female, men cannot act more "feminine" and still be considered appropriately male). But, truthfully, that seems to transcend the mens' rights vs. feminism debate, since neither side is actively perpetuating the stigma.

It's not like feminists are saying "you know what, I love to dress like a man, but I also hate men, so I think they shouldn't be able to dress the way they like". If anything, the feminist mindset about crossdressing for men (from my experiences on the internet and talking to women) is that the stigma comes from sexist attitudes about femininity. To quote Madonna: "girls can wear jeans, cut their hair short, wear shirts and boots, because it's okay to be a boy. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, because you think being a girl is degrading". I'm not saying that's necessarily correct, but it certainly exemplifies my argument that it's not women or feminism which makes it stigmatized to wear girl's clothes if you're male. This isn't an issue to be taken up here.

Also, the DSM-V is in its most preliminary stages right now, so there are a lot of suggestions about a lot of things which offend someone.

stemgang · 2011-01-09T05:53:28+00:00

I've never heard tranvestitism asserted as a men's rights issue before.

Tell us, do you share any of our concerns about, say, false rape accusations or unfair child custody outcomes?

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