Dress Code Discrimination -and LGBT community feeling uncomfortable

[Usermuser]

The Guardian has done an article today about the dress codes in work places for women (heels, make up, skirt above the knee, blonde hair). As far as I can see, it focuses on the law, the health issues of heels and the fact that woman feel sexualised by having to dress this way.

And then there's this:

'MPs also expressed concern that gender specific dress codes reinforced stereotypes which could make lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers feel uncomfortable at work.'

Fine, I'm sure that's true, but many straight women feel uncomfortable with these gender stereotypes too! It's not just an issue of women being sexualised, it's that many would much rather wear trousers than a skirt, and don't see why they should have to conform to 'femininity' and wear makeup. These 'reinforced stereotypes' hurt everyone, not just the LGBT community. Grr.

For anyone who is interested:

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jan/25/law-must-be-tougher-over-dress-code-discrimination-say-mps

trills - well, yes, that's exactly what I wondered!

I don't think 'sensible trans people' are the relevant group here - the relevant group is your average policy setter at work, who probably has not the tiniest clue what he (probably he) is talking about.

I've just come back from a LGBT event where someone trying to be supportive decided to coin the phrase 'LBGT ... or, er ... alternative sexualities'.

That is the sort of person who you worry about, who might have grasped that dresscodes must be varied for Linda because she's (whisper it) trans, but somehow feels that the ladies on reception are letting the side down a bit with those flat shoes.

My sensible trans people comment was in reply to others on the thread (going the usual way that any thread with the word trans in it goes), not really so much about the original point, which yes is definitely about possibly-well-meaning but definitely-clueless HR-type people :)

"Before you get off the Magic Roundabout could you just help me out with the definition of queer and gender queer?"
I'm afraid I haven't a clue! Back when I was on the gay scene, queer just used to be a reclaimed word for very gay as applied to gay men. Since it now seems to be part of the whole sex, sexualities, gender mish-mash I avoid reading about it given that when I tried reading Judith Butler, it made my brain hurt. Plus why would I go there when I already have a different feminist understanding of gender? I'm of a generation that found LGB almost too much (in terms of not always a lot in common between lesbians and gay men for starters), let alone LGBTQIA+..........

Are they suggesting that lesbian and bisexual women all have short hair, sensible shoes and trousers? And that heterosexual women don't?

That is what it seems to imply.

But why on earth would it make transgenders uncomfortable? I bet that trans"women" are about the only group of person who likes this kind of dresscode, because it enforces femininity.

(Actual women who like to wear heels and skirts will likely be content to be allowed to do it; they have no need to have it enforced on all women in order to look like women, after all.)

All of the trans women I know are geeky science/tech types who wear walking boots or vaguely orthopaedic looking shoes to work, along with most of the rest of their colleagues.

Well, yes - that's because that's what many science/tech types wear, regardless of what gender they identify as. I guess there's an element of performing techy, rather than performing masculinity or femininity, but quite a lot of it comes from "can't be arsed" , at least on a conscious level.