Against the backdrop of rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment, these Nigerian fashion labels feel forced to show in private

Bolaji Akinwande, CNN
Thu, June 13, 2024 

Since its inception in 2011, Lagos Fashion Week has been a twice-yearly highlight of the African fashion calendar, a multi-day showcase attracting the continent’s top design houses, big name sponsors, as well as an international audience.

In a deeply religious and conservative Nigeria, where LGBTQ people suffer extremely high levels of homophobia, intolerance, and even violence, Lagos Fashion Week quickly established itself as an inclusive space for marginalized communities and unconventional brands to be seen and heard.

For more than a decade, Nigerian label Orange Culture has staged catwalk shows featuring male models in skirts, makeup, or wearing ribbons down the runway as a way of provoking conversations about how fashion can be used to break down gender norms. Maxivive — which describes itself as “a Lagos-based fashion organization founded… on ideas of nonconformity and the subversion of norms” — has also made waves showcasing graphic, gender-bending pieces addressing issues around sexuality and identity over consecutive seasons.

Lagos Fashion Week has been running since 2011. The above show is Cute-Saint in October 2023. - Sunday Alamba/AP


Over the past few years however, members of the LGBTQ community in Nigeria say Lagos Fashion Week’s inclusive stance has come under pressure amidst a growing culture of hostility towards non-binary and gay people in the country.

In 2014, despite widespread international condemnation, Nigeria — Africa’s most populous nation — adopted the SSMPA law (Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act) which bans gay marriage, same-sex relationships and membership of gay rights groups with punishments including a prison term of up to 14 years for those convicted. Gay rights activists say these sentiments are filtering down into what was one of Nigeria’s most open-minded industries: Fashion.

Kayode Timileyin is the founder of Queercity Media and Production, one of the leading non- governmental queer organizations in Nigeria as well as being the festival manager for Lagos Pride, a week-long celebration in June to commemorate Pride month in Nigeria. “There is a history of anti-queerness when it comes to fashion week in Nigeria,” he told CNN.

Independent brand Udiahgebi like to play with gender stereotyping and androgyny in its collections. - Udiahgebi

The brand said they were received positively after showing privately away from the glare of Lagos's main Fashion Week. - Udiahgebi

Activists point to the city’s Spring-Summer 2022 showcase, featuring the late Fola Francis — the first-ever transgender person to be cast by labels to model on the city’s catwalk. Francis tragically drowned in December 2023.

While her debut was hailed as a watershed moment in both African fashion and for the queer community at large (she walked twice, for labels Cute-Saint and Fruché), it also sparked controversy. At the time, Francis said she faced a public backlash from some sections of Nigerian society and pointed out that despite her boundary-breaking appearances, no images of her were posted on Lagos Fashion Week’s social media accounts. In an interview with digital LGBTQ magazine Xtra shortly after the event in November 2022, Francis said “I heard the Lagos Fashion Week’s team decided not to post any of my pictures from the runway or include (them) in any press releases. Why am I not surprised?” (The magazine said they approached Lagos Fashion Week at the time, who did not respond to their requests for comment.)

After casting non-binary models to walk on its catwalk during the Spring-Summer 2023 shows, subversive fashion house Maxivive had its show cancelled by organizers just days before it was meant to go ahead. While brand founder Papa Oyeyemi told CNN he would prefer not to talk about the cancellation, discussion within the industry centered around the presentation having been deemed “too gay” by organizers.

A look from Weiz Dhurm Franklyn who say they use "unique cultural styles" and "daring design patterns". - Ofure Ighalo

“For the presentation to get cancelled at the last minute was very disheartening,” one non-binary model booked to walk for Maxivive told CNN (they wished to remain anonymous for their safety). “Queer people exist in Nigeria and fashion is meant to be expressive, not restrictive.”

Tosin Ogundadegbe, a Lagos-based fashion stylist known as “The Style Infidel” on social media said that the fashion industry in Nigeria still has a long way to go when it comes to inclusivity. “The traditional fashion schedule suffers from (a lack of) inclusivity on the runway — we only see representation of marginalized communities at private shows.”
Finding the freedom to be who you are

Indeed, amid what’s perceived as a growing pressure for organizers to adhere to anti-gay laws and increasingly divisive politics around gender, sexuality and inclusivity in Nigeria, an increasing number of fashion labels have chosen to show “off-schedule” via “underground” private presentations where they feel they can be more free to embody the ethos of their brands, rather than in the glare of Lagos Fashion Week.

Tzar Studios is a "visually provocative" menswear brand that has also embraced the trend to show its collections off-schedule. - Tzar Studios

From labels such as Tzar Studios, a “visually provocative contemporary menswear brand… inspired by the ethos of the metrosexual man,” to ready-to-wear brand Weiz Dhurm Franklyn, these clandestine, “invite only” shows are curated by designers who keep locations discreet and hand-pick trusted journalists, influencers, celebrities and fashion industry figures to sit in the audience.

Udiahgebi, a fashion brand known for its androgynous pieces, has successfully hosted private shows in this way. The house cast five non-binary models to walk in its first-ever runway show in 2022 to a positive reception, brand creative director Chiemerie Udiahgebi Ugwoke told CNN.

“The feedback after my show was alarmingly good,” they wrote over email. “I was not expecting positive reviews from the attendees because… I took gender-neutral clothes (featuring see-through fabrics, animal prints and cut-outs) and played with them in a way I felt was more likely to attract negative reviews considering the society we live in.”

Models walking for Maxivive during Lagos Fashion Week in October 2021. - Sunday Alamba/AP

Aso Nigeria, another androgynous and inclusive fashion label, cast Fola Francis in both its private runway show in December 2022 and a fashion advertising campaign released in February 2024. Brand founder Aanuoluwa Ajide-Daniels told CNN that including a trans woman was “essential to the idea of the brand, and something that will be seen throughout the lifespan of Aso.”

“I see fashion as art, it is meant to start a conversation and also provoke thought,” said Kayode Timileyin. “However, over the years, (Lagos) Fashion Week continues to hush down and limit these conversations.” While championing an inclusive future for the artists and fashion designers of Africa cannot solely be done behind closed doors; for now, many designers believe it is the only — and an essential — way to be able to freely express who they are.

Lagos Fashion Week did not respond to CNN’s repeated requests for comment.

Gird your loins! Jockstraps are still holding up after 150 years

By LEANNE ITALIE,AP Lifestyles Writer

Updated March 7, 2024 




This image released by BIKE Athletic shows a collection of jockstraps in New York on March 6, 2024. (Andrew Werner Photography for BIKE Athletic via AP)

Andrew Wenner/AP


NEW YORK (AP) — Happy 150th birthday, dear jockstrap. How far you've come from your modest but mighty days of protecting the precious parts of bicycle messengers as they navigated the bumpy cobblestones of Boston.

Invented for that purpose in 1874 by C.F. Bennett, who worked for a company now known as Bike Athletic, the strappy little staple of yore has become a sex symbol of sorts with a reach well beyond the athletic world.

Fashion designers have fancied them up for catwalks and store shelves. Kristen Stewart recently pulled on a Bike jockstrap for the cover of Rolling Stone, earning barbs from some conservatives. Some athletes, both recreational and professional, still reach for one. And the jockstrap owes a debt to the gay men who have embraced it since the 1950s, when a hyper-masculine aesthetic in gay fashion was in vogue.

“They’re very coquettish. They reveal, they conceal. It’s like a push-up bra,” said 53-year-old Andrew Joseph in New York.

While many athletes and others with a need to keep things safe and secure have traded out jockstraps for compression shorts and other teched-up alternatives, Joseph draws from his extensive collection to don one every day.

Sean McDougle, 55, a queer nudist-naturist in upstate New York, owns about 40 jockstraps.

“There’s a certain feeling of freedom,” he said. "I remember as a child the first time I wore one and thought, what is this thing? They give you this thing, you know? But the look and feel is just somehow really alluring.”

THE JOCKSTRAP SWAGGER


Jockstraps are all things to the people who love them. For some, they're just utilitarian, part of the gear for sports and exercise. But for others, they're comfy little secrets under clothes. They're cheeky, two ways, with their butt-exposing leg straps and wide waistbands and pouches peeping out from shorts and trousers. And they're worn with or without leather gear at one of the world's numerous bars that host jockstrap nights.

To date, Bike Athletic has sold more than 350 million jockstraps worldwide. Tom Ford, Versace, Calvin Klein, Thom Browne, Emporio Armani, Tommy Hilfiger and Savage x Fenty have put out jockstraps.

Browne included them on the runway for his spring/summer 2023 menswear collection. So did the French label Egonlab. John Galliano showed fur coats and jocks in 2004. Four years later, Miuccia Prada had black, red and blue jockstraps peek out over waistbands of her menswear collection. Niche sellers are all over the internet and in queer boutiques.

“It’s evolved almost into kind of male lingerie at this point,” said Alex Angelchik, who bought Bike Athletic with other investors in 2019. “From the '70s through today, it became kind of a cult favorite within the gay community and expanded to the metrosexual urban community.”

Today, about 70% of Bike's customers are gay men, he said. The company's top seller is a jockstrap that's been around since the beginning, the No. 10. It's the one Stewart wore in the March issue of Rolling Stone. Kim Kardashian got there first, showing off a jockstrap in the September 2022, Americana-themed issue of Interview magazine.

Overall, Angelchik said he sells several million dollars worth of jockstraps a year, primarily in boutiques and Urban Outfitters stores.

Like so much in fashion, the jockstrap had obvious antecedents (the medieval codpiece among them), said Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

“Once it came in, it had the potential to become an eroticized piece of male underwear, which was unusual because it was really women’s underwear, predominantly, that became eroticized because women were thought of as, you know, THE sex and things were seen from the sort of heterosexual male viewpoint,” she said.

“But this period, in the late 19th century when the jockstrap was supposedly invented, was right when women’s lingerie was becoming much more elaborate,” Steele added.

Working out of Chicago, inventor Bennett set out to solve a problem in Boston for its so-called “bicycle jockeys” when they rode on the city's uneven streets. In that day, “loose britches” were the norm, offering little in the way of support.

From there, the lowly jockstrap found massive success as the men's underwear industry grew.

The slip-in cup came later, as the little piece of fabric and elastic moved into the sports world, around the 1920s. Now, some compression shorts also can accommodate a cup, and help with chafing.

“I guess the biggest change is when I started playing, we had steel cups. In fact, I still have a couple of those around the house and my grandkids didn’t know what they were. Now they have made things a lot more comfortable for the players,” said baseball’s Bruce Bochy, the Texas Rangers manager who guided his team to a World Series championship last year.

Nostalgia is in play, Angelchik said.

“When I first bought the brand, I talked to a lot of my cousins and friends, guys that were in their 50s, 60s, some of them in their 70s. I was shocked how many of these guys kept their jockstraps from high school and college, and still had them in a drawer or somewhere in a box,” he said.

The variations of jockstraps today are endless, said Timoteo Ocampo, a Los Angeles-based designer who sells them online and in boutiques around the globe. His company, Timoteo, puts out men's underwear, swimwear and other clothing.

“There's detachable fronts, zipper fronts, colors,” he said. “Some companies are doing diamond chains on their jockstraps. ... People get very creative. It's more personal and showing who they are and being proud of that.”

A DEBT TO GAY MEN

Mark Mackillop, an actor-singer-dancer in New York, is a jockstrap enthusiast. In 10 years, he has raised nearly $400,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a nonprofit serving those in need in the theater industry around the U.S.

He's done that primarily through the auctioning of underwear, jockstraps included, for the organization's annual Broadway Bares. Broadway Bares is a burlesque-esque show that features, you guessed it, jockstraps, along with other gear and lots of peekaboo nudity. Mackillop, who is gay and the show's top fundraiser, also performs in it, wearing a jockstrap.

“Things like Kristen Stewart wearing a jockstrap are making them more mainstream,” he said. “But I know gay men are the reason that there is a jockstrap industry in the underwear world today.”

Bike Athletic is the largest sponsor of the Atlanta Bucks, a rugby team that plays under the International Gay Rugby umbrella. Another sponsor is the Eagle bar in Atlanta, where there are frequent jock events.

“There's definitely an integral history between Bike and the gay community,” said the team's president, Jonathan Standish, who's also a player. Do he and his teammates prefer jockstraps?

“A lot of people, me included, will do both. We wear jockstraps as a way to have support without having too much fabric, and put compression shorts over to take care of chafing. I have thick thighs," he laughed.

___

Freelancer Jack Thompson in Surprise, Arizona, contributed to this story.

GENDERFUCK

'He didn't want to be pinned down': Layton Williams will perform in a dress on Strictly Come Dancing


BANG Showbiz
Sun, 20 August 2023 

Layton Williams will perform in a dress on 'Strictly Come Dancing' credit:Bang Showbiz

Layton Williams will become the first male 'Strictly Come Dancing' contestant to dance in a dress.

The 28-year-old star is planning to break new ground on the hit BBC show and has asked to be partnered with a male professional when the programme launches next month.

A source told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "Layton made it clear very early on that he didn't want to be pinned down to just wearing male costumes.

"He wanted his Strictly outfits to reflect different sides of his personality and everyone fully supports him on that. So he will have a chance to wear Strictly dresses, as well as the men's sharp suits, when he performs. There are some really exciting looks in there. Layton can't wait to get started."

The 'Bad Education' star feels that he can "go the distance" on the show after previous same-sex couples - including Nicola Adams and Katya Jones as well as Richie Anderson and Giovanni Pernice - were voted off in the early weeks.

An insider told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "This year, everyone is hoping for a same-sex couple who can go the distance.

"Layton is a phenomenal performer and the pros will probably queue up to work with him."

The West End star's participation on 'Strictly' is said to have "ruffled a few feathers" as he is "professionally trained" in dance and was cast in the stage version of ‘Billy Elliot’ at the age of 12.

A source told the MailOnline: “He is professionally trained and has extensive experience with learning difficult choreography, which many of the contestants, especially those from a sporting or political background, will at first find impossible.

"The show has been criticised in the past for recruiting contestants with a background in dance and this year will be no different as Layton is a star in his own right and known for being an impeccable dancer on stage."

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for METROSEXUAL 

RETURN OF THE METROSEXUAL

Man-icures: How and why men are embracing nail varnish

Gregor Tholl

 Nov 15, 2021

© picture alliance / dpa

If you see a man wearing nail polish, he might be sending all manner of message, from a socially conscious one to a statement about his own masculinity. It's a trend that's growing.

Berlin (dpa) - Gianni Versace made it clear years ago: The men wearing nail varnish are "nice and witty."

It was 1994 and Versace was explaining the business of fashion to a journalist after being asked who was walking around like 'that.' 'That' referred to male models on the Milan catwalk, clad in miniskirts over their trousers, embellished with bright red lips and sporting nail varnish.

Thirty years later, it's not every young man who is painting his nails. But some are. And they are often "nice and witty."

Designer Marc Jacobs said a few years ago that nail polish was the perfect finish for men who sought to achieve the perfect look.

Some may think it silly to cover their nails with chemicals - while others say it is super sexy. Take Portugal football star Cristiano Ronaldo, known for painting his toenails.

American rapper Lil Yachty has gone a step further, launching a nail polish line for men. However, the Negatives 001 man-icures collection is initially only available in shades of concrete grey, matte white and matte black.

"I always thought painted fingernails were beautiful," German actor Lars Eidinger told dpa. "It's the level of exaltation I allow myself, so to speak." He says putting on nail varnish is not a statement and does not indicate he wishes he was a woman.

When it comes to choosing a colour, Eidinger says he usually opts for blue or black, with a classic red occasionally to shake things up.

A look at the world of celebrities reveals further fans beyond Eidinger and Lil Yachty, from glam rocker Damiano David of the Italian band Maneskin, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, to queer rapper Lil Nas X, British pop singer Harry Styles, US actor Ansel Elgort and Brooklyn Beckham, oldest son of the football star David.

Meanwhile Instagram offers thousands of posts under hashtags such as #guynails or #malepolishedtoes.

Of course, there have been male celebrities in the past who wore varnish - think of David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Johnny Depp and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler. But their use was generally considered a quirk.

"Right now, we see that male influencers have become more enthusiastic about decorative cosmetics," says Birgit Huber, who works for a German consumer products association. More and more often, actors show up to red carpet events with their nails done, she says.

Nail polish has also brightened up the Polished Man Challenge, a social media campaign seeking to raise awareness about sexual violence against children. On average one in five minors is a victim of sexual violence. To heighten awareness, participants paint one of their five fingernails. Chris Hemsworth, his brother Liam, Zac Efron and Shawn Mendes have all joined in.

Surveys show people are noticing, says Huber. Men tell pollsters they see make-up and nail polish becoming increasingly trendy on Instagram. But that does not mean they will take to the nail polish themselves. Yes, they have seen it, but no, they would not feel confident using it, is a frequent response, she says.

But for young boys who like the look of nail polish and may feel like trying it, few receive a positive response and instead are bullied or told off. Occasionally, though, fathers put on some nail polish out of solidarity with their sons.

Overall, men wearing nail polish has its own distinct meaning, different to when women paint their nails, say observers.

"Nail polish is a way for men to signal flexibility and openness to social change without seriously challenging the standards of masculinity on the street," says male fashion expert Marco Nikolaj Rechenberg.

Nail polish for men comes from the mostly straight punk, rock, grunge and skater worlds, rather than drag queen culture, says Rechenberg.

"The motivation is not the suggestion of queerness or gender-bending, but, on the contrary, rather the emphasis of one's own heterosexuality or masculinity by breaking the rules, which is perceived as courageous," he says.

Wearing nail varnish is a good way to do this, as it is a relatively low risk product, he says.

Using nail varnish seems less feminine than other cosmetics, as it does not emphasize a feature in the way that lipstick and eye shadow do, says Rechenberg.

Historically, nail polish has been less about attractiveness and more about social status, with wearers showing off the fact that they do not have to work with their hands.

"Nail varnish is completely artificial," Rechenberg points out. "People have red lips by nature, but not shiny nails."

METROSEXUAL COMRADES

Beauty products become increasingly

 popular among Chinese men

(People's Daily Online) 13:07, May 20, 2021

Men's grooming is becoming an emerging market in China, with the group's adoption of beauty products already starting to take off.

The country's male cosmetics market has registered an average annual growth rate of 7.7 percent over the past four years in the country, with the total value of the market standing at about 16.7 billion yuan (about $2.6 billion) last year, according to statistics. The market is expected to exceed 20 billion yuan by 2023.

From May 1 to 3, sales of men's makeup products soared by 1,692.6 percent year on year in county level cities, indicated statistics from a subsidiary App owned by Alibaba Group's e-commerce platform Taobao.

According to data released by iiMedia Research, a data mining and analysis organization, stock for imported men's makeup products during last year's "Double 11" online shopping festival increased by 3,000 percent year on year. Meanwhile, sales of men's skin care products jumped roughly 30 percent.

Among them, sales of liquid foundation and eyeliners for men born after 2000 grew twice and four times as fast than those for women, respectively.

In a survey conducted by Alibaba, 18.8 percent of post-95 male respondents said they used BB cream, while 18.6 percent have at some point applied cosmetics such as lipstick and eyeliner.

In addition to makeup products, Chinese men are also increasingly turning to medical aesthetic procedures. A report from iiMedia Research indicated that men accounted for 30 percent of all consumers who went under the knife to improve their physical appearance in 2020.

A young man surnamed Liu in Beijing is one of them. To remove his acne, he became a frequent visitor to an aesthetic medical services provider.

"I was a bit uncomfortable when I first went there for acne treatment. Then I found out that there are many male customers there," said Liu, further disclosing that "to my surprise, after learning about my treatment, many of my male friends also want to have a try." 

One solution being offered is the Real Man Training Club in Beijing.

THE RETURN OF THE METROSEXUAL 

QZ.COM

K-pop’s rise in China is fueling fears of a masculinity crisis

“If you are promoting these effeminate figures, it’s a calamity for our country.”

SheHe Rights

The authorities in Nepal have granted a man who dresses and behaves as a woman both male and female citizenship.

The unprecedented legal status was given to 40-year-old Chanda Musalman.

Conservative and religious Nepal, like many Asian countries, has a sizeable community of people who are born male but behave as women.

It is unclear how this unique legal status will play out in practice - for instance, how it will affect Chanda's marriage rights.

Nepal has a community of men identifying themselves as women


Nepal is not the only country that has communities of men who are transexual/transgendered or women for that matter, it is a universal phenomena.

But this is a postive blow for human rights, which have been denied to Transexuals in Canada.

Gender bending is as old as humanity and is reflected in the traditions of magick and shamanism.

It is disturbing to conservative moralists because it shows that gender is a social construct.


Also See:

Metrosexual

Gay

Homosexuality

Queer

Sexuality

Gender

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Canada, gender,, sexuality,, metrosexual,, gay,, , queer,, homosexuality,, nepal,, transexual,, transgendered,
magick, shaman, shamanism

It's Natures Way

Gay animals exhibit generates heat

A Norwegian museum exhibit of homosexual behaviour in the animal world has sparked consternation among conservative Christians. A Lutheran priest said he hoped the organisers would "burn in hell," and a Pentecostal priest lashed out at the exhibition saying tax payers' money used for it would have been better spent helping the animals correct "their perversions and deviances".

Help the animals correct their deviances and perversions how ya gonna do that? Shock Therapy like they used on gays back thirty years ago?

So drop the false moral indignation, which says heterosexuality is Natural and homosexuality isn't. Freud already proved that was untrue. Now get over it.

Breaking what is taboo for some, the Natural History Museum in Oslo is currently showing an exhibition on homosexuality in the animal kingdom which organisers say is the first of its kind in the world.

"As homosexual people are often confronted with the argument that their way of living is against the principles of nature, we thought that ... as a scientific institution, we could at least show that this is not true," said exhibition organiser Geir Soeli.

"You can think whatever you want about homosexuals but you cannot use that argument because it is very natural, it's very common in animal kingdom," Soeli added.

Oh yes and marriage is a property relationship it isn't 'sacred' either.

Of course the Christian Conservatives loved their favorite family film; March of the Penquins. They thought it great that Emperor Penquins mated for life proving family values are natural. But as it turns out the Emperor Penguins are also homosexual as well.

Of course as a fallback the Christian Conservatives raise the fear of Islam....Conservative activist Mike Baker said, "Nevermind Christian condemnation. This exhibit won't endear the museum with many Muslims."

Of course all patriarchical religions and sects fear homosexuality as they do women. And poor Mike Baker is confusing Norway with Denmark.

animal species practice homosexuality

Homosexuality is quite common in the animal kingdom, especially among herding animals. Many animals solve conflicts by practicing same gender sex.

From the middle of October until next summer the Norwegian Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo will host the first exhibition that focuses on homosexuality in the animal kingdom.

"One fundamental premise in social debates has been that homosexuality is unnatural. This premise is wrong. Homosexuality is both common and highly essential in the lives of a number of species," explains Petter Boeckman, who is the academic advisor for the "Against Nature's Order?" exhibition.

The most well-known homosexual animal is the dwarf chimpanzee, one of humanity's closes relatives. The entire species is bisexual. Sex plays an conspicuous roll in all their activities and takes the focus away from violence, which is the most typical method of solving conflicts among primates and many other animals.

Biological Exuberance: Love That Dare Not Squeak Its Name - Homosexuality in animals... (gay animals and a strange bat)

See:

Morality not from animals

Polygamy is NOT Polyamoury

Homosexual

Metrosexual

Same Sex Marriage

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:

Norway, Oslo, animals, homosexuality, Christiantiy, freud, homophobia, lesbian, gay, patriarchy, Islam, same-sex-marriage, bisexuality, metrosexual

Ed Woods Curse

The angora sweater curse of Ed Wood has struck.....

Hollywood heart-throb Johnny Depp developed an unhealthy obsession with women's clothes while starring in film biopic Ed Wood.

I would never have noticed from his manly roles of late as Pirate Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka......




SEE:

Metrosexual







Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Ed, Woods, metrosexual, drag, women, womens-clothing, Johnny, Depp, Willy-Wonka, Jack-Sparrow, movies, movie-star, transvestite, GlenorGlenda, Plan9, angora

Peel For the Police

Those whacky cops with the Peel Police Department are at it again.

Transsexuals facing a strip search by Peel Region police should be allowed to choose the gender of the officer conducting the search, the Human Rights Commission has ruled.Peel police have also been ordered to produce a training video on transsexuality after the commission ruled the force violated the rights of a person undergoing a sex change. Transsexuals given choice on search

You have to wonder about macho he-men wanting to strip search she-males.

Of course there are those that contend that the authoritarian male urge to power, nifty uniforms and phallic weaponry is a form of repressed homosexuality. Such as Klaus Theweleit.

He wrote his dissertation about a literature produced by former soldiers who during the Weimar republic had organized in "Freikorps". i.e. paramilitary right-wing death squads ("Freikorpsliteratur und den Körper des soldatischen Mannes"). Nobody had cared to analyse this literature before Theweleit. His book Männerphantasien (1979), in english "Male fantasies" (1987), a study of fascist consciousness and the bodily experience of these former soldiers was well received. Theweleit used Wilhelm Reich, Felix Guattari and other theorists and discussed his findings with his wife who had clinical experience. He formulated his insights in a voluntarily nonacademic personal style. Klaus Theweleit: Information From Answers.com



Both of these folks are wearing uniforms one for gender bending and one for enforcing fear. Uniforms, costumes, etc. are social constructs, just as gender defininitons of masculine and feminine are.

Self fear and self loathing is the source of power over the other that makes up the authoritarian personality (cops, fascists, military, etc. armed and dangerous men). The police see us as the other; civilians if we are good, bad guys if we are not. But they are never of us. We are the other, and they are a power over us and are a power unto themselves. Which is why they do not so much enforce laws, as view themseleves as being the law. Which is why they feel they can break the laws or are above the law. Cops and Tasers

Hypermasculinity or the "macho personality constellation" is an example of extreme adherence to the masculine gender role. Mosher and Sirkin (1984) indicated that macho men believe that "violence is manly" and "danger is exciting," and they have sexually calloused attitudes toward women. They devised a scale to measure adherence to the macho personality and found that men high in hypermasculinity had a higher self-report of SA against women (Mosher & Anderson, 1986; Mosher & Sirkin, 1984). Mosher and Tomkins (1988) used script theory to discuss the development of the macho personality. They proposed that feelings such as excitement and anger are socialized to replace "inferior, feminine" feelings such as distress and fear. Macho men are taught such rules as "Don't be scared. Be brave. Be tough. Be daring. Become excited by the danger. Risk injury or death. Be proud of fearlessness. Be contemptuous of danger and cowards." Adolescent rites of passage in male peer groups and various aspects of American culture p erpetuate the macho script. According to this model macho males are more susceptible to peer influence because of rejecting parents. Fighting, seeking out danger, and calloused sexual encounters that are shared with peers help perpetuate this script. If "boys will be boys," then girls will be victims? A meta-analytic review of the research that relates masculine ideology to sexual aggression

Self fear and self loathing is also the tragedy of the personal life of many Transexuals and Drag Queens.

SUSAN SHAH Died Oct. 10, 2004

Yet another cautionary tale from the world of Porn. Transexual porn actress Susan Shah apparently committed suicide at age 36. Ms. Shah fell 20 stories from a New York apartment building. She had suffered from AIDS for 10 years. Ms. Shah was born a man and underwent sexual reassignment surgery. She appeared in several porn films under the name Princess Shah. She recently directed the PG-13 short film "A Step Ahead," which dealt with her sex change. She recently enrolled in film school at NYU. Prayers of comfort for her family and friends.

Transexuals on TV and in the Movies

• Showtime's "Soldier's Girl" (2003) revealed the true tale of how a GI was beaten to death in 1999 by other soldiers who were enraged by his relationship with Calpernia Addams, (a.k.a. Scottie) a transsexual nightclub performer. The movie tagline read: "She was the only man he ever loved."

  
  Lee Pace stars in
  'Soldier's Girl' on Showtime

Living in a heterosexist society, means that they fail to fit the norm. The personality and psyche is thus forced into a dualistic form of social schizophrenia, which means that as members of an erotic minority, they must conform to a norm which is not normal for them.

Guardian | Boys will be girls

Boys will be girls. What do you do when your child wants to be the opposite sex? Naomi Coleman examines the rise of gender identity disorder.

This is the real meaning of the sexual revolution, the freeing of erotic minorities from the oppression of social schizophrenia created by heterosexism.

PARADISE BENT

Screenplay: Heather Croall. Cinematography: Tony Wilson. Editing: Mark Atkin. Sound: Des Kenneally. Music: Andrew Hillam. Producer: Heather Croall. Video Colour 51'

When it comes to gender, there is a truly Samoan way of seeing the world. Paradise Bent tells the story of the Samoan fa'fafines: boys who are raised as girls and play an important domestic role in the Samoan culture. Although the anthropological spotlight has shone on Samoa many times this century, fa'fafines have never been mentioned. Is it possible the anthropologists just didn't notice them? The traditional role of the fa'fafines is now under threat, as the western drag scene filters into Samoa. The older fa'fafines are not impressed. Through our main character, Cindy, we see the complexities of life facing the modern day fa'fafines in Paradise.

Redefining Fa'afafine: Western Discourses and the Construction of Transgenderism in Samoa

Wife 'didn't realise husband was a woman' -- FOR 17 YEARS!!!!



Also See:

Metrosexual

Mirror Mirror On The Wall

Nazi Gay Killer Wanted to be a Cop

The Real Crime In Canada

The Sexual Revolution Continues

Whose Family Values?

SOME REMARKS ON WAR SPIRIT

HeShe Said

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CD, TV, transexuals, police, Ontario, Peel, human-rights, Canada, sexuality, gender, Reich, theweliet, gays, lesibans, bi, LBGT

Only As Pretty As You Feel

Jefferson Airplane Pretty As You Feel

when you wake up in the morning
rub some sleep from your eye
look inside your mirror
comb your hair

don't give vanity a second chance
no no no
beauty's only skin deep
it goes just so far 'cause
you're only pretty as you feel
you're only pretty as you feel inside
just as pretty as you feel

Roz Weston, a 31-year-old reporter with Global Television, shows off his painted toenails on the set of Entertainment Tonight Canada. ‘I find it relaxing,’ he says, and he never allows women to do it for him. (Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)

The Globe and Mail is behind the times again, see my Boys will be Girls

It appears that years after the fact they have discovered the Metrosexual.

Say didn't Jack Layton call himself that,yep he did.

Straight men eager to polish their image
Cosmetic companies find a fresh market catering to the male workaday dandy

Farid Hassani, a 37-year-old designer, says he regularly borrows his wife's eyeliner to give himself a lift.

"It makes me feel good, it makes me feel different," Mr. Hassani says.

"I'm not gay but I don't want to be perceived as the typical heterosexual male," he says.

"Makeup gives me an edge."

As well, this month, Jean Paul Gaultier, one of the pioneers of the male makeup trend, relaunched in select Sears and The Bay stores across Canada, its Tout Beau Tout Propre collection of eyeliner, bronzing powder and coloured lip balm for men.

Along with the clear nail polish that has been available to men since 2003, there is now a chocolate shade.

Actually the LCN Diamond Base gives nails a nice natural fleshy tone. Check it out with Chrissy from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Being the ultimate hockey twink does Sidney Crosby wear toe nail polish? Only his esthetician knows. Sid Crosby Metrosexual

And for the Goth camp in all of us there is always the Midnight Black. As proved by the young androgenous man who served me at MegaTunes in his eyeliner, foundation, lipstick and black nails displaying the subtlety of male drag in public.

In Ancient Egypt the Men were always better made up than the women.

And the Peacock looks better than the peahen.

And unlike Calgary we actually have a Mens Spa in Edmonton, The Boardroom

A tip o' the glitter blog to Calgary Grit

Also See: Bald Facts

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mens-make-up, nail, polish, men, metrosexual, Edmoton, Toronto, eyeliner, mascara

Sid Crosby Metrosexual

I came across this cheescake shot of Sidney Crosby at Jes Gőlbez hockey Rants

While it graced the pages of Vanity Fair poor Macho Jes thinks its eye candy for the girls.

Poor deluded fool, this is homoerotica if ever there was any. But then Jez does have a thing for Sid.

Oh right only straight men watch hockey. Yeah right, boys.

Vanity Fair is the very epitome of Metrosexual, unlike say oh, Maxim.



Is this a cheapshot against Jes?
Yep.
He hates the Oilers.





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metrosexual, Sidney, Crosby, NHL, hockey, cheesecake

Bald Facts

The Guardian asks;

To baldly go Does male hair loss really matter that much? Nicholas Lezard reports. Special report: gender issues

No it does not but then I am biased. And it's not just a case of only men being bald, some women go bald and look damn good just like bald men do.

You have to be bold to be bald. And baldness implies a certain androgeny, which may be why it has always been a challenge to masculinity/feminitiy gender constructs.










Also See:

Boys will be Girls

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
bald, hair-loss, men, masculine, masculinity, feminity, metrosexual, women,
androgeny,gender

Harper Will Make Canada Masculine Again

Now here is a damn fine reason to vote for the Conservatives cause they ain't no femmy, gay loving, limp wristed, bunch of liberals.

They are MEN, even their women. They are a man's party. They are tough rugged, strong, brave and free. And they are Men. No eye shadow here. Not a Metrosexual amongst them. Tough guys.

Nope these are Cowboys, arm wrestling, beer drinking, average Joe Canadian. And if you elect them, Canada will no longer be a whimp in the world. We will be the bar-room brawlers in North to Alaska. We will rightly take our place amongst the manly nations of the world. Those willing to step up to the plate and squash someone.

Well that's according to American columnist John O'Sullivan in yesterdays Chicago Sun Times. He says;

In 1945 Canada was the world's fourth-largest military power. Its soldiers, sailors and airmen had played a major part on D-Day and in finally defeating Nazi Germany. And its national image was that of a tough, self-reliant, stand-up guy whom you would like on your side in a barroom brawl.

From 1945 to the present the history and changing national image of Canada was brilliantly summed up in the Monty Python song that begins "I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK" and gradually develops into "I put on women's clothing and hang around in bars." In other words, not necessarily someone you would like on your side in a barroom brawl.

This new Canada was the child of the Pierre Trudeau and the Canadian Liberal party. As the government in power for most of the postwar period, they remade Canada in their own image: left-liberal in politics, tightly regulated in economics, welfarist in social policy, officially bilingual and multicultural as regards national identity, allied to the United Nations and the Third World in foreign policy, and therefore self-consciously different from (and sometimes even hostile to) the United States.

Above all, Tory leader Harper is not a very good candidate for demonization. He is a cool cerebral politician who has fought a controlled campaign on a distinctly moderate conservative manifesto. Too moderate, some would say, since the Tory manifesto concentrates on cleaning up government after the Liberal scandals, offers only modest tax cuts, is willing to offer the United States a "free vote" in parliament on joining a missile defense system (rather than supporting it outright), and proposes raft after raft of government assistance programs rather than a smaller state

That said, the Tories do want to rebuild Canada's shrunken military, to retain the democratic safeguard of the "notwithstanding" clause, to strengthen border security against terrorists, to advance Canada's interests by better relations with the United States rather than by pointless insults, and in general to revive the more vigorous Canada that existed before Trudeau. Harper's moderation is a recognition that the Canadians have become accustomed to the easy chair of all-encompassing government since then. He is inviting the modern Canadian to take the first small steps back to self-reliance and national pride.

But is there still a lumberjack under all that mascara?

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Canada
Federal Election
Politics
Harper
Conservatives
Liberals