certainly not
Mar. 23rd, 2021 02:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marnanelI was discussing Section 28 with our care worker, who had never heard of it despite being 50 and schooled in England. This led to the following story.
When she was in Year 10, in 1986-ish, there was a trans boy in her class. His parents knew and were fine with it, but the teachers knew and were not.
Now, there was some sort of costume event, like World Book Day, and each year group of the school had to dress as characters from a given era. Our care worker's year were 1950s/1960s. The boy asked the teachers whether he could dress as a boy from that era, and was told, "Certainly not— you're a girl." So he went off and planned his next move.
On the day, he turned up in a gimp suit. With a ball gag. And a skirt, in case anyone thought he was dressed as a boy. He brought copies of his careful research to show it was an authentic 1960s gimp suit.
The teachers hit the roof and summoned his parents. His parents said, "Well, you did say he couldn't dress as a boy." They produced the receipt to demonstrate he had bought the suit after the discussion with the teacher, rather than borrowing it from someone.
The teachers were not impressed, and suspended him. They also called social services. There was a big fuss, but it all blew over, and the boy became an absolute legend.
When she was in Year 10, in 1986-ish, there was a trans boy in her class. His parents knew and were fine with it, but the teachers knew and were not.
Now, there was some sort of costume event, like World Book Day, and each year group of the school had to dress as characters from a given era. Our care worker's year were 1950s/1960s. The boy asked the teachers whether he could dress as a boy from that era, and was told, "Certainly not— you're a girl." So he went off and planned his next move.
On the day, he turned up in a gimp suit. With a ball gag. And a skirt, in case anyone thought he was dressed as a boy. He brought copies of his careful research to show it was an authentic 1960s gimp suit.
The teachers hit the roof and summoned his parents. His parents said, "Well, you did say he couldn't dress as a boy." They produced the receipt to demonstrate he had bought the suit after the discussion with the teacher, rather than borrowing it from someone.
The teachers were not impressed, and suspended him. They also called social services. There was a big fuss, but it all blew over, and the boy became an absolute legend.
no subject
Date: 2021-03-23 03:04 pm (UTC)I was simultaneously pleased and perturbed a couple of years ago, when I found out that one of my lovers had never heard of Section 28. Pleased to realise that people less then a decade younger than me got to grow up in a very different and more welcoming country in at least that respect, but a bit perturbed at the lack of awareness of our history, even within the queer community.
no subject
Date: 2021-03-26 07:49 pm (UTC)