Andrea Jones took her top off in the Morristown Driver’s License Office in Tennessee to highlight the inconsistent way the state is treating trans people.

At the federal level, Jones is treated as a woman. But at state level, she could not have her sex changed on her driving license.

Jones said: “It’s not right for the state to ask me to be both male and female. A choice needs to be made. They cannot hold me to both standards.

Full story at:-
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/11/16/topless-us-trans-woman-charged-with-indecent-exposure-as-a-man/

 

Surely Tennessee can't have it both ways! They can't refer to her as 'Mr' and call her a man, which I thought was horrible, but then charge her with indecent exposure for taking her top off! If they consider her a man, surely they will have to charge every man who bares his chest!

I know Penny, it's a crazy situation isn't it - and the reason why I thought it was worth posting this story.

That is crazy! One that the state won't follow the fed's. Second the state recognizes her as a female to charge her for indecent exposure. You can't have it both ways Tennessee.

That’s quite intriguing. Obviously there is a discrepancy in their treatment of this individual, declaring her legally male yet apparently arresting her for a female-only offence. Good on her for highlighting the State’s mis-treatment of TG’s, but if a trans person (or male, or anyone) who’s had breast implants takes their top off and waves their boobs around in a public place it’s a safe bet they will be arrested. Perhaps that was her intent to get her protest noticed. I suspect to get round their inconsistency they will charge her with disruptive behaviour or breach of the peace or whatever the US equivalent is. I wouldn’t have thought they’d have a leg to stand on if they tried to convict “him” for a gender specific offence, ie “female toplessness”.
Clearly TG people can be put in a very difficult situation when the law says they cannot legally be treated as female until they’ve had SRS, but it’s not always simple. For example if male-bodied TG’s were declared legally female then sooner or later one would come along who believed it their right to be naked in a female-only changing room. Legally, it would be their right, but morally? I think not. Common sense and the law do not always go hand in hand.
It may not always be straightforward, but Tennessee needs to get up to speed. TG’s have a basic human right to be addressed by their true gender. They should not be subjected to the inevitable humiliation that an incorrect driving licence or passport would bring. Tennessee, et al, could then enforce their female indecency laws on TG's as they wish.
On a side note, I personally don’t have a problem with females being topless in public, and find the extreme attitudes and blatant sexual inequality caused by social conditioning quite ridiculous. As Eddie Izzard used to say (though not intending to highlight this particular issue): “Equal clothing rights for men and women”!
Right on, Eddie; men should be able to wear skirts and women should be allowed to go topless without fear of arrest or ridicule.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topfreedom
xx
This post was edited by Lucy Diamond at December 7, 2011 1:35 AM GMT

Ms. Jones I applaud you, that took guts to catch the state in its own contradiction