posted on April 7, 2004 08:25:45 AM new
DALLAS (Reuters) - What started as a dull runoff race to field a Republican candidate for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives has heated up due to a controversy over cross-dressing.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on Tuesday photographs of candidate Sam Walls dressed in women's clothes have circulated among political leaders in Johnson County, south of Fort Worth. Local Republican leaders confirmed separately that they had seen the photographs of Walls in a wig, dress and high heels.
Walls, who has the endorsement of several leading Republicans in the state and was expected to win the run-off, was not available for comment. He said in comments printed in the Star-Telegram that he will not drop out of the race due to a campaign of blackmail.
"Through intermediaries, my opponent told me to drop out of the campaign or the private information would be released," Walls told the paper. "Now my opponent is using the information in an attempt to intimate that I am a homosexual, which I am not."
Walls, 64, who describes himself as a fervent Baptist, told the paper his family had "dealt with" the issue of his cross-dressing and that he asked for forgiveness.
The opponent in question is Rob Orr and his campaign officials said they have not distributed the photos.
Jeff Judd, the county chairman of the Republican party, said it was too late for Walls to drop out of the April 13 runoff.
"It would have been much better judgment for him not to have run," he said.
posted on April 7, 2004 12:51:48 PM newI'm no expert, but why would a straight man go out in public in womens clothes?
Transvestites are not necessarily homosexual. Transvestite: Someone who dresses in the clothes usually worn by the opposite sex. Transvestites may be bisexual, heterosexual, or homosexual.
******
Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
posted on April 7, 2004 05:57:01 PM new
The guy didn't get caught by going out in public. A mobile home he owned/ or once owned was repossessed and pictures of him in full regalia were found.
posted on April 9, 2004 08:48:37 PM new
Some male cross dressers claim that we women are cross dressing all the time, wearing slacks and man-tailored blouses, etc. Hmmmmm.
I personally will never understand a man, who doesn't NEED to wear panty hose and high heels, makeup, etc., CHOOSING to do it. Of all the uncomfortable ways to cavort. . . .
At least we women "cross dressers" aren't wearing those uncomfortable neckties. We would all draw the line at that, right?!
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posted on April 9, 2004 10:07:14 PM new
A lot of women wear ties, actually. I've been pretty tempted, too, I admit--there are some really cool ties out there
But you bring upsomething that says a lot about our society.
I, and many many other women wear men's clothes all the time. Men's jeans, men's tennis shoes, men's shirts, etc. etc. etc. Girls are even wearing boxer shorts now. And no one raises an eyebrow. No one thinks twice about it. No problem.
But men aren't allowed to do the same thing with women's clothes without being hassled every which way.
I've always wondered about that.
******
Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
posted on April 10, 2004 08:52:13 AM new
From the perspective of someone (me) that knows a couple of cross-dressers:
When asked "why?" most will tell you that they do it to escape. My translation? You must not think much of yourself. I've been told that when they put on the make-up, dresses, hose and high heels, they actually think they are women. That's the comment that angers me. You are NOT a woman, you will never be a woman. You don't know what child birth is, you don't know what it's like to endure menstrual cramps so don't step on my toes! You could never possibly know what it's like being a woman. Most of these men have a warped sense of what a woman is. They see women as they were seen in the 1950's - always in a dress, always nicely made up and always subservient.
What I have that is exclusively mine is the fact that I'm a woman and I greatly resent those who think they can put makeup on and step into my world. The difference between women who wear jeans and comfortable clothing and men who wear dresses is that we are not trying to be a man. We are trying to be comfortable. These men prefer to be called "she" while dressed as women and create different names.
By most accounts, I consider myself to be very liberal. This is one of those areas where the "liberal" comes to a screeching halt. I dated a man who cross-dressed. At first I thought it was interesting, but then it got to the point of being sick in my eyes. He loved wearing nylons, loved shaving his legs and thought he looked quite stunning all dressed up when in truth, he looked like a man in a dress. Oh and he was not gay. He was very much straight. His cross-dressing ended our relationship because I just couldn't tolerate this man stepping (or thinking he could step) into my "woman world". I once allowed him to do my hair and makeup. I looked like a hooker or worse yet, a transvestite, when he was done. My hair was teased a foot above my head and I had so much eye makeup on, I couldn't keep them open.
The odd thing is, I can accept a gay transvestite dressing as a woman, but I cannot accept a straight man doing the same thing.
posted on April 10, 2004 02:14:18 PM new
That's pretty wild, Cheryl! I'm not sure if I would be able to accept something like that either because it seems to me to be more of a deep-rooted problem than a way of life. Does anyone know if men cross-dress for some sexual thing or is it just a form of roll-playing?
