By now, I'm sure you have seen the picture titled "How To Not Be A Jerk This Halloween" circulating on social media. I think a lot of the costumes presented as "jerky" are correctly labeled that way. No one should be in blackface, or dressed as a slutty Squanto, or pick a costume "glorifying violence against women" (what the hell does that costume look like anyway?). However, there are some points brought up in this checklist that I find, for lack of a better word: stupid. The main issues I have with this little pamphlet is about not cross-dressing and not dressing as a gay character if you're not gay.
Let's first tackle the thought that only transgender people can cross-dress.
So what about drag queens? What about people who enjoy transvestism? People do realize that cross-dressing has been around for as long, or even longer, than transgenderism has, right? By saying that only transgender people can wear opposite clothing, we are ignoring transvestism and drag queens.
Another issue this brings up comes with the subject of religion. "How To Not Be A Jerk This Halloween" lists that we should respect other people's religions this Halloween. It seems like whoever made the pamphlet doesn't realize that some religions use cross-dressing as a form of expression. Some Hindu men (and women) will dress as the goddess Radha to show devotion to Lord Krishna. So what does this mean? Which side do we side with? Are Hindu people transphobic for cross-dressing? Are transgender people bigots for thinking they are the only people who can cross-dress?
The restrictions people love placing on others when picking Halloween costumes is ridiculous because it can come out in paradoxes like I've stated above. I don't believe any Hindu people will be dressed as Radha for Halloween, but who are you to tell me that only transgendered people cross-dress? All this does is further marginalize drag queens and transvestites, and ignores other cultural and religious forms of cross-dressing. Even further, this goes to promote the stereotype that, to be transgender, you must wear clothes of the gender you are trying to be. Transgender people have been very vocal about the fact that clothing is just material that has no gender relation. So how is it that transgender people get to own the culture of cross-dressing when some of them don't even adhere to cross-dressing as an expression of their transgenderism?
To address my other complaint with "How To Not Be A Jerk This Halloween", WHY CAN'T I DRESS UP AS A GAY FIGURE IF I'M NOT GAY? How ridiculous can this point be?
Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John, Ru Paul, Anderson Cooper, and many other famous gay icons are off-limits if you're straight. That is the dumbest thing I ever heard.
How is an appreciation for a gay icon, if you're not gay, wrong?
If anything, I would think that queer icons should be elated that straight people have become accepting enough to embody them for Halloween. I understand not dressing up as a gay stereotype (limp-wristed and lisping), but saying that straight people can't dress as gay people for Halloween only perpetuates the stereotype that gay people are different from straight people! Also, how does this not work the other way around? No one is following around gay people dressed as heterosexual celebrities or characters and demanding that they put on a gay costume. It would be bigoted for someone to force a gay person to be a gay character for Halloween, so how is it not bigoted to make straight people only be a straight character or celebrity for Halloween.
I thank God that Halloween will be over by the time I write another article. I will finish my rant by saying this: USE YOUR BRAIN! If you dress up in blackface, or as a Muslim terrorist, or as a Nazi for Halloween; I don't pity you for any repercussions that come from it. But, if you are a straight man that wants to dress as Melissa Etheridge for Halloween; go for it. Anyone who is going to target you for respectfully dressing as another gender or sexual identity as your costume is someone who is too sensitive and would probably attack you for something else anyway. As I said in my last article, stop virtue signaling and be offended only when you're actually offended.