Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, someone decided that instead of ignoring me, or shuffling me off to some dark corner, to instead, write about me and who I am. You can read the online version here

http://www.cleveland.com/sundaymag/f...2711789791.xml

I didn’t have any editorial control over this article, and fortunately, I don’t have any major corrections to make for what was said. Only problem being of course was trying to cover the shear volume of what could have been written and said in such a short article.

Steven

P.S. Northern Ohio Live has postponed publishing their article, it may not appear until this fall.

__________________
"A sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." - Albert Einstein
"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." - Adlai Stevenson
"Got Edge?" - Steven J. Arness - Coachless, two years and counting.
"He who carves himself to suit others will soon whittle himself away."
"Sometimes you get what you want but loose what you have."

Hey, Steven! YOU'RE FAMOUS!!! Enjoy the limelight!!! (And if I were ever in your neck of the woods, I'll be happy to have a picture of me with you in a skating dress!!!)

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Congratulations!

Could we see some photos? I am amazed you have such a huge dress collection. I have about six practice outfits, and about same number of competition dresses.

I can understand you preferring a skirt and tights - so do I - apart from anything else, it gives you more freedom of movement. But so many girls/women wear leggings or trousers these days, that it can attract a lot of unwanted attention for anybody over the age of 10, even if wearer is female. So if want privacy when I skate, I am driven to wearing trousers too.

I like to wear a skirt and tights if it isn't too cold - but our dance club does have a dress code that women *must* wear skirts (it's not that rigidly enforced, but Remarks were Passed when I turned up in leggings one night), and if it's freezing, I have been known to stay at home.....

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Steven, that is awesome and so are you. You go on with yo bad self! Who cares what other people -- especially closed-minded people -- think, anyway?

Hehe Jazzpants, there are a few people that have done that already, but only because of my legs!

Hi dooobedooo, I don't have a scanner, so I took a picture of it, it doesn't look all that great, but is viewable, only other problem being is where to put them as I don't have my website at the moment.

I'm sorry to hear about the remarks made about your wearing leggings for warmth Mrs Redboots, I myself usually wear two pairs of tights, one of them being Modor whoolie's if its going to be cold.

Overall it's been good, but I know I have a lot more to go yet.

Steven

__________________
"A sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." - Albert Einstein
"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." - Adlai Stevenson
"Got Edge?" - Steven J. Arness - Coachless, two years and counting.
"He who carves himself to suit others will soon whittle himself away."
"Sometimes you get what you want but loose what you have."

I hate it when men look better in dresses than I do.

Just do your thing man.

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Champagne in 2005, 2008, 2009 - who's next out of the pre-bronze club...?

Wang chung!

Hey, if men can wear kilts and no one raises a stink (usually), why not a skating dress? It's only fabric, after all. Ruffles and flounces once belonged more to men than women, and in nature, it's usually the male who gets the colors or display.

Some people need to get over themselves. I've read plenty of books with weird covers--and sometimes the pages are weird too, but usually the pages hold a great story, and it's worth it to take a look.

But there usually is a right time and place for everything. One the one hand I do admire people who choose to be themselves regardless of what others thinks, but at the same time a responsible adult also has to consider what is the appropriate boundary in public spaces, especially when there are young kids and their parents around. Give those parents the option of what to expose their children to.

I mean there are probably men who would love to crossdress when they're sitting in board meetings, but they don't do it, because it's just not the appropriate environment to do it in.

I couldnt agree more. While this is the USA and people have the freedom to dress as they please, its important to be respectful. I mean, it would be totally inappropriate for a woman to go topless at a public swimming pool, even tho, yes, males only have to wear swim trunks, not swim tops. It isnt much different for skating. There's a time and place to express ones self, but I dont beleive a public skating arena is one of these. If someone is going to be a figure skater, they have to take on the entire role of being a skater and all that is invovled in skating - including respect the rules and traditions of the sport. That may sound silly and lame, but some things in life just simply need to have boundaries. no exceptions.

(please note, im not pointing fingers at anyone - im just speaking in general and stating my concern and opinion)

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~Sk8Bunny~
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"I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"

So just do whatever you feel!!!

BTW - check out my friend David in his Swan Lake outfit from our rink Xmas show - the picture is on my tape trading webpage - just scroll down.

www.geocities.com/kwillyau/index

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Check out Cool Cat Skating Products - Australian Owned and Produced Skating Stuff.
www.geocities.com/aussiecoolcat/index

Do you skate at the club sessions at all? Is it that you enjoy wearing a ladies dress or an outfit that's floaty and whatever? Just a suggestion - If you're really interested in skating the club sessions - then perhaps offer a compromise. With all the variation in men's costumes there should be something you and the club can agree on. Since you're obviously not afraid to try something - then try to find a "Steven" costume - not men's/ladies but something that works for you. How about a tunic type outfit and a sash? It would give you the floaty feeling of a dress, while providing something more characteristic of a man's costume. If you don't want to skate at the sessions, then it's not an issue. If you "must" wear a ladies dress to skate - then it's not about the skating.

Tradition, ahh yes, lets go back to traditional attire, it looks like men traditionaly wore skirts, in fact, mens skirts were shorter then womens skirts. Ahh yes, moving up some we see that men also wore tights (and cod pieces which is what bras came from) and men even wore heels and wigs. Lets see too, women didn't get to do much, they were more like slaves, they didn't get to vote, they served men, kept up the houshold, and lacked many of todays rights.

Oooo, silly me! You meant traditional skating attire! Lets see, traditional skating attire would have you in black boots, an ankle length skirt or dress and full petticoats. And speaking of tradition, it was unladylike for women to jump and/or spin.

Speaking of tradition, perhaps ladies shouldn't be allowed to wear pants, shorts, leotards, or tights either then, as those are all mens clothing.

Ah well, I'm sorry, I just don't think it's fair that I am restricted in what i can and cannot wear, it's just clothing after all, it covers my skin.

Awsome Willy! I think it would be hard pressed to see anyone around here letting a man play a female character, yet females play males characters all the time, and sometimes wear skirts to boot!

Flo, I don't "have" to wear a skirt to skate, I like the skirt as it adds more movement to skating. Someone just skating around in lets say a unitard (which is banned, which is just silly) is a pertty static figure, even when moving. Jumps and spins, yes, convey a sense of energy, I just find that that extra piece of fabric add's a bit more to it. And it's not just the skirt mind you, yes, I have seen sashes and those are interesting, as well as ponytails, just something about the extra movement.

As for club ice, I don't skate on it much due to cost, it's $12 an hour and anywhere from 10 to 20 people on it. I can skate on public ice for $1.50 for two hours (or three) and there are usually less then six people on it. So guess which sessions I would rather skate on?

Attire for skating on club ice, let me give you an example, lets say that a male and female in the club are both doing an interpative program and are practicing for an upcoming competition during club ice. The female is playing a male character (who wears pants), while the male is playing a female character (who wears a skirt) Given the current discrimintory rules, the only time (club ice) that the male can wear the skirt would be at the competition, while the female would be allowed to practice in pants. It seems to me that there are some traditions that need to be dissolved (I think ladies should have the option to wear pants for competition myself, it's something else I'm working on)

As for a "Steven" costume, yes, I have been trying to come up with something, we have tried many things, and yes, I have a tunic and a doublet. Tradition would have me wearing tights or leggings with those, but men are not allowed that option. Me and my many seamstresses have played around with a number of ideas, we have tried different insets, hemlines, fullness, layers, colors and what not, and as goofy as it is, they all think I look pretty darn good in a skirt!

Steven

__________________
"A sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." - Albert Einstein
"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." - Adlai Stevenson
"Got Edge?" - Steven J. Arness - Coachless, two years and counting.
"He who carves himself to suit others will soon whittle himself away."
"Sometimes you get what you want but loose what you have."

Steven, I think you have made some good points. Though I am not the kind of person that likes to do things that differ greatly from the norm, I respect those that do.

Taking your points to the workplace--I have noticed at various workplaces, that in a non-casual environment, a man is basically forced to wear long sleeve shirt, tie, and dress pants to work. Whereas women are fortunate enough to choose between pants, skirts, and various types of shirts. Especially in the summertime, we have many women wearing short sleeve shirts and nice sandals to work. Men do not have those same options if a tie is required in the dept in which they work. Since short sleeve collared shirts are not worn all that much, men do not have a lot of options.

So, you have a point. Granted there are not many men wanting to dress like females, but they should have the option anyway. I don't really see why so many people in your rink make such a big deal about it. Even if I do think someone is acting or dressing in a "strange" manner, I don't get upset about it--it intrigues me more than anything.

I've read Steven's posts from the time he joined the forum. The first time I realized that Steven was a man, I thought OMG, what a weirdo! And people on this forum were condoning it! But I continued to read his posts, and realized that maybe he wasn't so weird after all. A lot of what he says is valid - for example, I much prefer to skate in a skirt, and do so on public skates. It's ok for me because of my gender, but not for him? That hardly seems fair. What if it was the other way around? I would certainly be jumping up and down on somebody's desk to change that rule!

Then I had the pleasure of meeting Steven in person at Mids, and he is a really nice, quite normal looking person . Personally, I think the parents who are freaking out about him skating on public skates are missing a good opportunity to teach their children that not everyone who looks different is dangerous or something to be feared.

I do think, however, that you have an uphill battle ahead of you, Steven. When Sonia Henie (sp) changed the way women dressed in skating, it was at a time that society itself was was changing how we viewed women. I wish you the best of luck - I enjoyed reading the article, too.

PS - thanks for opening my mind a little bit more . Hope to see you at a competition this year!

__________________
"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

Well Steven knows I don't see this the same way he does.

I think the comments about appropriate time and place for cross-dressing are very relevant. The 'traditional' argument is a bit of a red herring, as like statistics it can more or less prove a case for anything, so the attitudes of contemporary Western society is a better guide to what is appropriate in an ice-rink today and while contemporary Western society accepts women wearing 'pants' in almost every area of society (except skating competitions (which I rather like!!! - but didnt' until I started competing and finding how putting on special competition attire i.e.a dress, helps me to get in the right frame of mind for a competition )), it doesnt' generally accept men wearing skirts. Kilts are not quite the same thing as they are a national costume - very few men would wear them for every day but wear them for special occasions - weddings, highland games, Scottish gatherings of any sort.

Very few men can wear a skirt without being ridiculed. One of the designers tried to put men in skirts but it didnt' catch on. David Beckham (famous British footballer) wore a sarong type skirt - but only once I think and he was ridiculed in every paper in the land. Eddie Izzard is another famous British cross-dresser - he's a comedian but he doesnt' wear dresses so much anymore. He seems like a real nice guy - as I am sure Steven is - but I'd still prefer to see him in clothing that is not clothing designed for women.

I have seen male skaters wear womens attire but only ever in artistic competitions where the idea has been to surprise, amuse or shock. You can usually practice in your costume on club or session ice in the same way as people occasionally bring props on to practice with which is not normally allowed, but that is not the same as wanting to skate regularly as a man in a dress.

So while I sympathise with Stevens desire to skate in a dress I can also see that it could well offend, upset or shock some people. Anyone who goes against established norms has to be prepared to accept criticism and consider whether their actions are infringing on anyone else rights. It's all very well for those here who know Steven, to be supportive and say of course it 's OK because he's really a normal guy who happens to like wearing dresses but most people wouldn't know that and people are naturally wary of something they are not familiar with. I guess the newpaper article will help people to become familiar and Steven you might end up becoming something of a tourist attraction for the rink!!! As long as you can deal with the reactions of the public (and the management allow you to skate in a dress) I guess you can do what you like - but you can't necessarily expect other people to be happy with it if you go against current norms. and unfortunately for Steven, cross-dressing, transvestism, etc, by men, tends to be thought of by many people(erroneously for the most part) as being related to the sleazier side of life.
Perhaps Brad Pitt et al in the film 'Troy' will change that!

Good Luck!

__________________
'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'

Living your life in a box for fear of ridicule is sad. Be who you are!

Didn't have the spine to do it again, eh? Sad.

I LOVE Eddie. I don't give two hoots about what he wears--fabric is fabric, just like colors are colors--no gender gets the corner on the market. Honestly, I feel the same way about makeup--it's just crayons and color for the face, and there are some men (Eddie included) who happen to look rather good in it. This rigidity in the way we're told to see other people is sad--people are more than their gender (or, more accurately, more than what other people say the expression of one's gender ought to be).

So shock value is ok, while being yourself is not? Nice.

True--however, I think the problem then lies with the people who feel offended, not with Steven. And, I can't see how his wearing a dress infringes on anyone's rights--not any more than your wearing blue infringes on my rights.

And the reason for the white boots? At my rink I wouldn't have a problem with a guy wearing a tunic /sash outfit with leggings in the attempt to blend in, but I would not want a guy in a ladies skirt/dress on my session any more than a woman with her top off or something as unusual. It would be a major distraction for many of the kids and parents and whoever wants to gawk. I'm there to skate and there's enough distractions and difficulties in getting in a good practice with all the levels and disciplines without adding to it.

I've resisted posting on this thread and on the one on which Steven posted pix of himself in a dress because I neither approve nor disapprove of Steven's choice of skating attire, but do believe there is a very specific and rather obvious reason for it, which is not simply preference. I think Steven shares a trait with many actors and other performers, and I do not say this with even a hint of judgement....but it sure looks to me like exhibitionism. I've met lots of exhibitionists and in general have not found them to be any kind of problem unless I am competing with them for attention . I once had a neighbor (another mom) who wore shorts so short that you knew she had to be wearing thong underwear or nothing. That's mildly exhibitionistic, and it didn't bother me - not my butt hanging out, and our kids played well together. So, IMO, Steven enjoys the attention, and that is the real point of wearing dresses to skate. Good skaters can skate in anything, and dedicated skaters will skate in whatever is available without much concern for it, as skating is their main concern. Steven - I wish you many years of enjoyment!

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Check out the pictures at http://www.macabiskirt.com/pgjournal.html. The macabi skirt is a travel skirt and, while most of the pictures are of women wearing the skirt, there are some men wearing it, too.

If men want to wear skirts, that's fine with me. A friend and I had a good time looking at men in kilts when we went to the local Scottish games. Some of them, like Steven, had very nice legs! We have several women at my agency who wear men's suits and ties and nobody says anything. I know of a male dance teacher who sometimes wears a skirt when he's teaching because he likes the way it feels.

Steven, I'm sorry that you've had problems with some of the parents and with your club. There are far worse things than a man in a dress that they should be worrying about. I admire you for being true to yourself and not giving into the pressure to conform.

If you want to see a man wearing a skirt, look at a Greek soldier! And a sarong-type skirt is everyday wear for men in Myanmar. So it's only our culture that makes us think a man in a skirt is unusual - after all, what could be more masculine than a Scot in traditional dress?

All the same, to be absolutely frank, I'd rather see a man wear a male skirt than a woman's one, but that's me. Some trannies look great, others merely grotesque!

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

But kilts, sarongs, togas and ancient greeks and romans' tunic aren't the same as a dress that is definitely feminine and definitely designed for a woman. (I have not seen Steven's skating attire, but I'm assuming that he wears a skating dress that without a doubt is intended for a girl/woman.)

I don't mind men wearing skirts or dresses if either:

(a) they are very convincingly feminine (you can't tell the difference!) or
(b) they are entirely masculine (like David Beckham, I quite fancied him in a sarong; or like Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake; or like John Kerr's kilt)
(c) they are making pantomime fun (like a dame in a panto, or like some trannies)

What I really cannot stand, is when men wear costumes that "take the piss" out of feminine beauty and grace. I saw a skating exhibition once, where two men came on dressed in white feathers as ballerina swans. They were both gross, fat, middleaged. They proceeded to clunk and clomp around in black boots and do quite a difficult clowning acrobatic act. They really made me wince, and I had to look away. It was just nasty.

So by all means wear a skirt; be flash and colourful; be a "male Peacock", but please don't make it nasty.

I have to disagree with your last point. The problem does not lie with the other people. Everyone has the right to their feelings even if they do not agree with yours. People may be shocked and offended due to religion or upbringing and I dont think anyone else has the right to tell them they are wrong for that. If you do something, let's call it 'unusual', for whatever reason knowing (as Steven does) that it is likely to offend or upset some people then it is up to the person who is doing the 'unusual' to explain themselves - not for everyone else to be told they are wrong to have those feelings. He may feel he is doing no harm - they may disagree - it doesnt' make either of them necessarily in the right. He may be able to persuade them to change their view. They may not be offended - they may find it funny - they may laugh. They may love it and be perfectly OK with it. My point was that Steven can wear a dress if he can deal with all that and feel comfortable with himself knowing that his behaviour may have an adverse affect on others. I presume he does. Everyones actions have consequences for others. The more different to the norm those actions the more affect they have.

I don't recall saying it was OK to wear a dress for shock value but not otherwise. It was an observation as was much of the rest of the post. It was also a reference to Stevens complaint that a man wanting to wear a dress for an artistic couldn't practice in it. In my experience people are allowed to wear whatever they like when practicing an artistic.

Personally I have a weakness for men in eyeliner (the 80's have a lot to answer for) but I prefer men not to be wearing womens clothes - even if they look good in them (as Eddie Izzard sometimes does). It's personal preference (but a quick poll in my rink failed to find anyone else who would like to see a man skate in a womans dress either). I would not expect to see any man wearing eyeliner whilst practicing at an ice-rink though and if they did I would consider it highly unusual.

__________________
'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'

OMG! Can I just say something real quick before I do a couple short replies?

You guayls (guys/gals) are the GREATEST! I mean it! Yes, we all have our opinions and what not, but you guayls are so cool!

batikat, post away, as always I love to hear your insight, and I respect the words you say.

flo, why white boots? Well, I actually wanted blue boots (I love blue) but there was an extra charge for that. So I debated for almost six weeks (lucky me they were backloged and on break) as to what color I wanted, black or white. I asked the opinion of many people on this, some said "your a guy, guys should only wear black" others said "black doesn't cordinate with what your wearing" Even given all that, I was still split 50/50 and going to toss a coin. What finally clinched the deal for going with white was that it was easier to change it to blue then it would be to try and change black to blue, so thats why I have white boots, simple eh?

Mrs Redboots, MQSeries, and dooobedooo, I loved your insight and remarks so I'll try to say some of my thoughts on it.

Kilts, yes, Kilts are traditional attire for Scottish males, they are advancing somewhat with the times, and are getting more modern so that a typical man can wear them. Now is there a style of a skirt that looks like a Kilt that a man could wear for skating? Perhaps there is something out there, or perhaps someone needs to design something like that, and perhaps that would be more acceptable.

Lets see, what would and wouldn't be considered womens clothes? it's a very perplexing question, especialy for me since I do not attach a sex to clothing. Of course a lot of my outfits were either custom made for me, or otherwise altered to fit me, as such, I consider them my clothes, and not mens or womens clothes. Of course the style I prefer is of course typicaly worn by females, which won't change of course if men don't wear it. My prefered style is a long sleeve mock turtleneck with a three circle skirt with a basque waist and a high/low hemline.

My tops are usually very plain, I'm not "accenting" anything there, the high/low hemline of the skirt keeps my legs longer as I have short legs. The basque waist keeps my torso from becoming too short and makes it more perportinate with my legs. A circular hemline and inset tends to make my legs look longer, and it's not too bad, my only complaint is that it doesn't always cover my bum!

I have some outfits I really dread wearing, they either make my legs look really short, or really long! In fact my one photo with me in a leo and leggings looks horrid in my opinion as the top of the leggings came up far too high, I'm 2/3 leggings, and 1/3 top!

dbny, exhibitionists eh? Hehe, ah well, I really don't have a choice given my choice of attire now do I? One thing I could do is go back to wearing black tights, of course black tights with anything not black looks absolutly horrid! Ah well, someone did accuse me seeking attentioon, I don't think I am, but as I said, since it's not normal, it just will. Of course the people who know me, and are used to seeing me, have no problems at all and don't seem to be distrated one bit (however, maybe that one lady who splatted into the boards when I was doing my spiral might have been distracted)

Ok, enough babbeling!

Steven

P.S. Did I mention that you guys are COOL?

__________________
"A sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." - Albert Einstein
"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." - Adlai Stevenson
"Got Edge?" - Steven J. Arness - Coachless, two years and counting.
"He who carves himself to suit others will soon whittle himself away."
"Sometimes you get what you want but loose what you have."