Putting the Pieces Together
Nearly a decade ago, at a liberal Hebrew school on New York’s Upper West Side, I was a male teacher who taught a lot of boys. I typically wore jeans and a button-down shirt in the classroom, but when it was time for the school’s Purim party, I could wear whatever I wanted. For reasons I didn’t examine too closely at the time, I decided to wear a dress.
I’d worn dresses before—onstage, or in the right queer setting—but they weren’t really a habit. This was 2010, and things were different then. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was still on the books. The Democratic Party thought same-sex marriage was envelope-pushing. Trans writers were writing and trans builders were building and trans teachers were teaching, but few in the mainstream cared to pay much attention. No brands offered sponsorships.