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A History of Cross-Dressing Laws
Season 4
Episode 31
Published 2 weeks ago
Description
In 1863, San Francisco made it a crime to wear clothing "not belonging to your sex," with a fine of up to $500. That and other laws gave police the power to arrest drag queens and anyone who didn't look "right." And while the specific statutes have mostly been struck down, the same logic lives on in bathroom bills and restrictions on legal gender recognition. After 163 years, why does the state still thinks it gets to decide what gender looks like?
Image: Arthur Berloget, "The Secret Confessions of a Parisian: The Countess, 1850-1871"