Becoming a Felony

When I was three or four years old, my sisters and I were going to play in the water in our yard. I put on my swim suit, but I refused to go outside without a swim top like my sisters had on. They took one of my Dad’s handkerchiefs and tied it around my chest so I would go outside with them. In NC and AZ, there are bills in the legislature that would make that a felony.

When I was in Fifth Grade, my sisters took a dress form that our mother had, dressed it in one of her dresses, and slipped it over me. Then they took make-up and painted my face. We went to the Halloween party at our American school in Recife, where my parents led the costume parade as the headless and two-headed monsters. That bill in the NC legislature would classify that as a felony, as I was wearing make-up and the clothing of the opposite gender while speaking in front of more than two people.

When Karen and I were serving as Southern Baptist missionaries in Mexico, I dressed up one day as a female Biblical character to present a monologue from that character’s perspective on a Bible story. That would be considered by these bills as a felony.

We went to a Halloween party in Virginia, where a male friend (Marine) put a couple of balloons under his shirt, donned a wig, and pretended to be a woman. That would no longer be seen as a jest under these laws. It would be a felony, viewed even harsher for presenting as such in the presence of a mixed company with many children from the local elementary school present.

If a pastor or choral director were to allow a female to represent a male character in a play, they would be committing a felony and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

If a transgender individual were to dress accordingly and sing in public, speak to more than two people at a time, offer any kind of theatrical or entertaining performance, these proposed laws would make such a felony.

Should a school such as Central Academy for Technology and the Arts here in Union County, NC allow girls to dress as and represent a male character in a dramatic production, the school would be committing a felony.

If Robin Williams were to be filming Mrs. Doubtfire or Tootsie after passage of these laws, it would be a felony. He would also be in trouble along with Disney for the Genie in Aladdin.

If Shakespeare were to return and present any of his plays as in the Globe Theatre during his lifetime, it would be shut down by these laws, as only male actors were allowed on stage back in that time period. Juliet’s character would be committing a felony, as would Lady Macbeth, Ophelia, or a host of other characters played by men.

Mulan could not be presented on stage under these laws. Any representation of the French Revolution featuring Joan of Arc would become illegal. There is probably no episode of M.A.S.H. that would be presented under these laws. Barbara Streisand’s portrayal of Yentl would be illegal under these laws.

Southern Baptist hold as a primary hero of missions across the world a woman from generations ago, Lottie Moon, who wore dresses in China, though that was considered clothing only suitable for men. Should a Chinese woman dress in pants according to her social gender norms, while her husband wore a skirt in Charlotte, NC, this law could be used to prosecute them as criminals due to a cultural conflict in definitions of gender-appropriate apparel.

How many times have we seen a Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, or Pepé Le Pew cartoon in which characters dress as the opposite gender? I’ve watched Mrs. Doubtfire, Tootsie, Yentl, and Mulan, as well. I can’t see that watching those movies or multiple episodes of M.A.S.H. had any effect of my gender-identity, or that of my peers.

How is it we have become so afraid of Drag Queens that we would draft such laws which abuse and criminalize such as this? Are we that insecure in our gender identity that we must criminalize such things to score political points with a riled-up base? Many are pushing the narrative that cross-dressing or being transgender is categorized by God as sinful. Jesus certainly never said anything to that effect. Instead, he told us to love one another with no holds barred, no exceptions. There is nothing Christian in attempts to write and pass such laws. If anything, they are declarations in opposition to Jesus, who did not come to condemn, but to redeem us all.

— ©Copyright 2023, Christopher B. Harbin 

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