rmaciej1983 Posted June 6, 2008 Posted June 6, 2008 Hellow! I have colleague who also like high heels and skirts. He is a teacher in high school in Wrocław. He sometimes organize happenings against men's discrimination. Last time he had another conception. "Train to the Good Shoes". In polish word "train" have two meanings: train as a machine or train as a liking. So in polish: "Train to the Good Shoes" <=> "Liking to the Good Shoes". So he builded catch of a train. He have a megaphone and he recorded some sounds of a train. The idea was simple: the "Train to the Good Shoes" is driving to stations: "Macho" and "Men's Misery". On this stations they are getting in men in high heels and women in high heels, sport's shoes, combat shoes, ballerines... Last station of train is calling "Freedom". We made this show on Main Market-place in Wroclaw. There are many of people. Here you have some photos: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/2555094605_885c6d2f6f_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3166/2555919800_d77492e6c9_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2555093161_e2ae04bc4e_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/2555091577_48858390fe_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2555094933_a0981a987f_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/2555920054_bd5686e12f_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/2555092875_bbd4799e28_b.jpg On this photo you could see our "Train to the Good Shoes": http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/2555918636_c4430f4991_b.jpg Me in white skirt and pumps. My colleague in black silletos. We had some interviews for local TV and newspaper. And even for some German radio. I arrived to Wrocław from Koszalin (420 kilometers). So i had to stay in somewhere. My colleague reserved room in hostel for three days. We was there in the evening. I show my document of identity, he paid and we went to my room. We thought that everything was ok. He came back to his house, i started to watching TV. Suddenly i heared knock to doors. It was receptionist woman. She said something about my outfit. She said that she tolerate this but manageress ordered to remove me from hostel. I was suprised and angry. I decided to wait to police. But policemen told me that the hostel have own rights and i should find some hotel. So i had to leave this hostel, because my high heels prevented some manageress. But this case had precedent. Media like talking about this kind of cases. So there was an article in local newspaper. Internet version: http://miasta.gazeta.pl/wroclaw/1,37663,5237943.html There are lost of comments on many portals and forums: http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/1754613,454,1,1,item.html (1286 comments), http://www.pardon.pl/artykul/5013/student_nosil_szpilki_wiec_wyrzucili_go_z_akademika/wszystkie http://miasta.gazeta.pl/wroclaw/1,37663,5240165.html Sorry, but only in polish. Newspaper about our action: http://miasta.gazeta.pl/wroclaw/1,35771,5241130.html (we was recording by Wrocław TV station). "Faceci chodzili w szpilkach po wrocławskim rynku" mean: "Guys was walking in stilletos on Wrocław market-place". Some TV program ("Pytanie na śniadanie" - "Question on a breakfast") was interested my problem with hostel and they invited me to talk. But they changed mind (decided that this could be too scandalistic). They only made feuileton about our happeing.
canadianbeaver17 Posted June 6, 2008 Posted June 6, 2008 WOW! What a crazy story! This thread should be saved for sure. Your teacher friend, wasn't he in a video we say on here from a tv channel? I think so.
Bubba136 Posted June 6, 2008 Posted June 6, 2008 I'm not aware of where a man wearing women's clothing stands in Polish law. Is it against the law? What is the status of your being discriminated against at the hotel? Do you have any posibility of challenging the hotel management in the Polish court? I am impressed with your determination to go through with your demonstration (and, I really like the way you looked). I wish you luck and all that I can say is keep on wearing your heels and skirts where ever you want to wear them and when ever you want to wear them. Congratulations on your courage! Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
roniheels Posted June 7, 2008 Posted June 7, 2008 You and your friend look so cool in your outfits and high heels. I've always admired your attitude toward your selection of high heels and the outfits you wear with them. Good luck to you and your friend on your quest and please keep us posted.
Dr. Shoe Posted June 7, 2008 Posted June 7, 2008 Perhaps the three of you should bring the train with you... You will get a lot more men in heels joining it! Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.
JeffB Posted June 8, 2008 Posted June 8, 2008 rmaciej1983: Amazing! Absolutely amazing! A great adventure there, my friend. More power to you in your future exploits. I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman!
rmaciej1983 Posted June 16, 2008 Author Posted June 16, 2008 Incredible story! And I cant believe how the hotel could discriminate you like that, thats really horrible! A lot of respect to you and your friends! Oh, by the way: You looked really really great! Thanks. But it wasn't hotel. I don't know how it say in english. Student's house? Academic? Place where are living stundents. This is relation from happening: . In polish, but you can see pictures.
Stilettoscot Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 We callit "dorms" here, but either way, good stance. Looked good, also. Walking in ultra-highs because it's exciting...and it is!!
shrimper Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 I found it amusing that all the women in the pictures were wearing sneakers and the guys were wearing pumps.
Bubba136 Posted June 17, 2008 Posted June 17, 2008 How much of that clip did they actually show on TV? I would love to hear a translation of the tape. I know one thing is for sure, there isn't anyone else on the internet, that I am aware of, that is making a stronger statement for men in heels than the one you guys are making. Congratulations. And, keep on "chugging." (And, if nothing esle, you've proven you can speak polish. ) Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
rmaciej1983 Posted June 29, 2008 Author Posted June 29, 2008 Hellow! Antiguy corrected this text: Hello, I have a colleague who also likes high heels and skirts. He is a university teacher in Wroclaw, Poland. He occasionally organizes happenings against the discrimination of men. Not long ago another one was performed. It was called “A Train to Good Shoes”, which in Polish contains a pun: Polish word for “train” can mean the means of transport as well as an urge or inclination to something. Thus he organized a pageant (a human train), which marched across the city’s marketplace and collected passengers from stations called: “Macho” and “Men’s Misery” to deliver them to destination called “Freedom”. The passengers “getting on the train” at the first station were females wearing mostly flat heeled shoes, while the ones leaving the second station were males in high heels or ladies’ ballerinas. The train was accompanied by appropriate train sounds played from a portable amplifier, the frame of the train was made by me at the back of it, a girl nicknamed Voca in the middle, and Antiguy General of Poland (Naczelny Antyfacet Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej), the author of the show, at the front. We were carrying on our sides plastic boards with an image of a symbolic cargo train with the shoe models that are forbidden for men. Both males were wearing stiletto shoes and skirts as well as caps typical of Polish railway servicemen’s uniforms. The point of the show was a Polish popular song “A Train’s Coming from Afar…” played at station “Freedom”, whose lyrics had been modified into a message that in a free country everybody is free to wear whatever they want. There were quite many passersby at the time of performance on May 23rd 2008 at 6 pm. and it was covered by a camera crew of the local branch of Polish public television TVP3. Here are some photos taken at the show by our support staff: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/...5c6d2f6f_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3166/...7492e6c9_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/...ae04bc4e_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/...858390fe_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/...981a987f_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/...5686e12f_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/...d4799e28_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/...430f4991_b.jpg Afterwards we gave several interviews for all the media covering the event including a reporter working for German ARD radio. For example there are reports and comments on the event at the following portals and forums (however in Polish only): http://miasta.gazeta.pl/wroclaw/1,37663,5237943.html http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/1754613,454,1,1,item.html (1286 comments), http://www.pardon.pl/artykul/5013/st...mika/wszystkie http://miasta.gazeta.pl/wroclaw/1,37663,5240165.html http://miasta.gazeta.pl/wroclaw/1,35771,5241130.html The title: "Faceci chodzili w szpilkach po wrocławskim rynku" means: "Guys were walking in stilletos on Wrocław market-place". Prior to the happening there was an unpleasant incident connected with my participance in it. I live in Koszalin (420 km away from Wroclaw) and Antiguy General had reserved a room for me for 3 nights in a students’ hostel called “Jubilatka”. On the day of my arrival in Wroclaw I was driven to the place by Antiguy, checked in, paid in advance and unpacked in my room. However, after a while in the evening I heard a knock on the door and a new receptionist woman appeared to tell me that I couldn’t stay there any longer. Although I had been and watching TV in my room and left it only once for a little shopping in a grocery shop, she said that my high heel shoes disturbed the other students, who in fact had their accommodation in a separate part of the building. I was surprised and angry and refused to leave so she threatened to call the police to force me out. I decided to wait for the police hoping that they would support me against that unlawful decision but the policemen arriving at the hostel sided with the receptionist. Meanwhile Antiguy was informed about the problem via mobile phone and spread the message to as many media as he could: on the following day a local branch of Gazeta Wyborcza took up the topic and TVP3 joined soon afterwards. For a moment the incident became known nationwide and the administrative manager of the Academy of Medical Science, which owns that hostel, was questioned on the issue. From time to time other media showed temporary interest in the case but later resigned; for example TVP2 programme “Pytanie na śniadanie” (“Question to Breakfast”), which dropped the topic as too controversial and finally aired only a footage about Antiguy himself and his happening, which was followed by a discussion of completely unprepared men, including a die-hard conservative journalist Jan Pospieszalski. The topic of my expulsion from the hostel was raised by local TVP3 news bulletin “Fakty” on May 23rd and in a TV documentary on Antiguy of Poland (entitled “Antyfacet”) by Kinga Woloszyn-Swierk. Eventually, when I revisited the hostel with a TV crew, I was given a refund of the money for unused accommodation, but no word of apology was uttered. For the time of my stay in Wroclaw I had accommodation in office rooms of Campaign Against Homophobia in Wroclaw.
roniheels Posted June 30, 2008 Posted June 30, 2008 As I said before, I admire you and your group's attempt to contribute to the cause. Unfortunately, you found out that with every cause come resistance and obstruction.Your peaceful public dispay is going about this the correct way. You've made people think and you've opened some eyes. And that is what you were trying to accomplish. Keep up the good work.
Bubba136 Posted June 30, 2008 Posted June 30, 2008 You've my heartfelt admiration. And, like I said in an earlier post, keep on chugging. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
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