By Huong Nguyen (inspired by a Malaysian Saint Harridan fan)

Clothing is a form of social revolution. Don’t believe me? Take a look at my elementary school pictures. (No, don't, really.) Every year on Picture Day, my dad would force me to wear a dress. I would resist, vehemently. An epic David-and-Goliath struggle would ensue, with lots of crying, yelling, and kicking (mostly by me). Little David (me) would plead: "Why do I have to wear a dress? It's uncomfortable. I don't look like myself in it!" Gigantic Goliath (Dad) would respond: "Girls wear dresses. Why don't you want to wear a dress? You look like a boy in those clothes!"

The end result would invariably be a photo of me, with no dress, sporting such red puffy eyes that I could barely see out of them (I'm Asian, after all) and a strained but triumphant smile. Yes!!! Many might think, from looking at those photos, that I simply had some generic "bad" mornings. For me, those photos represented small but hard-won battles for recognition, acceptance, and respect for my clothing choices. Little did I know, however, fighting my dad was only the beginning of many future battles with others involving clothing and identity.

In the United States, LGBT folks (the term used inclusively) have recently made great strides toward obtaining legal protections for themselves and their families. At the end of 2010, the ban against gays and lesbians serving in the military, or the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy, was finally repealed. Although transgender service members were excluded from that repeal, organizations such as OutServe-SLDN are actively working to clear a path for those service members to serve their country openly and with dignity.

In this recent election, marriage equality became a reality in three more states – Maryland, Washington, and Maine. That was a watershed moment, as it was the first time state voters directly approved marriage equality through the ballot box. This result stood in stark contrast to previous elections, during which voters cast ballots against marriage equality in a total of thirty-two states.  Currently, a handful of court cases are making their way through the court systems, with the hope that the United States Supreme Court will finally declare marriage equality the law of the land.

Our celebration of these achievements is never without a touch of soberness. Obtaining these rights are necessary, but not sufficient, to gain full recognition, acceptance, and respect from our family, friends, and communities. For over a decade and a half, I’ve worked pro bono to help repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy, support marriage equality, and gain political asylum for those discriminated against in their home countries based on their sexual orientation. I’ve learned that winning cases or changing the letter of the law can only get you so far. Events outside the courtrooms and legislative halls matter quite a bit.

Out there, the world is not safe for us. Terribly ill informed and misguided folks frequently commit violence against our bodies and minds. Brandon Teena, Gwen Araujo, and others paid dearly with their lives, because they each dared to live their truth. Incessantly bullied, Rafael Morelos, Jamey Rodemeyer, and others tragically took their own lives before they were old enough to have any positive understanding of themselves. Fortunately, some of us have escaped such hatred with physical scars, while others have suffered emotional scars that are as deep and cutting as any knife wound.

Saint Harridan has borne witness to the retelling of some of these battle scars. Despite – or in spite of – such scars, your remarkable level of excitement for the company is a testament to your resiliency and your unwavering hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

You have told us your frustration and despair with trying to find clothes that reflect your true identity, inside and out.

We also heard the incredible feeling you get when the clothes you wear reflect your true self.  

For some of you who may not have the opportunity to wear our clothes in public for fear of persecution, we are tremendously humbled and honored for this opportunity to serve you too. You are right: “It’s just clothes, but it’s more than clothes.”

To say that a need exists for quality men’s-styled clothing and accessories that fit a woman’s body is an understatement. There is a groundswell of yearning from butch women and transmen to be seen for who they really are. The long-felt need of butch women and transmen for clothing that matches their inner identity with the outer selves has largely been ignored by the fashion industry. Saint Harridan’s primary mission is to serve that need.

Saint Harridan believes that a real-life butch woman or transman in a well-fitted power suit is nothing less than revolutionary. Seeing that butch woman, we can imagine her walking into workplaces, board rooms, court rooms, and interviews, steeped in confidence and commanding respect from those around her. Seeing that transman, we can imagine the challenges – rejections of his identity by family, friends, colleagues, or places of worship – that he had to overcome in order to get where he is. And seeing both of them, we can imagine that they, by virtue of being survivors, represent a big fuck-you to those who doubted or denied their existence and identity.

Clothing is a social revolution. Join us.