Michael's Black Dress

“Cross-dressing involves dressing as the other gender for entertainment or pleasure. Cross-dressing isn’t necessarily a sign of a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation.”—Mayo Clinic

Seventeen-year-old Michael has a secret: he likes to cross-dress. For years, this Black star of the wrestling team has kept this to himself. When his twin sister Shah walks in on him trying on her clothes, he finally confides to her that he wants to wear dresses in public. Understandably, Michael is terrified how his suburban peers will treat him. No one besides Shah knows the truth—not even Michael’s best friend, Jacob. Shah agrees to keep it a secret, but Michael’s eagerness to express himself in dress becomes stronger each day.

Michael’s desire becomes overbearing when he starts dating a girl named Bella. It’s clear that he’s only interested in her because of the way she dresses. In fact, when they go on a date, she wears a stunning black dress, and Michael is determined to wear it. When Bella spends the night in Michael’s bedroom, he decides to put on Bella’s dress while she’s sleeping. Michael is amazed how good he looks in Bella’s dress. When he steps out into the hallway, Shah discovers him in the dress and they fight—Shah demanding that he take off the dress. Michael comes up with what he thinks is an ingenious plan: Shah and Michael will buzz their hair and wear each other’s clothes.

When Jacob decides to make fun of Michael, Michael can’t comprehend how even his best friend turned on him. Together, they violently brawl in the cafeteria—with Michael repeatedly hitting Jacob with a lunch tray, displaying a dark side few people knew existed. Bella breaks up with Michael and he falls into a deep depression. He refuses to leave his room for weeks. Jacob eventually apologizes and presents Michael with a brand new dress. Even though Michael knows the road to acceptance will be long and difficult, he decides to try again to wear dresses. He figures it takes a real man to be strong enough to wear a dress in public, especially in that bastion of unforgiving in-crowds—HIGH SCHOOL.