Hey Ron,

Whoa, I don't even know where to begin. I think that you are showing remarkable patience under the circumstances and that is one of the best things you can do.

I can also totally sympathize with your situation. When I first started wearing kilts at my job, the daily pant wearing HR manager tried to apply the "No extremes in personal dress or grooming shall be tolerated" clause of our corporate dress code. The funny thing is it was to her, and her only, I had to point out that unbifurcated garments were worn by more men in the world than one would think. Just because it is not seen very often in the US doesn't mean it is extreme. I then clarified the dress code for her. Ours states that "skirts cannot be higher than mid-thigh and not slitted past the knee." It said absolutely nothing about the gender of the skirt wearer. Always in the back of my mind I knew I could trump with the ethnic card but honestly, that isn't my style. I eneded up simply wearing my kilt one day and guess what. It was no big deal. It might have caused a little disruption the very first day because so many folks wanted to get a look at me and ask me questions. Ever since, it hasn't been a problem.

Didn't mean to ramble but you are doing the right thing. Wear pants if they request it of you because unfortunately potential customers could be just as close minded as your supervisor. But when you do wear kilts, wear them with pride (I know you already do) and in a way that shows just how professional they do look. (I've always believed the traditional kilts to be very dressy.) With a little common sense they'll realize that when they define the dress code.

Hang in there!!! I'll bet it turns out better than you think.

-80s