It was a lot easier than I was expecting.

When I got there, the guys in the dept had a "lookout" that was standing by the door smoking. As soon as he saw me getting out of the car, he got on the radio and sent the "go word". A few other people quickly got outside before I hit the door. Most of them were just curious. The guy with the phone was throwing out skirt comments but he's one of my mates and I expected it from him.

I got a few double takes but for the most part the novelty of it wore off before I was even logged into my PC.

My mate who made the skirt comment (who also took that picture of me walking up to the front door) made an off-color crossdressing comment to our dept secretary, who is a Scot, and she didn't take kindly to it. In fact she had him written up and he got a nice lecture from upper management about tolerance and cultural diversity.

One fellow whom I am acquainted with but don't "know" on any meaningful level was being quite rude all day. Checking out my legs. Making derisive smirks. One time I was walking out of the bathroom as he was walking in and he said something like "are you sure you're in the right room?" Now friends had this been a stranger on the street I think I would have buried my boot up his **** right up to me flashes but this being my workplace I let it slide.

Later that night I got a private email from the abrasive individual. He was asking me more politely and respectfully what was up with the kilt. I talked a little bit about comfort, a little bit about honoring my diverse heritage. I pointed out that as an African American, he probably has as hard a time nailing down his heritage to one African country as I do to one European country. I pointed out how MUGs are worn by men all over the African continent and that if he decided to honor his people by wearing traditional African clothes, he would be highly insulted if I had come up to him and said "nice dress". That comment really hit home with him and he changed his tune entirely.

Today one of my coworkers came to me with pen & paper and asked me where I got the kilt, as he got permission from his financial adviser (read: wife) to get a kilt of his own. (YAY!!!) Not sure if he will wear it to work or not but Rocky & Kelly should be expecting a call from my coworker Andy soon. I hope he does wear his kilt to the office, because then maybe I wouldn't be such a novelty. Maybe then it would be a movement.