A hearing on the appeal of the decision of former acting Chief Justice Ian Chang that both men and women are free to cross-dress in public once the reason for doing so is not improper, was held last Friday at the Court of Appeal in Georgetown.
The appellants, Quincy McEwan, Seon Clarke, Joseph Fraser and Seyon Persaud, were all charged and fined in 2010 for wearing women’s clothing for an improper purpose under Section 153 (1) (XLVII) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act Chapter 8:02.
Section 153 (1) (XLVII) makes every man who appears in “female attire” and every woman who appears in “male attire,” in any public way or public place, “for any improper purpose,” liable to a fine not less than of $7,500 or more than $10,000.
