GENDER bender inspires official ire

U.S. Rep. Cliff Steams wants a dress code to keep a man from wearing dresses at his state job.

By Lesley Clark OF THE SENTINEL STAFF

OCALA -- A man who wears women's dresses, pumps and a strand of pearls to his state government job has caught U.S. Rep. Cliff Steams' eye, And his ire. The Ocala Republican has fired off letters to state Senate President Toni Jennings and House Speaker Daniel Webster suggesting a state employee dress code to prevent men from dressing in ladies' attire.

"It's antithetical to our morals in Ocala to have a man reporting for work with and artificial breasts and makeup," Steams said. "It sends the wrong signals to our children and people of this county if we tolerate these cultural values."

The gender-bending employee is Sabrina Marie Theodora Robb, who in May legally changed his name from Dale Robb. The 43 year-old Air Force veteran prefers Halston skirts to Haggar slacks.

Steams said he has fielded "numerous complaints" from workers at the Ocala office of the state Agency for Health Care Administration. The callers, whom Steams would not identify, are horrified by a fellow employee who has "chosen to report for work dressed in traditional women's clothing," Steams said.

"Obviously in my hometown of Ocala, this manner of behavior is particularly appalling,"

Steams said. "You can imagine what consternation they must feel when confronted with this deviant behavior." But the employee at the crossdressing crossroads is outraged himself -- by Steams' behavior.

"He's meddling in affairs he has no business in," said Robb. "I live as a female because to me it's more appropriate. A lot of folks are out there worrying where their next meal is coming from and this guy is worrying about what one person wears to work." The human service counselor's bosses are standing by their man. The agency said it hasn't received any complaints from c-workers or the public and there is no evidence that Robb's flowered dresses and carefully coifed wigs have disrupted the workplace or colored his work performance. "The agency, as an employer, has the responsibility to protect the personal rights of all its employees and to maintain a professional and productive workplace," spokeswoman Colleen David said. 'We are doing just that." The agency does not have a dress code, but requires employees to be "neat and clean in appearance" and to "dress appropriately." Robb said the fashion police have no cause for concern when it comes to his appearance. Indeed, he's more Margaret Thatcher than Madonna. Robb, who is medium build and about 5 feet, 9 inches tall, wears pantyhose, and his legs are smooth. His matronly skirts fall well below the knee and his foundation, lip stick and blush are tastefully applied, "not garish," he said. His nails are manicured and his jewelry, including a gold "S"-shaped pin adorning his padded bosom, is modest. He declined to have his picture taken, but did provide a photograph.

"Steams refers to me as 'that man with a dress and high heels,' " said Robb. "But there's a real lack of shock value. I consider myself a professional and I would not dress any other way but professionally. I'm dressed consenrvatively, not pro vocatively." Robb said it took him months to become fully feminized in his attire. In September, he started wearing women's jewelry and painting his nails. By June, he was in full drag. "I wanted people to get accustomed to it," he said. "I wanted to give them time to adjust." But some apparently haven't. Co-worker Dottie Pohleven said several employees in the small office building are uncomfortable with his attire. "It's a touchy situation," she said. "Although we might not agree with what he's doing, we care about him. But some people just question the professional aspects of a man dressing as a woman."

Stearns, a conservative House member who has long advocated less interference from Washington, D.C., said his office took its complaints to Webster and Jennings because agency officials seemed unlikely to take any action. The legislators may skirt the issue as well. Spokesmen for Jennings and Webster said the agency is part of the executive branch. However, Jennings said in a letter to Steams that AHCA legal staff is reviewing state and federal law to determine if it could impose a dress code.

Despite the couture controversy, Robb said he doesn't regret his decision to strip his tie and jacket for female fashion. "It's been difficult my whole life being something I feel I was not," said Robb, who considers himself a woman. "This isn't something I decided to just try for 30 days. This is a life decision."

The "Trans-gender" community which encompasses and transsexuals, has Robb's cause, urging the World Wide Web to Gov. Lawton Chiles to this narrow-minded bigots Chiles' office last week had not received any decadence regarding the clothing contretemps. "And that's something we'd remember," a spokeswoman said.

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