Update: Based on all the evidence that has been pointed out to me as well as my own research looking into Italy’s actual penal code, I would have to say that wearing skirts as a man is not illegal in Italy. Read on to see why this question came up to begin with.
A few days ago, I came across a thread on one of the “men in skirts” forums I frequent that discussed whether it is illegal to wear skirts as a man in Italy. There were no solid conclusions which made me curious, so I did some research of my own and this is what I found.
At first glance, it seems that it is illegal to wear a skirt as a man in Italy. There is apparently a law on the books that makes it illegal to wear any “clothes of the opposite sex”:
The Italian law on cross-dressing is contained in Article 582 of the Italian Penal Code, which states that anyone who “in a public place or open to the public, appears dressed in clothes of the opposite sex, or otherwise disguised in a way that is likely to disturb the public order, shall be punished with arrest for up to six months or a fine of up to € 516.”
https://travelasker.com/is-it-possible-for-a-man-to-face-arrest-in-italy-due-to-wearing-a-skirt/
So apparently the Italian legal system considers being dressed “in clothes of the opposite sex” to be a disturbance to the public order and given that Italy’s current government is very right-wing, I think it’s highly unlikely that anything about it is going to change anytime soon.
That being said, however, the only references to this law I could find were those listed below. Among them, only the first one mentioned the actual article number that supposedly forbids beskirted men.
I tried to find it in a Google-translated version of Italy’s actual Penal Code but was unable to find anything about it. Article 582 was about causing personal injury and didn’t mention anything about disturbing the public or about dressing in “clothes of the opposite sex”.
And that means I am back to square one: I still don’t really know if it’s illegal to wear a skirt as a man in Italy or if it’s just a rumor. I would love to be able to answer the question definitively, but from what I can find online, I can’t unfortunately.
My advice would be to just proceed with caution if you do visit Italy and would like to wear a skirt as a man. Perhaps asking an Italian policeman before venturing out in a skirt would be the best, most cautious approach.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you seen or heard anything about it? Have you ever worn a skirt as a man in Italy? How do you think it applies to “men’s skirts” such as kilts? Let me know in the comments below!
References
- https://travelasker.com/is-it-possible-for-a-man-to-face-arrest-in-italy-due-to-wearing-a-skirt/
- https://dataqworld.com/is-it-illegal-to-wear-a-skirt-in-italy-as-a-man/
- https://wise-answer.com/is-it-legal-for-a-man-to-wear-a-skirt/
- https://www.gate-away.com/blog/kidding-law/
I don’t think this law is in application.
You should ask (have a look at) Stefano Ferri, an Italian writer, husband, father and cross dresser.
@stefanoferri_writer
It looks like you may be right! Thanks for pointing him out! I suppose he would have legal problems if it were illegal in Italy, but it doesn’t appear like he does.
Exactly.
From a legal point of views no issues.
He is super strong fighting social and public stigma.
We need more people like him that can be strong and fight social and public stigma. If it were illegal in Italy, he would certainly have a lot of trouble.
Yeah, no. The Italian criminal code is based on the first approved version of 1930, but amended many times since, most relevantly when Italy joined the EU, and had to make its laws consistent with the EU rules. Here is a pdf of a current amended version (2022):
https://sherloc.unodc.org/cld/uploads/res/document/ita/1930/codice_penale_html/Codice_Penale_-_edizione_aprile_2022.pdf
It is in Italian, but Article 582 is about “Personal Injury” not clothing, and translates thus:
“Article 582.
(Personal injury)
Anyone who causes personal injury to anyone, resulting in illness in the body or mind, is punished with six months’ imprisonment.
at three years old.
If the illness lasts no more than twenty days and none of the aggravating circumstances provided for in articles 61, number 11-
octies), 583 and 585, with the exception of those indicated in number 1 and in the last part of article 577, the crime is punishable upon complaint by the person
offense.”
{don’t recognize “octies” and think it refers to an 8th part of the cited number (list)}
That said, I checked the entire document for words for clothing, dress, opposite, and sex (vestiario/veste, vestito, opposta/o & contratio, sesso) and find no relevant citations for any of these words (the closest is Articles protecting rights of same-sex unions).
So, No. Just No. Dress well and Vivere Bene!
That’s exactly what I found when looking through the actual penal code with Google Translate (I can’t read Italian). I assume the information from the travel websites is either based on old, no longer relevant laws or they are going for the shock factor. It’s hard to say.
Based on everything I’ve seen and been shown since posting this article, I would definitely say it is not illegal to wear skirts as a man in Italy. I added an amendment to the beginning of the post that clarifies that.
I’m Italian and I wear skirts without issues.
That’s great news! Thank you for telling us that!
Uh, that would be extremely disappointing if “country of fashion” (although one can argue whether France pushed more) has such restrictive law. Happily, seeing the other people’s comments, seems this rule is not relevant anymore.
It would appear that it is no longer relevant which is really great news. Sometimes I think websites like the travel websites I listed above use that sort of thing for its shock value rather than because they are trying to be accurate. I assume that Italy may have had a law like that in the past, but it also wouldn’t have been the only country to have had such a law.