That's awsome!

Now, that kid is just five and growing and won't necessarily wear dresses for the rest of his life. Could just be a phase that he's going through and after a while he'll throw the dress away and act like "normal". Not saying that continuing to wear dresses is a bad thing - a bit unusual perhaps but the world is driven by unusual people - but there's nothing saying he'll be burnt forever or something. I wore dresses when I was a little kid - well, at least at home so I wasn't that cool -  but that was only for a short time and instead of panicking and telling me it was wrong my mother gave me more old dresses from the attic, she even gave me some jewelry. Colourful stuff. Mm, good times, good times. Anyway, that was just me having a chat with my feminine side (every man has one) and I've had those several times during my life (played with Barbie and stuff, loved Sailor Moon and still do, often creates female characters in RPG's etc.).

I'm no shrink or anything but I think it's just healthy to let your "other" side out sometimes instead of hiding it in fear of becoming gay or something. It'll just make you more secure in your sexuality, I think.

...

So, uh, I don't think there's anything terribly wrong with what that dad is doing. Wearing a dress himself might be a bit extreme but he's fully supporting his kid and that's what matters the most.

I can't see myself wearing a dress in public like that, but i could possibly do it at home. I'd let my child wear them and then wait and see. If he continues to wear dresses after some time has passed then I'd try to figure out why he prefers dresses. The reason for him doing what he does is much more important to me than the fact that he wears female clothing. I don't know if I believe in gender equality, or even understands it, but I really don't believe in the old gender roles either. We are all unique and it's important to be able/allowed to explore ourselves so that we may understand ourselves and feel comfortable with ourselves.

I'd stop the issue before it turns into a problem.

just because this kid might be made fun of by peers for a whole assortment of things doesnt mean that this family should encourage something that definitely will when its such a completely insignificant thing.

given the option kids would glutton themselves on candies and chocolates but that doesnt mean it should be allowed. should their choice of unhealthy foods be supported and encouraged? should the father also start just eating such foods to support the son's choice?

what if this kid decides he prefers no shoes?  or no clothes at all even?  should those be supported?

The dad has a good intent and I commend him for it for real.

But gender equality has nothing to do with both genders being the same, because they are not. There's a reason why girls adorn themselves with flowers and the likes.

A question I have is do dresses need to be "girly"? Or does the boy only like girls' dresses? If so, that seem a little odd since a dress can be not girly yet still be a dress. For example, the Scotts wore quilts. I think it's a form of deviance when society decided that something is specifically feminine yet the individual enjoys it simply because it is for the opposite sex. However if he likes it simply because it's a dress and he likes dresses, then all the power to him. But I disagree with it personally, because I'm not a fan of flamboyance and cross-dressing in general.

Don't you have to wear uniforms in Gymnasium schools or Realschulen?

no, only very few schools have that and there are boarding schools with uniforms but that's only a small part of german school system and even there not all have uniforms if i'm not wrong.

Good for him.

Because there is no gender and we are all the same.

Well personality wise.  There are very few physical differences and that's it.   Biological gender basis of personality are old outdated science that practically nobody takes seriously anymore due to studies of other cultures.

Gender roles are generally scienitifically seen as being almost completely due to society.

Pants... Dresses... underwear.. like any of us wear them when we visit vghchartz

You can't compare eating junk food to wearing clothes of different shapes than the norm. Sure, the latter may cause psychological issues if he gets bullied, but by that point he may just switch clothes if it gets to much on his nerves. Junk food, on the other hand, is direct harm to your body.

Wearing no clothes at all is illegal, so that's not even up for discussion. No shoes? Don't be silly, that can also be directly harmful. Unlike clothing preferences.