Girls wearing skirts not allowed into school - could only be Brighton

[Kit19]

www.theargus.co.uk/news/17886600.lewes-priory-gender-neutral-uniform-protest/

Apparently “gender neutral” means trousers aka the male default. This is utterly insane. I mean I wouldn’t have minded the choice of trousers or skirts for either sex but only trousers?

boys and men don't want to wear skirts

In Europe at any rate

I remember being gobsmacked when i saw the the Fiji police wear skirts

I assume they had shorts underneath, they were long skirts though

A lot of these issues are simply non issues in a single sex school environment - but these days many find the idea of single sex schooling an anathema. I don't.

I can't get the link, but they called the police ffs. Doe it say in the article what the police did when they arrived?

As a developing teenager my hips widened and my stomach grew, as did my backside. Im 5ft1 too, so short.

I felt uncomfortable in trousers.
As will some girls at that school.

When a student self IDs a school might fall over itself to prioritise that student and make them feel comfortable in clothing choices.

There's been a surge in the no. of girls who don't like their developing bodies being told they must be boys if puberty makes them uncomfortable -fastracked to blockers and then surgery.

So, blockers for confused teens? Tick. Prioritising transgirls at school? Tick. Yet girls wearing skirts is forbidden.

What are we saying here to girls?

Oh yes...you don't matter.

Uniform is a very cultural thing. We get new starters from all round the world at my school and i help them get their uniform together. It really has to be explained to some people. The most common mistake is to pick out pinafores for boys and pair them with trousers. I have to say the boys are allowed to wear pinafores and cardigans but generally the local boys dont and their child may prefer to fit in.

No - skirts would not be as practical for boys and men because it would take them longer to pee. They are of course welcome to wear them if they wish and I will happily support them if they campaign to do so. I do not support removing what can be a more practical option for girls.

Drogosnextwife
What happened was the school announced the change to the uniform but said that Year 11 would be exempt, then on the last day of term changed their minds.
Parents were faced with having to buy new uniform for their Year 11 children instead of being allowed to use the old one. So they demonstrated outside of the school.

The school responded by calling the police and a lot of children were locked out, including younger children who were in correct uniform.

@HandsOffMyRights

Agree with every word you said.

What exactly were the police supposed to do? There's no law enforcing school uniform. Can't wait to see this school free-fall through the league tables. More often than not women choose the school their child will attend. Hell hath no fury, etc.

On the flip side,dds bog standard comp has only allowed girls to wear trousers this year. Up to now they have to wear skirts.
I can't get het up about it. Everyone wearing trousers seems sensible to me. At older daughters school everyone wore trousers anyway.

Yep the protest wasn't actually about the skirts. The uniform actually changed a few years ago, but existing people could wear the old one while it was phased out. Before the summer they changed this to everyone should wear the new one from September. The protest was about this being a waste of money for the yr11 (boys and girls) as they will leave soon and were previously told they wouldn't need to change.

I don't know how the police got involved or who called them (was actually just a couple of PCSOs that turned up) but it's not that uncommon for them to attend ANY kind of protest. The school is on a residential road so would be classed as a disturbance plus the main entrance is almost right on the road so a safety issue too.

Equality should be achieved by giving boys more choice, not girls less.

This x100^^^

My DCs school uniform policy states it is gender neutral and pupils can choose to wear skirts/pinafores/trousers/tailored shorts/summer dresses/cardigans/jumpers etc and makes no reference to sex or gender. I think all schools should do this. To be truly ‘gender neutral’ they should be increasing the choices boys have.

And all this shit about teenage girls wearing short skirts is generally bollocks from what I can see. I do the school run via the main path to the high school every day so see hundreds of teenagers. I have never seen one girl with their skirt anywhere near what can be classed as short. I’d say about 2/3rds were in skirts and the rest in trousers.
When I was a teenager myself none of us wore our skirts short either. We weren’t allowed to wear trousers (this was the 00’s so not even a million years ago) how times change! I loved wearing my skirt but I still fought with the other girls to try and get trousers allowed, although the rules didn’t change while I was there.

I genuinely don’t understand why ‘gender neutral’ always means ‘taking away from girls/women.’ It always does.

The senior staff of this school should be sacked for the absolutely appalling way they handled this. Horrendous example and leadership and they’ve showed very poor judgment.

What exactly were the police supposed to do?

The police were there because of the demonstration not to enforce the uniform.policy.

I'm sure the police would be present at any demonstration involving 150.people where a breach of the peace was likely to occur.

I genuinely don’t understand why ‘gender neutral’ always means ‘taking away from girls/women.’ It always does.

Because in this instance there aren't the alternatives for boys/men as there are for women. So how do you achieve equality with regards to school uniform/work attire? Skirts and dresses Sony are not available for older teenage boys or men so to say "they can wear skirts" is as useful as saying we are all now given the right to holiday on the moon.

If 1 sex is restricted to only one option what is wrong with restricting the other sex to only 1 option?

Or allow boys and men to wear a cooler more relaxed uniform if the so choose? So girls and female teachers can wear a skirt or trousers and a shirt or t shirt and boys and male teachers can wear rousers or shorts and a shirt or t shirt? That makes an equal number of choices for both sexes.

Everyone wearing trousers seems sensible to me

Well that's all right then. Have you actually read the thread?

And all this shit about teenage girls wearing short skirts is generally bollocks from what I can see. I do the school run via the main path to the high school every day so see hundreds of teenagers. I have never seen one girl with their skirt anywhere near what can be classed as short

Absolutely. I am very suspicious of posters who fixate on this reason (and the imaginary tight pencil skirts worn as school uniform)

So, blockers for confused teens? Tick. Prioritising transgirls at school? Tick. Yet girls wearing skirts is forbidden

What are we saying here to girls?

Oh yes...you don't matter

Well said yet some "feminist" posters on here are applauding this.

“Skirts and dresses Sony are not available for older teenage boys or men so to say "they can wear skirts" is as useful as saying we are all now given the right to holiday on the moon.“
If there was demand it would be met. That’s how capitalism works.

But offering shorts as an option would solve the problem, surely?

Sticking all girls in trousers won't make the men you're so worried about any cooler in summer, Decomposing.

You seem really fixated on that.

Right, so boys and men decide they want to wear skirts at school and work - how long does it take for enough people to demand it before capitalism catches up and demand is met?

The answer is to widen the options for boys and men, or to narrow the options for girls and women.

Bet I'm sure that if shorts were offered as an option for boys that many girls would then want to wear them too. So we'd be back to square one.

Sticking all girls in trousers won't make the men you're so worried about any cooler in summer, Decomposing.

I am and I'm not. My view is that if one sex is going to be made to wear clothes that are uncomfortable and impractical in hot weather then both sexes should be treated the same.

If one sex is going to be allowed to wear more comfortable clothes, particularly in hot weather, then both sexes should be treated the same.

“Bet I'm sure that if shorts were offered as an option for boys that many girls would then want to wear them too. So we'd be back to square one.”

Well, only if the intention is to make absolutely sure that girls lose out. What’s wrong with trousers, skirt or shorts for everyone?

Then why are you unhappy about the shorts mentioned above?

I am and I'm not. My view is that if one sex is going to be made to wear clothes that are uncomfortable and impractical in hot weather then both sexes should be treated the same.

Men can wear skirts? They don’t have to wear trousers. Most men won’t wear skirts though, because society and the patriarchy are scared of femininity. Or they can, you know, wear shorts.

Well, only if the intention is to make absolutely sure that girls lose out. What’s wrong with trousers, skirt or shorts for everyone?

Precisely this^^

Skirts and dresses Sony are not available for older teenage boys or men so to say "they can wear skirts" is as useful as saying we are all now given the right to holiday on the moon.“

How does taking an option away from girls solve that problem?