A secondary school has made its uniform gender-neutral.
Priory School in the south of England made the move, which involves banning skirts, to be more inclusive of its transgender students.
And Headteacher Tony Smith said his inspiration for the decision, still a radical act in 2017, came from the children.
“Pupils have been saying: ‘Why do boys have to wear ties and girls don’t, and girls have different uniform to boys?'” he told the Mail Online.
“So we decided to have the same uniform for everybody from Year 7.”
He added that this simple but symbolic change would make a huge difference to trans pupils who go to the school in Lewes, Sussex.
Smith said that Priory has “a small but increasing number of transgender students, and therefore having the same uniform is important for them.”
Speaking to PinkNews, he added: “We wanted a uniform for everyone.
“It could have been skirts for everyone, but we wanted to go with a uniform that was easy to source and supply, and that’s not easy for boys’ cuts.”
He pointed out that in the summer, it is now possible for students of all genders to wear shorts or skorts (a combination of shorts and a skirt).
“We wanted a uniform which promotes greater equality,” Smith explained, adding “a number” of trans students welcomed the move when it was announced.
“We’ve done this for positive reasons. For us, it is a greater equality having the same for everybody.”
The school’s website explains that “there is no expectation for current students to adopt the updated uniform,” but they are allowed to if they wish.
Some parents expressed disgust with the decision, which stops girls from wearing skirts.
One mother of a student said: “If girls dressing differently than boys is now to be considered sexist, then it is equally sexist to have female teachers wearing skirts and not wearing ties.
“If they want this, they must live the values they force on others and go fully gender free. My daughter and her friends are appalled by this.”
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