A primary school in Scotland has asked its male and female students as well as teachers to wear skirts to class to challenge gender stereotypes. Castleview Primary in the Scottish capital saw boys as young as three-years-old wearing the stereotypically-female piece of clothing.
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Clothes Have No Gender
The move is in solidarity with a boy who was expelled from class in Spain last year for wearing a skirt to school. On November 04, 2020, male students and teachers in the country wore skirts in support of the teenager and the day has since been set aside as a ‘wear a skirt to school day’.
In emails sent out to parents, the school said:
We want our school to be inclusive and promote equality. We’re keen to spread the message that clothes don’t have a gender and that we should all be free to express ourselves as we choose.
A teacher at the school, Miss White, said students have been learning about the importance of breaking down gender stereotypes. She added:
We absolutely do not want to force anyone to wear something they’re not happy with but we’re hoping lots of you will be keen to help spread our important message. Trousers under skirts are allowed!
Reactions
According to her, the decision to take part in the campaign was one that the students came up with. The reactions to this move has been varied, with some, criticizing the school for pushing leftist agenda on their children. But others, like this social media user, commended the school for taking on such an important issue:
My children attend this wonderful school. They are not screwed up. They are confident young learners who are encouraged to be unapologetically themselves and to accept and love others for who they are. Well done Castleview
The campaign had the backing of the Edinburgh Council, whose spokesperson said:
As Scotland's capital city we are fully committed to promoting equality and diversity, and are keen to increase respect, tolerance and understanding, especially in our schools. We want to ensure all our schools are inclusive and Castleview are carrying out a lot of positive work to promote equality across all their year groups.
