London boys private school, may let boys wear skirts.

[Miri]

London private school may let boys wear skirts - BBC News


Boys could be allowed to wear skirts at a north London private
school if a plan for gender neutral uniforms comes in.

Highgate School is considering mix-and-match outfits for pupils after
head teachers said that growing numbers of children were questioning
their gender.

The school, which charges up to £6,790 a term, has also been
encouraged to allow unisex toilets and open all sports to all pupils.
Girls at the school can wear grey trousers, dark blue jackets and ties.
But boys are not currently allowed to wear grey pleated skirts, although
they would be under the new proposed dress code.

"We are asking them, should it be called uniform number one and uniform
number two?," said head Adam Pettitt.
He said the issue of a gender neutral uniform had come up during question
and answer sessions with his A-Level students.

This generation of young people was really questioning the binary way
people look at things, he said.
"We're therefore exploring how our uniform policy could evolve to cater
for those who do want to match clothing to gender, as well as those who don't."

'Wrong ideas?'

He added: "In common with all other schools and youth organisations, yes,
we are seeing greater numbers of pupils questioning gender identity than in the past.
"Having said that, in years gone by, absolutely no young people were raising
it at all and it seems inconceivable that these sorts of questions simply didn't exist.
"The fact that there is significantly greater support and information available,
both in schools and elsewhere, means that young people need no longer feel
afraid to ask questions or speak out about their feelings.

"If they feel happier and more secure in who they are, it must be a good thing," he said.
Mr Pettitt said parents would be consulted before changes were introduced, but
acknowledged that some former pupils had written to complain the school
was "promoting the wrong ideas".

Co-educational independent boarding school Brighton College, where
Mr Pettitt is a governor, has introduced a similarly gender neutral uniform.
Student equality groups have called for teachers to observe gender neutral
speech codes and for a ban on phrases such as "man up".
And figures show a sharp rise in the number of young people seeking help
to change gender.

Loophole

Highgate School is holding a conference next month called The Developing
Teenager which will examine how teachers should approach issues raised
by transgender and gender neutral students.

In 2011, 12-year-old boy Chris Whitehead wore a skirt to school because he
was angered by rules at Impington Village College, near Cambridge, that did
not allow boys to wear shorts in hot weather.

The Year 8 pupil said he researched the policy, found a loophole in the rules
and turned up to school in a skirt.
The school pledged to review the policy.

And last summer a group of teenage boys wore skirts to Longhill High School in Rottingdean, East Sussex after being disciplined for wearing shorts on a very hot summer's day.

 

[hornetguy]

I've always heard that in Britain, it is considered normal for boys to go through a "homosexual phase" in their development.

I suppose this means they are expecting it to become more than a "phase".... ?

 

[Miri]

I can't help thinking that 99.9% of this is just a fad.

Do you remember the good old days where there was the skinheads,
then the mods, then the rockers, platform shoes, goth etc.

Teaches must realise there is a difference in so called gender confusion
and a passing fad, for goodness sake.

Whatever next, pink toenails all around, friar tuck style hair cuts (actually we
almost had them with the beetles but even that was just a passing fad).

Seriously would you send your son to a private fee paying school which encouraged
boys to wear skirts. (Well outside of Scotland anyway).

 

[Billyd]

I was wondering, which sex wore skirts first? Seems to me that Egyptian men were wearing them as far back as 4000 years ago. I believe that Chinese, and Hindu men were wearing them earlier than that.

 

[tanakh]

I've always heard that in Britain, it is considered normal for boys to go through a "homosexual phase" in their development.

I suppose this means they are expecting it to become more than a "phase".... ?

I don't know where you heard that. Homosexuality was a criminal offence here until the late 1960's.

 

[p_rehbein]

Is it a Scottish Boys School? They ALL wear skirts don't they?

 

[Galatea]

For some weird reason, I was thinking about your thread this morning. I suppose because I work in an American public school and wondered what the reasons would be to put forth to counteract such nonsense.

The school authorities said it is to have gender neutrality, right? Well that seems rather specious. If they really want gender neutral uniforms, why not mandate that ALL students wear slacks? In my county, school uniforms are pants and shirts for middle and high school. Girls are not allowed to wear skirts, unless they are pentecostal and have a letter requesting that they wear skirts for religious reasons (I am sure this is the case for Muslim students as well). I have only seen one girl in my school in a skirt (down to her ankles).

So for all intents and purposes, our county has a gender neutral uniform.

I wonder if the outraged alumni or parents have brought this up to the school authorities. This would expose the lie that allowing boys to wear skirts is an effort at gender neutrality.

I don't have children, but if I did, I would pull my students out of that school in a heartbeat.

 

[Depleted]

London private school may let boys wear skirts - BBC News


Boys could be allowed to wear skirts at a north London private
school if a plan for gender neutral uniforms comes in.

Highgate School is considering mix-and-match outfits for pupils after
head teachers said that growing numbers of children were questioning
their gender.

The school, which charges up to £6,790 a term, has also been
encouraged to allow unisex toilets and open all sports to all pupils.
Girls at the school can wear grey trousers, dark blue jackets and ties.
But boys are not currently allowed to wear grey pleated skirts, although
they would be under the new proposed dress code.

"We are asking them, should it be called uniform number one and uniform
number two?," said head Adam Pettitt.
He said the issue of a gender neutral uniform had come up during question
and answer sessions with his A-Level students.

This generation of young people was really questioning the binary way
people look at things, he said.
"We're therefore exploring how our uniform policy could evolve to cater
for those who do want to match clothing to gender, as well as those who don't."

'Wrong ideas?'

He added: "In common with all other schools and youth organisations, yes,
we are seeing greater numbers of pupils questioning gender identity than in the past.
"Having said that, in years gone by, absolutely no young people were raising
it at all and it seems inconceivable that these sorts of questions simply didn't exist.
"The fact that there is significantly greater support and information available,
both in schools and elsewhere, means that young people need no longer feel
afraid to ask questions or speak out about their feelings.

"If they feel happier and more secure in who they are, it must be a good thing," he said.
Mr Pettitt said parents would be consulted before changes were introduced, but
acknowledged that some former pupils had written to complain the school
was "promoting the wrong ideas".

Co-educational independent boarding school Brighton College, where
Mr Pettitt is a governor, has introduced a similarly gender neutral uniform.
Student equality groups have called for teachers to observe gender neutral
speech codes and for a ban on phrases such as "man up".
And figures show a sharp rise in the number of young people seeking help
to change gender.

Loophole

Highgate School is holding a conference next month called The Developing
Teenager which will examine how teachers should approach issues raised
by transgender and gender neutral students.

In 2011, 12-year-old boy Chris Whitehead wore a skirt to school because he
was angered by rules at Impington Village College, near Cambridge, that did
not allow boys to wear shorts in hot weather.

The Year 8 pupil said he researched the policy, found a loophole in the rules
and turned up to school in a skirt.
The school pledged to review the policy.

And last summer a group of teenage boys wore skirts to Longhill High School in Rottingdean, East Sussex after being disciplined for wearing shorts on a very hot summer's day.

Oi vey! Misread your title, and instantly wondered why British school boys weren't already wearing shirts. lol

And I'm still confused. Don't boys wear kilts sometimes anyway?

I've worn gray slacks/trousers.

(Highgate school, on my list for schools I'd never want to send children to though.)

 

[hornetguy]

I don't know where you heard that. Homosexuality was a criminal offence here until the late 1960's.

I honestly don't remember what book I read that in... it was quite a few years ago. At the time I thought it was a little odd, but just brushed it off as something "British"....

 

[Miri]

I was wondering, which sex wore skirts first? Seems to me that Egyptian men were wearing them as far back as 4000 years ago. I believe that Chinese, and Hindu men were wearing them earlier than that.

They probably had better weather back then.

 

[Tinuviel]

Oi vey! Misread your title, and instantly wondered why British school boys weren't already wearing shirts. lol

And I'm still confused. Don't boys wear kilts sometimes anyway?

I've worn gray slacks/trousers.

(Highgate school, on my list for schools I'd never want to send children to though.)

The little part of my brain that must store my Scottish heritage is screaming at you It says, "Kilts are not skirts! kilts are not skirts! kilts are not skirts! kilts are not skirts!" lol

 

[Miri]

For some weird reason, I was thinking about your thread this morning. I suppose because I work in an American public school and wondered what the reasons would be to put forth to counteract such nonsense.

The school authorities said it is to have gender neutrality, right? Well that seems rather specious. If they really want gender neutral uniforms, why not mandate that ALL students wear slacks? In my county, school uniforms are pants and shirts for middle and high school. Girls are not allowed to wear skirts, unless they are pentecostal and have a letter requesting that they wear skirts for religious reasons (I am sure this is the case for Muslim students as well). I have only seen one girl in my school in a skirt (down to her ankles).

So for all intents and purposes, our county has a gender neutral uniform.

I wonder if the outraged alumni or parents have brought this up to the school authorities. This would expose the lie that allowing boys to wear skirts is an effort at gender neutrality.

I don't have children, but if I did, I would pull my students out of that school in a heartbeat.

The strange thing is that it is very rare you will see homosexual men wearing skirts!

This whole gender identity thingy is starting to become a fashionable fad. Its like
the flower power craze of the 60s but without the drugs. (Or maybe the people who
come up with this stuff are on drugs, who knows!) Why would boys want to wear
skirts anyway. For many girls and women it's much more practical to
wear trousers.

I see it as just a way of sticking two fingers up at the establishment, you know a sort
of childhood rebellion stage. Only instead of the establishment reigning it in,
they are going out of their way to think of the idea first and actively encourage it.

I cant help wondering if the people who agreed this were men or women or a mixture
of both and what they are like.

After all having both little boys and little girls wearing skirts at a private school
must be a peodaphile's dream come true.

 

[Yeraza_Bats]

This whole gender identity thingy is starting to become a fashionable fad. Its like
the flower power craze of the 60s but without the drugs. (Or maybe the people who
come up with this stuff are on drugs, who knows!) Why would boys want to wear
skirts anyway. For many girls and women it's much more practical to
wear trousers.

I see it as just a way of sticking two fingers up at the establishment, you know a sort
of childhood rebellion stage. Only instead of the establishment reigning it in,
they are going out of their way to think of the idea first and actively encourage it.

Well, there are people who actually do become grief ridden due to their biological gender, that is a real thing that happens to a few people out there.

Im sure there are people who just do it for the sake of doing it, but like there really are people who let themselves feel theyd rather be dead than be forced to be something they feel they dont want to be. And Im sure this movement for "acceptance" has motivated this decision.


Not that Im in any way trying to justify it, I believe that we should help people with this issue, and help them find ways to feel comfortable with who they are and find acceptance.

(There are people on the other side of where I stand on the issue who would say "no one wants to be trans", with that Id argue "do you want to be identified as the biological gender you were born as?")

 

[shakinah]

a little while ago it was a naturalist nudist that wanted to go to work naked. why do we give these people news time, when so many other important things are going on. we know if riots go on and become news worthy they spread, hence in recent times there's been a delay in the press reporting such things. so why they dont do the same for these stories. It shows there's an obvious agenda. i noticed the only bbc shows i've watched lately are dr who that now has a lesbian in it, and king alfred in 'the Kingdom', who i have previously studied and in my opinion is the greatest christian king we ever had. now his being made out to be an imbecilic god worshipper who needs sympathetic pagans to give him a helping hand. this is our english heritage and identity slowly being scraped away.

 

[Siberian_Khatru]

I've always heard that in Britain, it is considered normal for boys to go through a "homosexual phase" in their development.

We just call it college here in the States. Lol.

Student equality groups have called for teachers to observe gender neutral speech codes and for a ban on phrases such as "man up".

The moral here seems to be: Don't suppress expression in the form of fashion, just suppress it in the form of speech.

This isn't an exercise in tolerance or acceptance, it's duplicity.