Boys with skirts and girls with pants, if they want: gender neutral uniform in an Irish school

When a few days ago we said goodbye to the school year, the news comes that the news that St. Brigid's National School in Greystones (Ireland) has decided that as of September Each student freely chooses the uniform modality (skirt or pants) that he prefers to wear.

In a statement to the newspaper 'The Irish Times', the director of the Máire Costello center, explains that the idea is that students feel comfortable in the clothes they wear to class: "If this means that girls wear pants and boys skirts, then so be it."

Gender identity

The director of the school argues that students are increasingly questioning their gender identity, which is why they have decided to launch this change in terms of uniforms. An idea that was also well received by parents and the board of directors.

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The St Brigid's National School uniform includes a green skirt, gray pants, a green jacket and a sweater. Until now, only girls could wear skirts and jackets and boys, pants and sweaters. From September they can wear whatever they want, a policy with which parents
they have shown "enormously supportive," according to Tom Sherlock, president of the school's board of directors. Still, he states:

"There will always be people who will oppose, that's for sure, but the most important thing is that even if it's just a student, they feel more comfortable now."

The president of the Network for Transgender Equality in Ireland (Sara Phillips) told the Irish newspaper that "There is still a lot of work to do in the schools to ensure that all students feel accepted."

"There are some great schools (including Catholic ones) and other terrible ones ... leadership and a common sense and human rights approach are needed to ensure that all children feel welcome."

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As explained by 'The Irish Times', the Irish Department of Education published in 2016 a report describing how schools can support LGBT + students.

The guidelines state that transgender students "they should be allowed to wear a uniform that is consistent with their gender identity".

Hence, the initiative of this Irish school, although not a pioneer, is still a good example for the rest of the countries, since schools that have adopted the neutral uniform are still very scarce.

What is done by transgender children in Spain

Here in our country, it seems that there is also a long way to go, although there are initiatives aimed at giving visibility to a reality that affects children. As an example, the campaign "Who am I?" By Naizen, the Association of Families of Transgender Children of the Basque Country and which was supported by famous Spanish faces.

The Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics (AEPap) has also asked the Government to elaborate a law that protects transgender children, but nothing concrete has yet been done.

To favor the inclusion of transgender students, Castilla y León already allows schools to have mixed bathrooms since last year. But we must go further. Maybe we have to take a look at our neighbors and also recognize a third gender when registering our children in the Civil Registry, as Germany already did.

For now, we can start with the uniforms in the schools, and allow everyone to wear shorts in summer or wear pants or skirts according to their wishes. Galicia has already taken the first step and the skirt will no longer be mandatory as of the next course in the Community schools.

And is that children ask for gender equality without distinction between them. So, why don't adults let them be as they want and we insist on repeating gender stereotypes?

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Video: Pupils at UK school start petition against skirt ban (March 2024).