Wow.

[susandrea]

I just came across this story and thought all you here may be interested. *sigh*

Skirt Ban: UK School Forcing “Unisex” Dress Code on Students

DORSET, England, July 6, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A UK middle high school has introduced a ban on skirts for girls, bringing in so-called gender-neutral dress that requires all pupils to wear pants, beginning this fall.

Marilyn Warden, headteacher at Broadstone Middle School, argues that forcing girls out of skirts and into pants will eliminate discrimination based on gender. Parents are understandably baffled – and infuriated – by Ms. Warden’s reasoning. She also claims the measure is to maintain modesty; a code is already in existence, however, that mandates proper skirt lengths. “This move is meant to enhance all of our pupils overall educational experience,” Warden said, as reported by thisisdorset.net.

One mother of a girl in her fifth year at the school charges that the move is discriminatory. “My daughter doesn't like wearing trousers,” she said. “She wears skirts all year long even on the coldest of days. She likes to be a girl not dress like a boy. We haven't been told why the uniform has to change but understand it is something to do with the girls' modesty. What a lot of rubbish! We weren't consulted and I don't think the parents will go along with it.”

Concerned parents of pupils attending Broadstone Middle have asked Gregory Carlin, director of the Irish Anti-Trafficking Coalition to help them maintain the option of conventional female dress. Carlin, a human rights lawyer, plans to host a meeting for parents Thursday.

“The sexes are different and the ‘gender free’ policy authorized by the Board of Governors of Broadstone Middle School is clearly unlawful,” Carlin emphasized in comments made to LifeSiteNews.com Wednesday. “Girls have an absolute right to dress as girls. When setting a uniform policy, school governing bodies must behave reasonably, considering the impact of their policies on parents and pupils and that has clearly not happened at this school in Dorset, England.”

“It is my view that a ‘gender free’ regime is inherently unlawful and discriminatory and such un-thinking political correctness has to be resisted in the same manner Catholics oppose inappropriate sex education in schools,” Carlin added. “Parents have rights, they deserved to be empowered rather than excluded.”

Read local coverage:
http://www.thisisdorset.net/dorset/archive/2005/06...

[heathr1]

It made national news about 2 weeks ago.

[susandrea]

In England, but in the U.S.? Sorry if you've seen it already.

[Kimberly]

random.... maybe they should make the boys where skirts. (Or did I dream that once? ;))

[heathr1]

job for making a boy crossdress, including lipstick, in an attempt to punish him for bullying.

His mother and other parents supported the teacher.

[Julie]

My son's high school banned skirts in his senior year. The school cited the girls' inability (or should I say refusal?) to follow the dress code regarding skirts (length, slits, etc.) so they just said, "No more skirts" (dresses were already banned). The girls had to wear kahki style pants, just like the boys. That was the end of it. No protesting or media coverage.

[Melissa A.]

random.... maybe they should make the boys where skirts. (Or did I dream that once? ;))


I have that dream all the time :p I agree, though, they should have gone the other way. Now THAT would have stirred up some real controversy.I would think, from the reaction, that this ban will be rescinded.

Banning skirts on anyone for ANY reason at any time is bad, bad, bad. Never good. Never mind the girls.(though eliminating the young woman in a schoolskirt look is almost criminal) This woman is stunting the development of some very happy, well adjusted cross dressers! What kind of message is she sending them?!? :p

Thanks for the story, Susandrea, I hadn't seen it.

Hugs,

Melissa :)

[Tamara Croft]

OMG..... that's the most lamest thing I've ever read!!!!!!!!! As if school isn't bad enough... with all their do's and dont's and now telling girlz they can't wear skirts??? What a crock of s**t that is :rolleyes: And guess who gets to pay for it...... the parents.... and it's not like school uniforms are cheap to buy either... grrrrrrrr..........

[susandrea]

Funny, kind of, when it wasn't all that long ago that girls would never even consider wearing pants of any kind to school.

It always amazes me that "well intentioned" political correctness measures end up having the exact opposit effect.

This article reminded me of the "skirt days" some boys have at their high schools and the grief they go through when they do.

[susandrea]

And most of you probably remember this from a few months ago:

http://education.guardian.co.uk/schoolsworldwide/story/0,14062,1471481,00.html

So much agnst over the cut of a piece of fabric! And so frighteningly backward in this day and age. Makes you want to just cry.

[emmicd]

I think the idea of girl's being forced to wear pants is absurd! The whole essence of being a girl is to dress in skirts and dresses in a tastful way. Forcing dress codes is styfling and does no good for ayone!

That's my personal opinion!

Emmi

[heathr1]

Takes time to load.

http://www.local6.com/money/2881645/detail.html

[Tamara Croft]

Takes time to load.

http://www.local6.com/money/2881645/detail.html
OMFG that's really sick. I really don't know how these bloody teachers ever got jobs in the first place. That's child abuse, can you imagine the trauma that child is going to go through as he grows up?? Grrrrr...... people like that really make me sick :mad: :mad:

[Anita]

come the revolution Not long now! THE DO GOODERS WILL BE ROUNDED UP AND SHOT FOR ALL THE MISERY THEY HAVE CAUSED IN THE NAME OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
ANITA ANGRY AT THE GREEN POLITICALLY CORRECT HYPOCRITES IN THIS WORLD WHO BELIEIVE THE MINORITY IS RIGHT AND ALL THE REST WITH A BIT OF COMMON SENSE ARE WRONG :confused:

[Lisa Maren]

Hi everyone

Some people just don't get it. Equality of the genders cannot be achieved by repression -- nor can anything else positive for that matter! If it's equality you want then the whole point is to break down barriers, not erect more!

Susan, thanks for sharing this with us!

Hugs,
Lisa

[Rachel_740]

I don't live too far from there either. That's just blatent discrimination in my opinion. They're saying that a girl can't be a girl. I think I'd be straight down the solicitors office if it affected a child of mine.

Anne

[Lauren_T]

The Orlando Montessori story is the worst (to me).

5 years-olds. Let's start brainwashing them as early as possible.

Let's teach impressionable kiddies our rigid, irrational prejudices, born of stupidity and insecurity. Permanently burn the message into their little minds that violating gender-role stereotypes should be humiliating, debasing, demeaning and is a punishment.

How much you wanna bet this kid'll take pains the rest of his life to never ever do or say (let alone wear) anything remotely un-masculine? And I'll go further and predict that, due to such a trauma at such an age, he's also gonna have lifelong problems relating to women...

And out of such mindlessly enforced conformity, passed on from generation to generation, shall arise the next batch of destructive, regressive, authoritarian macho sh*theels. Great. Just what the world needs, more Osama bin Ladens & Dick Cheneys. (and Rick Perrys, for the Texans in the audience :) )





________________________________
And so it goes - go round again
But now and then we wonder who the real men are.
- Joe Jackson
.

[Deborah]

GRRRR. I used to go to a British school when i lived in England. I always wish i was one of the girls so i could wear their uniform.
Interestingly enough though most of the girls at my school wore jeans underneath rolled up. When it was lunch time the went off school grounds and removed the skirts.

In the States their talking about banning cheerleader skirts also. :rolleyes:

[susandrea]

Wouldn't it send a great message if everyone showed up the next day, boys, girls, and their parents, wearing a skirt?

I remember reading once wear it was common for a boy in the fifties (and probably earlier) to have his pants checked---this involved a teacher being able to drop a quarter inside the waistband and it had to drop straight to the floor or he got a warning for having his pants too tight and would probably be sent home.

You know, I was in highschool in the late seventies and I don't remember any problems at all with clothing issues. Hair, makeup....no worries. A few of the guys had long hair and some even sported a bit of liner in a pre-punk kind of way and no one had a nutty over it. And sometimes jeans were so ripped you could see someone's underpants, but even that was ignored. Huh. Guess I was lucky. The only thing I remember being slightly amused about was the "rich girls" all dressing exactly alike---I mean exactly. They seemed to have zero individuality except for the color they chose. I was in the arty area and mostly wore jeans every day, and those long, gauzy, Indian-style hippie shirts and big hoopy earrings.