Politics
Wednesday July 6, 2005
Skirt Ban: UK School Forcing “Unisex” Dress Code on Students
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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/2005/06/24/POOLE_NEWS_NEWS11ZM.html
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