Latest news with #genderneutral
BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Coggeshall school puts its proposed skirts ban on hold
A plan by a school to ban skirts in a bid to make uniform more gender-neutral has been paused after the head teacher received "discriminatory and bigoted" Monday, pupils at Honywood School in Coggeshall, Essex, were told they must wear only trousers or knee-length shorts from on Wednesday, head teacher James Saunders wrote to parents to say the policy had been put on hold following said he was still keen to collate people's views and added: "I feel we need a more productive framework, free from the emotive and polarised opinions that permeate society." Mr Saunders said: "As a society, we do not always have to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Talking about 'liberal wokeness' at one extreme or a 'Victorian approach to discipline' on the other."The school has asked parents and carers for their thoughts on both the existing uniform rules and the proposed ones. The initial decision to ban skirts attracted criticism from some parents, first reported by the Colchester its first letter sent to parents, the school said outlawing skirts would remove "ongoing challenges" and create a more "equitable, practical and affordable" dress added: "Over time, we have unfortunately experienced persistent issues with school skirts being worn incorrectly."Department for Education guidance states that it is for schools to set uniform policies, and it encourages them to have dress codes that promote "good behaviour and discipline".In a statement, Honywood School said it took the concerns of families seriously."It is disappointing that we have not been given time to respond in our normal community-minded way and that families feel this is a matter that needs reporting in the media," said the statement."We only wish families were more passionate and vocal about the real challenges schools are facing currently."The school said it would work to achieve a "mutually accepted solution" and said the media was "not the appropriate platform" to address the issue. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
Parents fury as school to ban SKIRTS in move to be 'more inclusive' as it pushes for 'gender neutral options for all students'
A school has banned pupils from wearing skirts in its drive to be 'more inclusive' and offer ' gender neutral options'. Students will no longer be allowed to wear the item of clothing as of September after a letter was circulated this week informing them of the uniform change. Furious parents at Honywood School in Essex have hit out branding the move 'group punishment' and 'crazy'. It comes after the headteacher James Saunders also said in his communication on Monday that pupils had been wearing the skirts incorrectly. Students can currently choose from trousers or a school-branded skirt - but come the new academic year their only options will be black trousers or black, knee-length, tailored shorts. A letter seen by the Colchester Gazette said: 'Over time, we have unfortunately experienced persistent issues with school skirts being worn incorrectly. 'By replacing the option of skirts, ongoing challenges in this regard are removed so that the collective staff and learner focus, and energy within school remains fully on learning.' It adds that tailored shorts will provide a more gender-neutral option for all pupils and uniform may become more financially affordable for families by replacing the skirt. A parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Gazette: 'I am disappointed - they are rolling it out as a gender-neutral initiative but it's not really, they are trying to do group punishment. 'Yes, girls should wear skirts appropriately and parents should be enforcing it.' She added her daughter, in Year 7, wore skirts with the school branding which she had 'spent money on' and concluded the change was 'crazy'. The parent also claimed last September the school banned female students from wearing socks and they now have to 'wear tights all year round'. Locals have taken to social media to weigh in with their thoughts, saying 'I'm surprised they haven't banned trousers instead' and 'is this not discrimination against girls'. But a few parents said they were not surprised as 'some of the girls roll them up so short'. One person said: 'It will stop them from rolling them over at the waist band so they are so short.' Another added: 'There should be a strict uniform regulations and if not adhered to parents heavily fined: end of.' Come the new academic year students' only options will be black trousers or black, knee-length, tailored shorts (file image) But a third commented: 'This is really interfering with their education.' And someone else said: 'That's ridiculous, yes have rules but making girls wear shorts/trousers... what is this world coming to.' The school issued a public letter to parents on social media this evening where Mr Saunders said in his view the approach to banning skirts was 'not contentious'. He explained: 'It follows a simple uniform model used by many schools across the country. 'I would like to reassure you that we will open a dialogue to include parents' views so that they may be able input directly into this process.' Honywood School has followed in the footsteps of a handful of other secondary schools that announced they would be moving to a trousers-only policy in September. Canon Slade School in Bolton and Philips High in Whitefield, Bury, are among those to have already made the change. The school's response A spokesman for Honywood School told the Gazette: 'On Monday, a letter regarding changes to our uniform policy was sent to families. The school received a number of queries about these changes. 'At this time, we have not been able to respond to these enquiries as they were received less than 24 hours ago. 'Our policy is to respond to all communications within 48 hours. We will be responding through the appropriate channels in due course. 'We take the opinions and concerns of our families seriously. 'It is disappointing that we have not been given time to respond in our normal community-minded way and that families feel this is a matter that needs reporting in the media. 'We have always preferred to work directly with families rather than respond to external pressures via third parties. 'We only wish families were more passionate and vocal about the real challenges schools are facing currently such as lack of funding and SEND support or that the media was exposing these issues publicly. 'The approach we have taken is not contentious and follows a simple uniform model used by lots of schools across the country. 'It is clear that our families have concerns and we will continue to work with them directly to achieve a mutually accepted solution as the media is not the appropriate platform to deal with this matter.'
National Post
03-06-2025
- General
- National Post
Peter Shawn Taylor: Standing up for urinals amid the gender-neutral washroom craze
The famous genderless washroom in the 1990s TV show Ally McBeal was a plot device meant for comedic purpose. These days it is no laughing matter. Across Canada, separate men's and women's restrooms are rapidly being replaced with unisex facilities. Article content Article content In Kitchener, Ont., recent renovations have left the 2,000 seat Centre in the Square, the city's premier music auditorium, with five multi-stall gender-neutral washrooms. These require men and women to line up together to access a series of individual stalls that each contain a toilet, paper dispenser and garbage can. Such an arrangement, which upends centuries of sex-separated bathrooms, brings with it plenty of double-takes, puzzled looks and awkward moments. (Including when I took my 89-year-old mother to the Nutcracker.) But it is by no means unique. Article content In Montreal, a new washroom at the Université de Montreal's student services building features a unique circular design with study rooms and couches meant to encourage users to linger all day. It also includes 12 individually-ventilated stalls with floor-to-ceiling doors, and a common area for washing up. Numerous public schools across B.C. have similarly done away with separate boys' and girls' washrooms. And the same is planned for the current renovation of Centre Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the seat of Canada's democracy. Article content Article content While these bathroom changes have all been presented as bold steps forward for 'inclusivity,' there's one thing genderless washrooms lack. Amid current efforts to rid restrooms of any vestige of traditional male and female differences, the urinal — a uniquely male waste management device — is at risk of disappearing forever. It's time someone stood up for this unloved, overlooked and occasionally smelly necessity. Article content The current campaign against urinals finds its roots in efforts to solve the eternal dilemma of why the line at the ladies' room is always longer. Kathryn Anthony is a professor of architecture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a well-known advocate for 'potty parity.' As Anthony explained in an interview, 'Potty parity means equal speed of access to public toilets for men and women. Women simply take longer to go due to our anatomy and the need to disrobe.' To this end, she has spent decades campaigning for larger women's washrooms to compensate for the extra time requirement. Article content More recently, however, the potty parity movement has made common cause with trans-gender activists who seek to eliminate any evidence of biological sex by promoting the concept of universal washrooms, which entail one bathroom line for all. And no urinals. 'As we see more and more unisex restrooms,' Anthony said, 'we will see fewer and fewer urinals. And not too many people are going to be sorry about that.' That remains to be seen.
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Court ruling on legal definition of a woman ‘misinterpreted', Lady Hale says
The supreme court's ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex 'has been misinterpreted', Lady Hale has said. Speaking at the Charleston literary festival in east Sussex, the first female president of the supreme court said the last thing she wants now that she has retired 'is to undermine the court and its authority by being critical of its decisions'. 'But I can be much more critical of the way it's been received. Because there's nothing in that judgment that says that you can't have gender neutral loos, as we have here in this festival,' she said, applauding the fact that Charleston's organisers went ahead with that decision 'despite the fact that there are people saying that you can't do that'. The judgment 'says nothing about that', she added. 'It's for other people to work out the other parts of the Equality Act which permit but do not require services to be provided differently for people according to sex.' The 80-year-old, who is a member of the House of Lords, also questioned what was meant by 'biological sex'. 'I was with some doctors last week who said there is no such thing as biological sex,' she said. 'There are plenty of things to quarrel with,' about the judgment, but Hale said her main concern was the 'very binary reaction that there has been to it'. The 'proper answer to all of this', she believes, is 'somewhere in the middle. So that's what I very much hope we will come out with when people have calmed down and start being sensible about things.' 'And it's the duty of society to foster that conversation now,' interjected Hale's fellow panellist, her daughter Julia Hoggett, the CEO of the London Stock Exchange. 'Yes, it's on all of us to foster it,' Hale agreed. Hoggett, the first out gay person to be employed in her role, has previously spoken about the importance of LGBT+ representation in the workplace. When asked by an audience member whether trans women should count towards gender quotas on company boards, she said: 'The idea that the trigger for all of this case was whether trans women should represent women in the representation of women on boards, I find heartbreaking.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion She added that she would 'love' to have 'a talented trans woman sitting on a board of mine'. Hale became the subject of public discussion in 2019 when she delivered the supreme court's decision that Boris Johnson's advice to the queen that parliament should be prorogued for five weeks at the height of the Brexit crisis was unlawful. Much was made of the fact that she was wearing a brooch in the shape of a spider, with some speculating that the fashion choice was in reference to a song by The Who called Boris the Spider, who comes to a sticky end. 'The spider brooch was a mistake,' she told the Charleston audience, had she known the attention it would attract, she 'would have worn a frog'. She hadn't heard Boris the Spider until a friend sent her a YouTube video the day after the judgment – she found it to be 'not a very tuneful song' – but if she had known about its existence she would not have worn the brooch, 'because that was not the object of the exercise'. Hale continued: 'The object of the exercise was to uphold constitutional principle and the rule of law, and to say to the government there are things you cannot do. It's a simple message. There are a few things, not very many, but there are a few things you cannot do, and it's our job to tell you that.'
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Girls STILL forced to share loos with boys despite schools facing 94 complaints
Young girls across Scotland are still being expected to share school toilets with boys – as new figures show that councils have received almost 100 complaints and representations about gender neutral loos in the last three years. Scottish state schools were ordered to provide single sex toilets in a landmark ruling handed down by a judge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh last month. Yet The Mail on Sunday has found that many of the 32 local authorities are 'considering' the verdict before making changes. That is despite data showing there have been 94 queries raised by youngsters and staff about gender neutral or unisex loos since 2021. SNP-run East Dunbartonshire has received the most criticism. Last night it admitted that 51 'complaints and representations' had been made about their 'inclusive' loo provision. However, a spokesman claimed only two official complaints were lodged with the council directly. Scottish Conservative MSP Pam Gosal said: 'Complaints about this issue are rife. It seems some councils are taking these and recording them while others appear to be brushing them under the carpet. 'It's totally unacceptable for any girl in school to have to share facilities such as toilets and changing areas with boys.' Public bodies across Scotland have had to re-evaluate policies on single sex facilities after last month's UK Supreme Court ruling on gender. However, schools are under particular pressure after parents won a separate legal fight days later over single sex facilities at the new £16.6 million Earlston Primary School in Berwickshire. Lawyer Rosie Walker of Gilson Gray, representing the parents, told the Mail that 'gender-neutral toilets' were not permitted under regulations dating back to 1967. The case, which concerned Scottish Borders Council, has a knock on effect for all local authorities. Judge Lady Ross, KC, said she would issue a court order to make legal obligations on state schools clear after Sean Stratford and Leigh Hurley brought the judicial review over their concerns about transgender policies at the school, where their son was a pupil. The Mail on Sunday asked all councils what progress had been made since the Court of Session ruling on April 23. Of the 19 which responded, only two – Glasgow and East Lothian – had changed signage in some schools. Six councils said they already had single sex provision and the rest declared they were considering the court verdicts. A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'The Education Secretary is engaging with Cosla to carefully consider the implications of the Court of Session ruling.'
