DUP slams Sinn Fein and Alliance over amendment seeking legal right for boys to wear skirts in schools
A Sinn Fein and Alliance proposal to amend school uniforms legislation will give boys a legal right to wear skirts, dresses or tunics to school – creating a “gender free for all” and huge difficulties for teachers, a DUP MLA has said.
Peter Martin was responding to a proposal from the parties on school dress codes which would stop “any restriction” on the grounds of “sex or gender”.
This week, DUP representatives on the education committee voted against the proposed changes to the School Uniforms Bill, which they said will allow all pupils to wear whatever uniform they want to school.
Earlier this month, Northern Ireland’s children’s commissioner Chris Quinn said “gender neutrality” is a “key fundamental” of the legislation.
But Mr Martin says it is undermining the purpose of the new law.
The North Down MLA told the News Letter: “The purpose of the bill was to specifically reduce the costs of school uniforms and particularly sports kit for parents in Northern Ireland. The bill has been brought forward by my party colleague the Education Minister Paul Givan and will make a significant positive impact in the costs of uniforms for parents.
“We have heard sensible arguments at the education committee regarding giving girls the right to wear trousers as part of their uniform and allow shorts for PE. Claire Sugden MLA has already tabled an amendment which will make this provision for girls.
“What this Sinn Fein and Alliance amendment will seek to allow is simply a gender free for all and permit, in primary legislation, all boys to wear skirts, dresses or tunics to school if they so wish. This would cause huge difficulties for school leaders and is an open invite for rules to be abused by pupils who would be ‘within their rights’ to do so.
“Unfortunately it is clear that some parties on the committee are focused on their own ideological crusade which is about imposing this law on schools with no regard whatsoever of the consequences.”
On Wednesday, the matter was discussed in private session at the education committee. After the DUP forced a division on the matter, a vote was held in public on whether the committee should commission an amendment stating that guidelines “should bar policies from any restriction on school uniform items on the grounds of sex or gender” .
Sinn Fein MLAs Danny Baker and Pat Sheehan voted in favour with Alliance’s Nick Mathison (pictured) and Michelle Guy – and the DUP’s Peter Martin and Cheryl Brownlee voted against.
During evidence presented to the committee by the Northern Ireland children’s commissioner’s office (NICCY) earlier this month, an official compared boys in skirts to men wearing kilts in Scotland – arguing that it’s “quite a normal thing”.
It comes amid a wider debate on whether girls should be allowed to wear trousers instead of skirts, because of concerns about comfort and issues such as the criminal offence of upskirting.
NICCY argued that new guidance “should propose that one set of uniform requirements should be provided from which pupils may choose, to include trousers and other items – not differentiating uniform requirements by gender”. That request has now been formally put forward by Sinn Fein and Alliance.
Asked by Mr Martin for his view on whether an amendment to ensure that girls had the right to wear trousers should be “across the board”, the Commissioner for Children and Young People Chris Quinn said yes.
“As we said at the start, gender neutrality, inclusivity and equality are key fundamentals to the bill,” the NICCY boss said.
Mr Martin questioned NICCY on whether boys should be allowed to wear skirts. Laura McFall, participation officer at NICCY, responded “If they want to”.
“I think we've been clear and that boys aren't asking us to wear skirts. You'll notice that we haven't brought any boys this evening.
“There's no boys expressing interest in coming. While boys agree that there should be uniform equality and that girls should be allowed to wear trousers – they're not telling us that they want to wear skirts.
“If they were, why not? Men wear kilts in Scotland, it's quite a normal thing. Clothes don't impact your ability to learn. I think that's the key point that we're making here. They just don't impact your ability to learn. So therefore, find out what does.
“What does impact your ability to learn? Being included, feeling respected, feeling part of a community, cohesion, inclusion, that's the most important thing,” Ms McFall said.