This link will let you listen to an audio recording of this interview. It will play automatically.

It was with Jonathan Cowap on the morning programme for "lively discussion and debate on the issues of the day". 9am to Noon.

 

On Thursday 22nd June, 2017, 30 boys from a school in Devon were being talked about on the internet. Newspapers were writing articles. Here is a link to the article on the BBC web site. Daily Telegraph 22-06-17  or The Guardian 22-06-17. There were many other articles in other papers.

According to school policy they were only allowed to wear long trousers. Girls could were trousers or skirts. In the summer months they were not allowed to wear shorts, the boys request turned down, and mothers requests. So 30 boys turned up in skirts. The school has since agreed to change the policy to allow shorts for boys but from summer 2018.

I joined in the Twitter comments on the evening 22nd June and the morning of 23rd June 2017, supporting them but like so many querying why men are still stuck to set attire even on hot days when women could wear anything. One of my tweets to Radio York was responded to and later that morning I had an interview on live radio for 10 minutes about myself, men in skirts and my thoughts on these boys.

I found this restrictive policy as with most school uniform policies quite sexist and discriminating, as had it been restrictive towards girls a lot more would have been said and far, far, earlier. Also, some schools and Universities since about 2015 have been creating gender equal and neutral uniform policy including skirts and trousers for both genders.