Male teachers in Spain are wearing skirts to the classroom to fight gender stereotypes.
Teachers across the country have joined the Clothes Have No Gender (#laropanotienegenero) movement, after a boy was expelled for wearing a skirt to school last year.
Manuel Ortega is among the latest to join the cause, and has been wearing a skirt to class since May. He tweeted: “A school that educates with respect, diversity, co-education and tolerance. Dress how you want! We join the campaign #clotheshavenogender.”
Meanwhile teacher Jose Piñas wrote of his decision to wear a skirt: “20 years ago I suffered persecution and insults for my sexual orientation in the institute where I am now a teacher… many teachers, they looked the other way.”
Hace 20años sufrí persecución e insultos xmi orientación sexual en el instituto en el q ahora soy profesor, muchs profes, miraron para otro lado. Quiero unirme a la causa del alumno, Mikel, q ha sido expulsado y enviado al psicólogo por ir a clase con falda. #LaRopaNoTieneGenero pic.twitter.com/5PEN9vityY
— Jose Piñas (@joxepinas) November 9, 2020
He added: “I want to join the cause of the student, Mikel, who has been expelled and sent to the psychologist for going to class with a skirt.”
In October last year, a student named Mikel Gomez was expelled and referred to psychologists after wearing a skirt to a school in Bilbao, the Basque Country.
The boy shared a now-viral video on TikTok in November explaining that he had wanted to show support for feminism and diversity.
Since then, 4 November has become ‘wear a skirt to school day’ while hundreds of students and teachers have joined the movement to show solidarity.
Responding to the teacher’s efforts, people on social media praised them for fostering an inclusive environment.
One account said: “Teachers all over Spain wear skirts to teach, a gesture that has made our hair stand on end. Fostering respect among students is the main objective of these actions and ending the absurd thought that clothing has gender.”
Profesores por toda España se ponen falda para dar clase 😍 🌈
— banderaslgtb (@BanderasLGTB) May 27, 2021
Un gesto que nos ha puesto los pelos de punta.
Fomentar el respeto entre el alumnado es el principal objetivo de estas acciones y acabar con el absurdo pensamiento de que la ropa tiene género #LaRopaNoTieneGenero pic.twitter.com/IyY0sysUAb
👏👏👏 ¡Bravo Jose! ❤️
— Descongelate (@JordiPerez17) November 9, 2020
👏👏👏👏
— santaclos (@aysi_comono) November 10, 2020
What a great example.
