As the US schools system indoctrinates children in Critical Race Theory, schools in Europe, known for traditionally strict dress codes, are calling for male students and teachers to wear skirts in the name of “gender equality”. 

“Clothes have no gender”

The “Clothes Have No Gender” movement began in October last year when a student named Mikel Gomez, age 15, wore a skirt to his school in Bilbao, the Basque Country, purportedly to protest gender inequality. Gomez was removed from class due to his attire and questioned why he was targeted while many girls were also wearing skirts. Gomez produced a TikTok video that went viral featuring him and his make friends dancing around in skirts. Gomez claimed his actions were to show support for feminism and diversity. He was consequently expelled and referred to psychologists.

The “Clothes Have No Gender” movement began and November 4 was declared ‘wear a skirt to school day’.  

Jose Piñas, a teacher, began wearing a skirt to school last year. Tweeting a photo of himself in the attire, he said: “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. 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.”

Two more male teachers in their 30s, Manuel Ortega, Borja Velazquez, after witnessing one of their students being harassed in May for wearing a hoodie featuring manga motifs.. He was forced to remove the hoodie after bullies shouted homophobic slurs. The three teachers began wearing skirts every day in a show of solidarity with the movement.

Un cole que educa en el respeto, la diversidad, la coeducaión y la tolerancia. ¡Vístete como quieras! Nos sumamos a la inicitiva #LaRopaNoTieneGénero @CEIPVdeSacedon @educacyl @cfievalladolid @FTriangulo @fecylgtb pic.twitter.com/GgnoejXe2N

— Borja Velázquez (@borjamusico) April 29, 2021

“A school that educates with respect, diversity, co-education, and tolerance,” Ortega tweeted. “Dress how you want! We join the campaign #clotheshavenogender.”

The style is catching on and more students and teachers across Spain are joining in. But it took an authoritarian twist when Castleview Primary in Edinburgh, Scotland asked all students age 10 and older to come to school wearing skirts.

A spokesperson for the City of Edinburgh Council told Edinburgh Live: “As Scotland’s capital city we are fully committed to promoting equality and diversity, and are keen to increase respect, tolerance, and understanding especially in our schools.”

The school has made lessons “about the importance of breaking down gender stereotypes” as part of its curriculum.

SO proud of our P6’s who after reading @HappyNewspaper wrote to our leadership team to ask if we could support #clotheshavenogender #LaRopaNoTieneGenero We promote respect, tolerance and understanding and we want our school to be inclusive and promote equality. pic.twitter.com/lCWqt2l3SY

— Castleview Primary (@Castleview_PS) November 3, 2021

“We want to ensure all our schools are inclusive and Castleview are carrying out a lot of positive work to promote equality across all their year groups,” the spokesperson said. “The school has had positive feedback from parents however pupils don’t have to take part if they don’t want to.”

“We’re hoping to get as many staff and pupils wearing skirts as we can. So, if you’re willing to share, please send your children into school with clearly labeled skirts for others to wear. Kilts or costume skirts would work too.”

The kilt is a traditional skirt worn by Scottish men. the kilt is entirely knee-length while a skirt may be as short as the above knee, or a more modest one that is slightly lower than the knee. The kilt is worn with traditional kilt socks and other embellishments such as the kilt belt, the sporran, and the kilt hose. Kilts have specific materials and patterns which are woven and feature tartan patterns

The school went to efforts to be “inclusive” in the initiative, allowing students to wear trousers or leggings under the skirts and even offering to provide skirts for the boys and men who did not own any women’s apparel.

Dressing young boys in skirts

The teacher of the gender equality class posted photos of the initiaitive.

So proud of our P6 pupils who made the choice to support Mikel Gomez and #LaRopaNoTieneGenero campaign by wearing skirts to school. Our pupils are free to wear the uniform that best suits them EVERY day of the year Our pupils are incredible for organising this pic.twitter.com/76oGFO0LIJ

— Miss White (@MissWhiteCV) November 4, 2021

“We absolutely do not want to force anyone to wear something they’re not happy with but we’re hoping lots of you will be keen to help spread our important message,” the school stated. Trousers under skirts are allowed!”

Torah prohibition

No representatives from the school explained how boys wearing women’s apparel was empowering for women or promoted gender equality. It is, in fact, prohibited for men to wear women’s clothing and vice versa.

A woman must not put on man’s apparel, nor shall a man wear woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is abhorrent to Hashem your God. Deuteronomy 22:5

This initiative is similar in appearance though not in intent to a prank carried out in July by a group of about a dozen Year 10 boys at the Poltair School in St Austell, Cornwall, England. The teen boys were frustrated by the dress code which did not permit them to wear shorts. They noted that the code does allow for skirts without specifying gender. They wore the skirts for about a week, which was received with mixed responses.

“We were removed from classes and banned for socialization for 24 hours but we were let go because they couldn’t find anything to pin us on,” one of the boys said. “We haven’t broken any rules. We just want everyone to have the option to wear shorts in this heat and that goes for the girls too.”

 “It was a mixed bag,” he added. “Some teachers thought we were messing about. But there were others who cheered us on. There were a group of Year 8 boys who were clapping and cheering us.”