Male teachers and students in Spain came to class in skirts in solidarity with a boy expelled for wearing one last November.
The instructors hope their p.r.o.t.e.s.t alongside the disciplined student, dubbed #ClothesHaveNoGender (#LaRopaNoTieneGenero), goes to challenge gender s.t.e.r.e.o.t.y.p.e.s.
The movement began when Jose Piñas – math teacher donned a skirt for his class after his student Mikel Gómez, 15, was kicked out of school and forced to see a psychologist after he chose to wear a skirt to promote gender n.o.n.c.o.n.f.o.r.m.i.t.y. A video by Gómez which describes the incident was watched by millions on TikTok.
@mikelgmzNo me daba tiempo a contarlo todo☠️#parati♬ original sound – Mikel Gómez
Piñas also had a message for the followers on social media after his students’ controversy. He wrote Piñas on social media: “20 years ago I suffered persecution and insults for my sexual orientation in the institute where I am now a teacher,”
He added: “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,”
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
According to El Pais’ report, taking up the cause, two more teachers — Manuel Ortega, 37, and Borja Velúquez, 36 — at the Virgen de Sacedón primary school in Valladolid, , decided to make May the month they wear skirts every day. They made that decision after one of their own students was bullied with ho.m.o.p.h.o.b.i.c slurs.
Velúquez said on April 29: “A school that educates with respect, diversity, co-education and tolerance,”. “Dress how you want! We join the campaign #clotheshavenogender.”
Students took to social media and their schools in support of Gómez and the teachers’ efforts as on Nov. 4, hundreds of boys turned up to school wearing skirts. At the same time, a group of alumni — male and female — from schools in Galicia, including Johan Carballeira Institute of Secondary Education, gathered in skirts for the past six months to join the protest against gender identity d.i.s.c.r.i.m.i.n.a.t.i.o.n, el Público reported earlier this month, establishing a nationwide movement toward tolerance.
Since then, the Institute has agreed to offer a course on gender equality.
Protester Lía Menduíña Otero said, “They always tell us about the need to learn mathematics, history, language … But not about something as important as equality, and not only about gender.”
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