Male teachers across Spain are rocking skirts to show support to a student from a school in the Basque Country who was expelled and later sent to a psychologist for having worn a skirt to class.
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#ClothesHaveNoGender
As part of the Clothes Have No Gender movement, teachers all over Spain are standing in solidarity with students bullied for not confirming to gender stereotypes. Manuel Ortega, 37, and Borja Velazquez, 36, are two teachers who have decided to sport the typically female-associated article of clothing after one of their students was heavily bullied for having worn a colourful t-shirt.
Ortega explains having felt horrified upon seeing the youngster succumb to the bullying and reverting back to wearing clothing that was socially accepted by his peers. In a post on twitter the teacher said:
I want to teach at a school that educates with respect, diversity, co-education and tolerance. Dress how you want! We join the campaign #clotheshavenogender.
Others following suit
Another teacher, Jose Piñas, has been wearing skirts since last year as a stance against the injustice that a student by the name of Mikel Gómez was subjected to after the school administration decided to expel the pupil when he decided to wear a skirt to class.
On twitter, Piñas explained how he himself had gone through a rough time during his youth at school for being gay:
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.
Since, 15-year-old Mikel has gone viral on TikTok after he uploaded a video sharing his experience and gratefulness for the support he has been receiving internationally—prompting other students to ditch their trousers in solidarity.
