Gender neutral school uniform options not only allow male and female students to comfortably engage in the same physical activities, they often reflect acceptable dress codes in the wider community, Acting WA Commissioner for Equal Opportunity Dr John Byrne said.
He said shorts or pants on females had been accepted in the community for some time and few would argue against the notion when it came to school uniforms.
Dr Byrne said the Equal Opportunity Commission had received complaints in the past about schools and pubs not allowing males and females to dress in what complainants regarded a similar fashion.
“If a person feels aggrieved they can lodge a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Commission, where it will go through the normal assessment process,” he said.
He encouraged organisations to consider whether the dress code they were enforcing was reasonable according to community standards.
“When it comes to schools, gender neutral uniform options help place all students on the same playing field and that is something I support,” Dr Byrne said.
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