This is from a news item on the home page. there are so many who likes who etc, anything of real interest or importance gets lost, so I thought I would make this a thread,   The total lack of understang from a University faculty and the total moronic and inane blurbs by the press continue.

 

Cassandra Whitehead Oxford University to allow men to wear skirts - Zee News

Posted 2012-07-29 by: Unknown


In news updates bottom of home page,   Typical, basically to accomodate transgendered people, BUT the emphasis is on MEN will be allowed to wear skirts, kind of a misnomer, another press fopare.    ????

 

Oxford University has rewritten the laws governing its strict academic dress code following concerns that they were unfair towards transgender students.

Under the new regulations, students taking exams or attending formal occasions will no longer have to wear ceremonial clothing that is specific to their gender.

It will mean ...... MEN...,,,will be able to sit tests in skirts and stockings and women will have the option of wearing suits and bow ties.

The new laws, which will come into force next week, comes after a motion put forward the university's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer society (LGBTQ Soc) was passed by the student union.

Jess Pumphrey, LGBTQ Soc's executive officer, said the change will make a number of students' exam experience significantly less stressful.

She told The Oxford Student newspaper: "In future there will be no need for transgender students to cross-dress to avoid being confronted by invigilators or disciplined during their exam."

Under the old laws on academic clothing - known as subfusc - male students were required to wear a dark suit and socks, black shoes, a white bow tie and a plain white shirt and collar under their black gowns.

Female students had to wear a dark skirt or trousers, a white blouse, black stockings and shoes and a black ribbon tied in a bow at the neck.

If a transgender student wanted to wear subfusc of the opposite sex they had to seek special dispensation from university proctors, who had the power to punish those who breached the rules.

An Oxford University spokesman said:

 

"The regulations have been amended to remove any reference to...... gender,..... in response to concerns raised by Oxford University Student Union that the existing regulations did not serve the interests of transgender students."

This post was edited by Former Member at July 29, 2012 5:12 PM BST

You should have read the same article in the Daily Mail then Cass - which was far worse. They even wheeled out that old transphobic matriarch Anne Widdicombe who went on to say "'If men want to prance around in skirts, that is entirely up to them."

I wrote a comment in their comments section - which they have deemed not to publish as I ridiculed her statement and also the fact that the University authorities were FORCED to make these changes, when it has become apparent from other reporting that they did so without any coercion whatsoever once the anomaly had been brought to their attention by the Students' Unnion.

It seems to me that the only positive slant to this story is that it shows the dinosaurs out there, whom Anne Widdicombe typifies, that even the stuffiest of institutions is changing to become more inclusive and diverse. And in case AW is a keen reader of our forums: 'However you see my gender Anne at least I can prance! I'd rather do that than be dragged round the floor when I'm supposed to be dancing!'

This post was edited by Nell S at July 30, 2012 12:00 AM BST