End Gendered Uniform Restrictions for LGBT Students in Philippine Schools

In the Philippines, where many secondary schools and even universities impose rigidly gendered uniform
and hair-length restrictions on students according to the sex they were assigned at birth, ostensibly for
school discipline or pride, this type of public humiliation is all too common for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) students, as documented in a new Human Rights Watch report. Marisol, a
transgender woman in Manila, age 21, said, "It happened to me many times. In high school, if you had
long hair, the teacher would call you up to the front of the class and cut your hair in front of everyone. I
felt awful about it. I sobbed each time.

The strong disciplinary measures taken by teachers and administrators against non-compliant students
frequently include denial of access to school property, expulsion from classes, suspension from school,
or public reprimands and embarrassment. Human Rights Watch also discovered that even when
administrators formally allow students to wear the uniforms of their choice, school staff members can
nevertheless insult or humiliate them in actual situations.

This type of situation infringes both domestic and international law, including the Philippine
Constitution, the Child Protection Policy, and treaties the Philippines has ratified like the International
Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. It also interferes with students' rights to education
and freedom of expression.

End Gendered Uniform Restrictions for LGBT Students in Philippine Schools. (2017, June 23). End
Gendered Uniform Restrictions for LGBT Students in Philippine Schools | Human Rights Watch.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/06/23/end-gendered-uniform-restrictions-lgbt-students-philippine-
schools

In-Text Citation: (End Gendered Uniform Restrictions for LGBT Students in Philippine Schools, 2017)