Mixed reactions to proposal for gender-free bathrooms and unisex school uniforms

There are mixed reactions to the alleged recommendations by the department of basic education of gender-free bathrooms and unisex school uniforms.

Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the guidelines are still undergoing district consultations, as recommended by the Council of Education Ministers and will be published next year.

“The document provides some international and regional frameworks that create an enabling environment to carry out diversity and inclusion work in education and training,” he said.

But a majority of social media users have given the proposal the thumbs down and threatened to remove their children from school if implemented.

Mhlanga said the guidelines stem from the violation of human rights and discrimination perpetrated against children of diverse sexual and gender identities, whether intentional or not.

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“It was clear that although we have an unambiguous constitution and inclusive education policies and legislation, schools needed an instrument that would help them avoid violation of children’s rights. We also needed to ensure children of diverse sexual and gender identities survive our education system like any other child,” he said.

Khume Ramulifho, Democratic Alliance Gauteng Shadow MEC for education, said the proposed unisex bathrooms and uniforms policy must be properly workshopped.

“How will it be implemented, considering gender-based violence in our society? There should be a security aspect to change the set-up of the current toilets as they were designed for girls and boys. Each toilet must be locked,” he said.

South African Teachers’ Union spokesperson Stephan van der Berg said gender neutrality (unisex) was an extremely sensitive subject in education.

“It is important that this matter is not approached based on people’s personal views or religious beliefs. It must be realised that, in terms of the Charter of Human Rights, we live in a constitutional democracy where people’s right to equality and the right not to be discriminated against, take precedence,” he said.

Van der Berg said if that was the starting point, and schools determine policy after consultations with parents – taking into account their religious beliefs – a community should succeed in finding a balanced solution.

Dr Mari Haugaa Engh, associate professor in gender, equality and diversity studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said the proposal was entirely unproblematic and described it as a positive suggestion.

“It will potentially do a lot to stop further intrusion for those pupils who don’t see themselves fitting into the gender bindery and determined by a current modern structure,” she said.

Transgender activist Kellyn Botha said transgender people were just the latest easy target for a hateful group of people whose rhetoric was now being adopted by South African lobby groups to sow fear of the “other”.

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“But trans people mean nobody any harm. There is no evidence that this group of people is any more likely to cause harm than the rest of society. Whether a toilet is unisex or not is irrelevant. Predators do not care about a sign. They do not care about changing their identity documents,” she said.

Botha said if anyone of any gender assaults someone in any space, that was illegal.

LGBTQ+ activist and artist Miloh Ramai said school uniforms weren’t about inclusivity, but rather about keeping things as neutral as possible.

Ramai said he considered telling males or females how to dress a form of segregation.

“It’s the age-old thing of gender norms enforced on people. I have never understood it,” he said.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za