Trans students gain uniform choices, but barriers remain

“Belle” Kasing never got to wear the school uniform that reflected who she truly was.

Assigned male at birth, Belle wanted to wear the girls’ uniform in line with her gender expression. But when she was in high school, such accommodation was unusual and easy to ignore.

Like many transgender students then, she was expected to wear the boys’ uniform regardless of how she identified.

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Today, some transgender students are able to do what Kasing once longed to do.

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In 2017, the Department of Education (DepEd) issued Order No. 32, institutionalizing the Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy, which integrates the “principles of gender equality, gender equity, gender sensitivity, non-discrimination and human rights in the provision and governance of basic education.”

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The DepEd order recognized gender expression as “the way in which a person acts to communicate gender within a given culture,” including clothing, communication patterns and interests.

“A person’s gender expression may or may not be consistent with socially prescribed gender roles, and may or may not reflect his or her gender identity,” it said in the document issued on June 29, 2017.

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After the order, some schools across the country started allowing students to wear uniforms that aligned with their gender expression — something Kasing would have wanted when she was in high school and even college.

Some schools introduced gender-neutral or “third-type” uniforms as an alternative.

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For Fidel Castro, a high school student at a public school in Isabela, being allowed to wear the girls’ uniform in Grade 8 marked a significant change in his life as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Before that, he said, he avoided dressing that way because of the discrimination he had experienced. The turning point came when one of his teachers encouraged him to wear the uniform that matched his gender expression.

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“One of my teachers convinced me and told me that it would be better if I wear the girls’ uniform because it matched my appearance,” Castro told the INQUIRER.

While finally wearing the uniform he wanted made him happy, Castro admitted the experience was intimidating.

“It was beautiful, but I was nervous, scared, as I was coping with a new version of myself because I suddenly had a different look,” he said.

Not everyone is ready

Like Castro, “Xandra” Returco, now a college student, was able to wear the uniform that aligned with his gender expression when he was in high school.

But when he entered college, almost everything changed.

“As a transgender and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I believe we should be allowed to express ourselves based on our gender identity,” he told the INQUIRER.

However, as an education student, he also understands why some schools still have limitations. “While I personally would like to wear a skirt because it aligns with my gender expression, I respect that there are existing policies that we are expected to follow as students,” he said.

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Returco said his school, Isabela State University (ISU) in Isabela, introduced a gender-neutral uniform for LGBTQ+ students who do not want to wear the prescribed school uniform.

For him, this is already a step toward inclusion, although it does not fully address their needs.

“For me, allowing a gender-neutral uniform as an alternative is already a positive step because it recognizes that not everyone identifies within the usual male-or-female uniform choices,” he said.

He expressed hope that schools, whether in high school or college, would continue reviewing their policies to become more inclusive of gender-diverse students.

Tolerated, not accepted

Charlie Redulfin, a student at ISU, made a similar point, saying he appreciated the introduction of a gender-neutral uniform because it showed that the school was seeking to become more inclusive.

However, for some students like him, “it still feels more like we are being tolerated than fully accepted.”

For Redulfin, dressing according to one’s SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression) is important because a uniform is a form of self-expression.

He told the INQUIRER that “the way we dress is one way of expressing who we are.” If students are allowed to wear clothes based on how they want to express themselves, he said, they will feel more comfortable, accepted and confident in school.

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“When you don’t have to hide who you are, you can focus more on your studies instead of worrying about what other people think,” Redulfin said.

Returco echoed this, saying that “when I feel accepted and free to express myself, I become more motivated and productive in school.”

“Even if it doesn’t directly affect my grades, it becomes a supportive factor in my overall academic performance,” he said.

For Redulfin, schools can maintain dress codes while still respecting students’ gender identities in an environment where students can genuinely feel seen, respected and accepted.

Positive impact on well-being

Psychologist AJ Sunglao told the INQUIRER that when children are allowed to wear the school uniform they are most comfortable with, and that aligns with how they identify and express themselves, “there is a significant positive impact not only on their academic performance but also on their overall well-being.”

“One of the first benefits of a more inclusive uniform policy is improved focus in school,” he said, pointing out that when students are not uncomfortable or self-conscious about what they are wearing, they can devote their full attention to their teachers and lessons.

“They no longer have to spend their time and energy worrying about their appearance. As a result, they become more motivated to attend school every day,” he said.

For Sunglao, a more lenient policy on school uniforms also helps prevent circumstances where students skip classes simply because they are afraid or embarrassed to be forced to wear a skirt or polo shirt that does not reflect who they are.

“Beyond improving concentration and attendance, an inclusive uniform policy also has a profound impact on students’ mental health,” he said, stressing that “when a school respects a student’s choice of uniform, the message it sends is, ‘You are accepted here.’”

Feeling accepted builds students’ self-confidence, encouraging them to participate in class discussions, take part in school activities and form healthy friendships, he said.

“More importantly, it helps reduce the risk of depression and anxiety. A child who feels safe, accepted, and at peace in the classroom is better able to learn and thrive,” Sunglao said.

Far from full acceptance

Based on data from Wave 7 of the World Values Survey, the Philippines ranked third out of nine Asian economies in LGBTQ+ acceptance.

However, despite the country’s relatively high ranking, acceptance remains divided, with only about one in four Filipinos classified as having high acceptance of homosexuality. Meanwhile, 40.1 percent remain in the low-acceptance category and 35 percent are in the middle ground.

The Philippines also stood out among Asian countries in 2019, when 73 percent declared that “society should accept homosexuality.”

However, a few years earlier, the 2016 National Baseline Study on Violence Against Children revealed that LGBTQ+ children faced higher risks of physical violence at 75 percent, psychological violence at 78.5 percent and sexual violence at 33.8 percent.

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A study conducted in 2022 by CWC found that 75 percent of children who identified as LGBTQ+ said they had been physically maltreated, while 78 percent reported psychological maltreatment. More than a third, or 33 percent, said they had been sexually violated.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) previously pointed out that in cases where students are allowed to wear a uniform aligned with how they identify and express themselves, some are still publicly harassed or humiliated.

For HRW, this kind of discrimination infringes on students’ rights to education and freedom of expression, and contravenes both domestic and international law, including the 1987 Constitution, the Child Protection Policy and treaties the Philippines has ratified, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. /dm