On March 22, the Gateway Regional School Committee voted to move to a single color gown at graduation, starting this year. This vote entailed a great deal of discussion around recognizing the diversity of our students, supporting the inclusive nature of our district, the state’s recommendations about gender equity, and the legal right of each person to determine their own gender identity, rather than solely conforming to their gender at birth. While the committee was in full agreement in moving to one color gown for all graduates, they pondered whether or not to change the protocol for 2017 or 2018, deciding in a 7-3 vote to make the change effective this year. Speaking to the issue at the school committee meeting was Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) President Dawson Atkin, whom I am pleased agreed to be this week’s guest columnist. Here is Dawson’s column.
In October 2016, Gateway’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) was made aware that the Class of 2017 had voted on whether to keep the traditional, gendered graduation gown colors, or alter tradition to be more forward-thinking and inclusive. They decided to continue the somewhat discriminatory tradition, rather than make a change to create a more accepting, inclusive, and caring school environment. Class President Anna Pless later stated that she had not understood the gravity of the decision at the time, and, if she had, she may have proceeded differently.
This issue was also important to me personally because many of my friends who have graduated from Gateway have identified as gender nonconforming in various ways.
The GSA understands that the rights of a minority—transgender and gender nonconforming students in this case—cannot be left to a majority decision. “Throughout human history, this has only resulted in further oppression, because the majority is happy to keep people oppressed as long as they are able to remain on top, under the guise of tradition,” I wrote in my letter to the School Committee. “The rights of a minority must be legislated, not elected, for the majority is not generally concerned with the oppressed, unless their oppression is somehow negatively affecting them. Not only was this issue brought to a majority vote, it was brought to an informal vote. Votes were tallied by hand-raising, and it is likely that the decision was swayed by peer pressure.”
This is, at its heart, an issue of the rights and comfort of students. Gender nonconforming students should be guaranteed the same privileges as other students; anything less would be discriminatory and illegal. To force students to choose one of two genders, and one of two colors, ignores much of what we are learning about the gender spectrum. Many people do not fall cleanly into the “male” or “female” boxes. Many more are not comfortable coming out as transgender at their graduation, putting them between a rock and a hard place as they decide whether to wear a gown that doesn’t match their gender identity, or a gown that will expose one of their deepest secrets and possibly endanger them.
In addition, the State set forth guidelines for public schools that specify that, when possible, schools should eliminate unnecessarily gendered practices. It specifically cites graduation gowns (the example even includes the old colors used for Gateway graduation: blue and white). We should make it policy to follow the state’s best practices so that we can become the best school possible.
Of course, there are a number of other reasons that moving to a single-colored graduation makes more sense. Financially, it is less expensive to purchase all of the gowns in one color than two different colors. Aesthetically, photographs look more uniform. Symbolically, the single color represents unity as a class. Graduation day is the last time students will ever be the Class of 2017. After that day, they become a group of individuals scattered across the globe who went to high school together, and might see each other at reunions. On graduation day, the class should be unified in their hearts, in their minds, and in their appearance.
In terms of gender equality, this is also the right direction to go. When people are separated based on any physical aspects—be it male and female, or white and black—people begin to assume that one group is superior to the other. This is not an idea we want in the mindset of young women as they leave Gateway to take on the world. They can do anything their male peers can do, but by separating them, they might get the impression that they cannot. We should do whatever possible to make sure young women graduate with confidence in their abilities in whatever field they decide to pursue.
It is for these reasons that I personally, and the GSA as a whole, would like to thank all of the administration for their support of this new change. We would also like to thank the school committee for making the change official. We hope this change can help us create a safer, more accepting environment for students of all genders, and we hope that the school continues on its journey towards the most positive environment it can create, something the school has always worked to do. I express my sincerest gratitude to those who made these changes possible, and, as new issues arise, look forward to working with the School Committee on these future issues. – Dawson Atkin
I thank Dawson for agreeing to write this guest column. For more information, please go to our website for a link to state guidance on gender equity in the March 28 issue of Breaking News (news drop-down). While this decision is likely to be met with some resistance from some graduating seniors, parents or community members, in the end I hope that it allows for reflective discussions at home, in school, in the community, and on social media and results in widespread understanding for a decision that prioritizes the rights of all students to feel comfortable and supported in an environment that treasures the uniqueness that each student brings to our district.
