"Biological Clothing" - Dress Codes Espoused By UK TERFs, US Conservatives

In a Sex Matters event in the Manchester, England, "Gender Critical" activists espoused gendered dress codes. The same is being pushed by US conservatives. Here's how these policies affect us all.

Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash

“Sex based uniforms are also lawful,” a slide proclaimed at a Sex Matters event in Manchester, England. “Children’s actual sex must be known by everyone in the school environment.” Meanwhile, in the United States, Harrison County School District made headlines when it announced that students would be forced to dress in clothing “consistent with their biological sex.” In Texas, the department of agriculture released a letter to employees, requiring all state employees in the department to “comply with this dress code in a manner consistent with their biological sex.” Those who oppose the existence and visibility of transgender people in public life now seemingly have turned their efforts of gender conformity to everyone.

In a Manchester museum, the Sex Matters event unfurled, steered by ardent campaigners against transgender rights, Helen Joyce and Maya Forstater. Among the aims of the events were items such as “the fight to make sure the law protects women’s rights.” Interestingly, the gathering presented a distinct dress code for its attendees: “Be the billboard for sex-based rights (Adult Human Female; This Witch Doesn’t Burn – or your preferred slogan); embody the spirit of the Suffragettes in tones of purple, green, and white; or wear whatever you like” (emphasis added). While giving the presentation, Maya Forstater could be seen in a relaxed pose, donned in trousers and sandals. Behind her, a slide loomed, advocating for stringent measures on social transition for trans people in schools. The restrictions espoused included “Sex-based rules” relating to restroom usage, pronouns, and attire, even barring students from donning “the uniform of the opposite sex.”

Photo credit to Women's Rights Network greater Manchester, as posted by Mallory Moore @Chican3ry

Organizers advocating for people to “wear whatever they would like”

Meanwhile in the U.S., a flurry of gender-conformity laws and policies have emerged, seemingly in response to the rising visibility of transgender people. Earlier this year in Mississippi, a transgender girl was told she would be barred from her own graduation walk because she desired to wear the same dress the other girls were wearing. On graduation day, a cisgender girl met a similar fate, this time for her decision to wear pants. In the midst of this, her grandmother voiced her anguish: “I don’t understand how a moment this important can be taken away from a child that’s worked 12 years to get here.” The district has since solidified its clothing policies, stating that all students must wear clothing “consistent with their biological sex.”

Increasingly, policies that were originally aimed at transgender people are now being aimed at all of society. Major influencers in the modern anti-trans panic such as Ben Shapiro have advocated for local laws dictating what men and women can wear in public. PragerU, recently contracted out to major school districts, advocates for gendered dress codes. Yet, this shift isn't confined to dress codes alone.

Pronoun and name change bans are also recently coming into effect in school districts across the United States and worldwide. In the United States, 11 states have policies that will lead to the forced outing of transgender people if they change their name and pronouns. In Iowa, Senator Bennett posted a message from a school district stating that in accordance with a recent law passed there, the teacher needed parental permission to start calling a student Joe rather than Joseph. In Canada, similar policies are being enacted.

Post about school nickname policy, credit @LizBennettIowa

Increasingly too, the same people that have advocated for gender affirming care bans and dress codes are pushing for gender conformity more overtly. Matt Walsh calls for “traditional masculinity” while chastising “childless women.” Michael Knowles attacked the UN Council on Women for indicating that boys can cry. These appeals to a “more traditional masculinity” are often echoed directly, such as in the recent DeSantis anti-trans political ad with superimposed images of muscular chests and the Governor’s face.

The distance between these views and those who call themselves “gender critical” is increasingly growing narrower. Just this week, a widely mocked tweet from one gender critical activist proclaimed that “girls need blouses and skirts” for biological reasons:

Post by gender critical activist responding to pictures of the Sex Matters event

Increasingly, many are questioning whether advocacy for gendered dress codes can genuinely be labeled as "gender critical" or even "feminist." When the organizers of the Sex Matters event championed policies like sex-segregated classes, they faced sharp criticism from those highlighting the contradictions in their platform. This incongruity isn't new, though. It continues to cast doubt on whether "gender critical" activists truly seek to dismantle, rather than entrench, gender stereotypes.

The Sex Matters event illuminated how opposition to transgender individuals can eventually affect everyone. The concept of "biological clothing" lacks historical grounding—centuries ago, men donned dresses and baby boys were dressed in white and pink. Imposing limitations not just on an individual's right to transition, but also on people’s freedom to express themselves, might be more than what was bargained for; nevertheless, it is an easy extension of attacks on transgender people allowed to go on unchecked.