Female Students Start Campaign To Let Them Wear Pants At Their Sydney School

Students at Presbyterian Ladies' College (PLC) in Sydney have kicked off a campaign to overturn an archaic rule to allow them to wear pants instead of skirts as their uniform if they choose to.

According to the online campaign, the girls want the option to wear pants in addition to the skirt 'thus meaning they choose to wear whichever bottoms they want'.

"With our school aiming to stay modern and progressive - we want to uphold these progressive values by introducing a gender-neutral pants option," the petition description read.

"The pants would be an option for students; thus meaning they choose to wear whichever bottoms they want. Students in our school would benefit greatly from this change to our clothing options.

"We ask the head staff of PLC Sydney to consider our request for pants - we want every student at PLC to feel comfortable in the classroom and around peers.

"Mental health and wellbeing of our students would greatly improve if we had more options; so please; for the benefit of all; consider our request."

Loads of people support the move, saying it's 2021 and women should be granted the option to wear pants.

One signatory said: "I'm signing because I believe that by having more options for students then it will create a welcoming environment."

Another read: "I'm signing because our students should have the free choice to wear what they want, whether it be dress or pants.

"The heart of PLC lies not just in what we look like or our test scores, but in the true happiness of every student there, because that's what matters.

"Dresses aren't for everyone.

"Why force all of our girls to wear a dress when pants are so readily available and clearly preferred by a sizeable amount of our student community? Every student deserves to feel comfortable and proud wearing their uniform at PLC."

The petition has found an ally in NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who backed the girls' protest and said they should be able to 'express their views'.

"Private schools obviously have their policies in place and I was a schoolgirl and one of those schools and I would argue that young girls should be able to express their views," she told 2GB.

"More strength to them, speaking up on what you feel strongly about is how you make change."

A spokeswoman for PLC said the matter would be discussed at assembly by principal Dr Paul Burgis.