MANILA, Philippines — The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) has dropped its sex-based guidelines on school uniforms in favor of a gender-neutral policy.
PLM president Emmanuel Leyco issued an administrative order allowing students to exercise freedom to wear uniforms based on their gender identity and gender expression.
Leyco’s administrative order, which was issued on Oct. 26 and took effect on Nov. 16, allows students to wear either a plain white polo with the PLM patch or a white blouse with tie as their top, paired with either blue-gray pants or skirt and closed black shoes.
Uniforms are to be worn from Mondays to Thursdays, while civilian attire may be worn from Fridays to Sundays and on declared “free days.”
“This is a simple yet meaningful gesture to demonstrate that PLM is a safe space for academic freedom and gender expression,” Leyco said in a statement.
He personally met with PLM Propaganda, an in-campus association of LGBTQIA+ members, on the first day of the implementation of the new policy.
“Uniforms or clothes in general are a part of our everyday lives. These articles of clothing can be important to one’s identity as they are ways of expressing ourselves, particularly gender,” the organization said.
According to PLM, it is the first public university to adopt a gender-neutral uniform policy.
Students living with medical conditions and those whose religious beliefs or cultural traditions prevent them from wearing the PLM uniform are exempt from the rules upon coordination with the Office of Student Development and Services. - Ghio Ong