(Blogmensgo, gay blog of March 10, 2017) The St Paul’s Girls’ School in London is a private grammar school (high school) exclusively for girls. However, the institution has set rules to welcome transgender girls who feel like boys.

St Paul’s Girls’ School in London is exclusively open for girls. However, beginning at the age of 16 years, female students may dress as boys and even choose a male first name if they wish to do so. Nevertheless, the institution will continue to exclusively admit girls to the school.

The students at St Paul’s Girls’ School like to play theater – the tuition fees are quite high though. ©spgs.org

School principal Clarissa Farr has passed a “Gender-identity Student Protocol” as a set of rules concerning the sexual identity of the students. There is no doubt that Sarah Fletcher, the new principal after September 2017, will continue this very accepting and respectful way of dealing with the students’ gender identity.

In addition, St Paul’s Girls’ School is very involved in promoting equal treatment of people at the workplace independently of their sexual identity and orientation.

At the base of this inclusive school policy is the English law of 2010 on equal opportunities, which bans discrimination of transgender people in public and private organizations. Obviously this does not mean that strange looks, offensive remarks, discrimination or even bullying have ceased to exist. However, polemics such as Trump’s comments on restroom use by transgender people seem almost impossible in the UK today.

Frank-S / MensGo
Main source: The Economist, March 4, 2017.