Utah Principal Says Student's Kilt is Crossdressing (+Kilt History)
The word kilt comes from the Scots word kilt, which means "to tuck up the clothes around the body." The Scots word derives from the Old Norse word kjalta, from Norse settlers who wore a similar, non-tartan pleated garment.
The history of the kilt goes back to the end of the 16th century. The kilt is an item of traditional Scottish highland dress. In the early 19th century, the highland kilt was adopted by Lowlanders and the Scottish Diaspora as a symbol of national identity. People from many countries with Celtic ancestors wear kilts. The original kilt (the great kilt) was a full length garment that featured the upper-half as a cloak that was draped over the shoulder or worn over the head as a cloak. The walking kilt (or small kilt) did not come into play until the late 17th or early 18th century and was basically, the bottom half of the great kilt.
Just this week, in West Haven, Utah, principal Craig Jessop at Rocky Mountain Junior High informed 14-year old Gavin McFarland, who comes from Scottish heritage, that the kilt he had worn twice in the past two weeks as a prop for an art project was inappropriate and could be "misconstrued as cross-dressing." The Weber School District later made the principal apologize to McFarland.
It's a relief to see that the Weber School District stepped up and sided with Gavin, who was wearing attire that is important to his Scottish roots. Regardless of whether he was crossdressing or not, I don't see why a student would be told that was inappropriate attire. I wonder if girls wear pants at Rocky Mountain Junior High? If they do, I highly doubt that would be considered crossdressing. What IF a boy showed up wearing a dress to school? Do you think that there is a double standard when it comes to what society considers "appropriate" in terms of gender attire?
Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:48PM
Reader Comments (13)
glad they made the ignaoramus apologize for his completely cretinous judgment and remarks. makes me question his ability as a principal. sometimes i just want to punch people in the neck.
hmm he must've been a mormon.. hah..
With the last name Jessop you know the principal is a mormon. Very big Mormon family in Utah.
Ha? I live in texas. We almost had a kid kicked out because he wore a kilt.
So I can't celebrate my heritage, but I wish I could do something.
so, trench coats good, kilts bad? hmmm.....that sounds about right in this mythical world of ours.
Alex, wear a kilt, that IS doing something.
only in Utah...I am from there I would know....and Jessop...big known Mormon family....
It is a function of the neck deep fear and loathing that is so pervasive in what passes for professionals in education.
@ Zen Bonobo
I take much offense at your comment "what passes for professionals in education." I am a teacher, and much of the negativity/ flack we get is from people who are completely ignorant to the actual needs and desires of the students, and instead force all kinds of insanely impossible rules and regulations upon us, then punish us when we fail to meet the impossible goals. Yes, I agree that the prinicipal was wrong, but I am so tired of hearing about how teachers are failing and I am going to speak my piece right now.
The people who set these goals and the so-called "No Child Left Behind" policies have never been in the classroom. If they had, they would know better than to set standards that will never be met. Teachers work extremely hard, but class sizes are pushed beyond the max (for example, last year I had 33 kids in my KINDERGARTEN class); kids do not behave these days as they did in decades past (so I dont' want to hear about how teachers back in the 50s and 60s had class sizes that big and managed--yes they did. But guess what. parents were parents and stepped up to the plate and disciplined their children). Standardized tests have absolutely nothing to do with the curriculum chosen by most districts--and sometimes even chosen by the state. If they want students to pass the tests they better pop into classrooms so they know what teachers are being required to teach even though it has nothing to do with what's on the test. If they want students to pass the tests, they need to make a law that states that no child may enter the public school system until they have had AT LEAST one full year of English immersion; even my kindergarteners struggled with learning the language, at the age when it is learned quite rapidly, and by the time they have learned enough to function in school, they are at least half a year behind, and will never catch up as everything in school is undone at home where they speak only their native language. Now I would like to say that I have no problem with people migrating here--provided they do it LEGALLY-but for crying out loud, if you are going to come here, learn the language! Every other country I have been to, do you think they cater to me and my lack of their language? Heck no! If I dont' know their language, I guess I'm out of luck. And when these kids who don't know the language fail the tests, guess who gets blamed? The teachers, even though it's not their fault the kid didn't know English. Our job is to teach the content, not the language.
People making these laws don't understand that before we can even reach the child academically, we have to get past the empty tummies, the abuse/ nelgect that a child is facing, the absent parents, the fighting/ divorced parents, the shuffling back and forth to each parents' house, the parents who are in jail, the homelessness that many students today face. We only have the kids for 7 hours a day, there is only so much that can be done. Heaven forbid I discipline a child for cussing at me, or threatening to kill another student.
And I go through all of this for a small enough paycheck that when the bills are paid, there is absolutely nothing left over for even a small treat for myself-and I don't want to hear a single comment about how teachers only work 9 months out of the year. We go in during our summers-for free-to work in our classrooms preparing for the next year. We go in on weekends when necessary-for free-to prepare for the following week as our planning/ prep times during the school day are often taken up with meetings or tutoring students who need it. We stay late for conferences-for free. I have been and have noticed many other teachers who work 12 hour days during conference weeks-for free. We are required to go in for special events and PTO meetings-without any extra pay. If we want to purchase anything for our classrooms to help our students, it comes out of our pockets as budgets are getting cut so much that there is no extra money. I went out and bought crayons, glue, scissors, pencils, notebooks, erasers, pencil boxes for all 33 of my kids last year because the school district couldnt' afford it-and neither could most of the parents as they lived in poverty. It was a couple hundred dollars out of my pocket. We are required to complete a minimum of 12 semester credits every 5 years to keep our licenses current. Guess who pays? You got it. We do. Therefore, many teachers NEVER get their student loans paid off as they are constantly paying for more classes! Do you know how much college costs these days? And to go as a grad student is 3 times the amount of an undergrad! I'm not kidding. I teach because I love children and I want them to know that there are people who do care about them. I absolutely love to plan my lessons and teach them and I don't even mind the grading that comes with it. I love seeing a child's eyes light up when he finally learns a new skill. I love to get to know each student for who they are and showing them that I truly love and care about them. If all the other political crap was not there, I would love my job so much better, but I stick with it because of the kids.
So I don't want to hear a single critical remark about teachers-or any other educational professional-unless you yourself have personally walked in the shoes of a teacher for at least a week so you understand what we go through. A week is a bare minimal to get it. And that doesn't even do it sometimes. How would you like it if I criticized your job and said oh you get paid way too much for what you do! It's not hard!
one more thing...before I get any comments about my "any other country I have visited" and my remarks about the low pay and how I can afford to go to other countries....I do a lot of Missions work with my church and THAT is how I am able to go to other countries. The cost is greatly cut for something like that.
While a bit vitriolic, I believe that Lisa's diatribe reflects the frustrations of many, many teachers these days. I have a good friend who teaches Jr. High and he has complained to me about many of the same things. His stories have driven any thoughts I may have had about being a teacher straight out of my head. It is sad what they have to put up with now. It's like having your hands tied behind your back and being asked to swim across the ocean. There is no other profession which I respect so deeply and pity so much at the same time.
That being said, I feel that there is DEFINITELY a double standard when it comes to what is considered 'gender appropriate' dress. That is one of the areas of gender inequity that we as a society still need to do a lot of work on.
Don't guess the world will ever learn what is important. With global warming, wars and terrorism, over population, energy concerns, etc., why are we so up tight about what people wear. It's not as though they run around naked. With women having the freedom to wear just about anything the imagination can create, including clothing made for males or children, why is it so different for men? People ought to have the freedom to dress in whatever they desire. Clothing is a form of expression that harms no one. Get real America and live up to the promise this is a free country.
I am both Scottish and Mormon, I see no reason to assume that being Mormon had anything to do with the homophobic comments of that principle. My husband has worn his kilt to church several times and has never been asked to change. My son wears his kilt to church on a regular basis, as well as to school, and not once has he been asked to not. And YES we do live in Utah. *gasp*
The entire doctrine of "cross-dressing" is anti-individualistic and should never have been accepted as contrary to notions of individual liberty this country was founded on. Are both sexes born naked? So who's to say that women should have a lock on wearing skirts? Rome exiled men in pants in 393AD the Greeks also regarded pants as "barbarian" attire. Pants are for horseback riding, cold climates, mountaineering, cave exploration, heavy industry, etc---skirts are for relaxation. SO---skirts and pants are never sex differences, they are ACTIVITY differences. FYI USA women used to be arrested for wearing pants in public and the NY Times called for them to be sent to "the best conducted hospitals for the insane" (May 27, 1876, page 6 editorial, "A Curious Disease") site linked has pdf on history of clothing. ALL SKIRTS---NOT ONLY KILTS---ARE TOTALLY SEX NEUTRAL. Bras & athletic supporters are sex differences. see pdf at www.dfwseekwoman.net