Paul D. Schreiber High School is changing tradition and for the first time will allow graduating seniors to wear gender neutral gowns.
Kathleen Mooney, superintendent of Port Washington School District, said the decision came following requests and input from the students themselves.
The tradition at Schreiber High School had been for females to wear white gowns and males to wear blue gowns.
In an effort to keep the blue and white colors, Schreiber High School students were asked to vote for either blue gowns with white stoles or white gowns with blue stoles.
A total of 162 seniors voted – 88 votes for the blue gown with white stole and 74 votes for the white gown with blue stole.
Mooney said the decision for students to receive their diplomas later this month wearing blue gowns and white stoles “goes beyond the transgender issue.”
“As a progressive school district we believe that the time has come to no longer separate students by gender and to demonstrate a more inclusive practice at graduation,” Mooney said. “This is a supportive step in preparing our students for the global environment, which they will be joining as young adults and a unifying action to show our respect for their individual needs.”
The argument over what color gowns the students should wear sparked a debate at an April 19 meeting.
A Shreiber High School senior, Lorraine Johnson, said during the public meeting that if students are forced to wear a color that they don’t identify with it could make them feel uncomfortable on what “is supposed to be a fun and happy day.”
“Why does Shreiber have girls and white and boys in blue at graduation?” Johnson said. “Well it’s for the sake of tradition and while traditions can be really important to us sometimes the greatest tradition is to do the right thing. My initial thought about this issue was that I like the way it’s always been and I like the mix of white and blue and I think I’d look nice in a white gown, but then I thought about the students that may be among us who might not appreciate being forced to gender their outfits. First of all some people might not have told anyone that their gender identity does not match the one assigned at birth and beyond that not everyone feels they fit into the girl or boy category.”
Mooney said the district was guided by the Dignity for All Students Act, which seeks to provide the state’s public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment and bullying on school property, on a school bus or at a school function.
“We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our graduating seniors and their years of dedication and hard work as they move forward onto higher education, into professional careers and as members of the armed services,” she said.
The school’s graduation ceremony will be held on June 23.
