This was totally inspiring! There are a bunch of articles on what Trevor Wilkinson achieved in his fight not just to be able to wear nail polish if he wanted to, but to let other students be free of the constraints of a gendered dress code.

The scoop is that Trevor was suspended for showing up at school in November 2020 wearing nail polish. (Pretty rad nail polish, if you check out the photo.) The best thing of all? Trevor fought back.

Here’s some quotes from the April 21, 2021 Pink News article:

Highlighting the school’s “double standard”, he asked board members at the time: “Why is it against dress code for a man to be comfortable with his masculinity and defy the gender norms society has imposed on us?

“Why is it harmful for me to wear nail polish? If it’s not harmful for girls to wear it, why is it harmful for males?”

Now, months later, Trevor Wilkinson has finally convinced Clyde School Board to introduce a gender-neutral dress code.

Hurray!

The story makes me wonder – how many gendered dress codes are left that have to be challenged? And why do we have to wait for a brave teen to stand up after they run afoul of the unjust and homophobic and transphobic policy? Why can’t we adults proactively recognize the harm done by the strict enforcement of the gender binary, and let young people be themselves? Their full, authentic, selves. Isn’t that what we should all want for them?

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee