France: Anti-gay group takes aim at ‘boys in skirts’ campaign against sexism
The largest group opposed to same-sex marriage in France has now taken aim at a campaign attempting to challenge sexism by encouraging boys to go to school wearing skirts.
The ‘Manif Pour Tous’ (Demo For All) movement, has taken aim at the ‘Lift the Skirt’ campaign, which attempts to tackle sexism by having boys attend school wearing skirts.
Manif Pour Tous leader and comedian Frigide Barjot announced the campaign on Twitter with a press release asking the minister for education Benoit Hamon whether girls should be wearing beards, in a reference to Austrian Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst.
The movement described the initiative as “scandalous”, and protested at one of the schools hosting the event. The group called on Hamon to intervene and cancel the event.
Protesters carried signs reading “gender theory is not my choice” and “no to gender theory.”
Students and counter protesters began chanting “no fascists in schools” and “equality”,and the Manif Pour Tous protesters were pelted with eggs.
“It is not a trivial matter,” Manif president Ludovine de La Rochère said. “It is a form of cross-dressing and is therefore a denial of the boys’ sexual identity…. It is disrespectful to masculinity and femininity.”
Late this week dozens of boys came to school wearing skirts to show solidarity with the movement.
