Boy defies gender norms, wears girls' uniform to school, finds support from mom and peers

Society tends to reinforce gender norms in an individual from an early age, making children conscious about the way they should dress, talk and behave. This is why it's heartwarming to see brave kids defy these norms with the support of their parents and peers. One such child is Theo Easton, a 7-year-old boy from Lanarkshire, who is being praised for wearing a girls' uniform to school. The boy's mother Marion Easton shared that her son had started wearing girls' clothes at home a year before he told her that he would like to wear a pinafore at school once the summer ends, as per Mirror.

"Theo has been wearing girls' clothes outside school for over a year. He's been out playing with his friends in both girls' and boys' clothes. It really just depends on how he feels each day," Marion admitted. "He's a rough and tumble wee boy. He plays with Lego and likes army games. He identifies as a boy, but he just doesn't feel comfortable in boys' clothes. I don't know if this will become a full-time thing or not. He's only seven, so he's still experimenting," the mom continued.

Eventually, when the boy wore a uniform consisting of pinafores, knee-high socks, brogues and a girls' polo shirt with a scarlet neck and puffy shoulder, even the peers and teachers at Hilltop Primary School in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire expressed their admiration.

The child's mom told the Daily Record that what her son did was "inspirational and brave" and hoped that other people could also feel safe while expressing themselves follwing the example set by her son. "Theo’s first day in girls’ uniform went great. He told his classmates he was going to be doing this the week before and one of his friends said, 'We’ll still love you no matter what you wear, Theo,'" the mom remarked. She added, "Theo said he felt brilliant when he was out playing in his pinafore on his break and at lunch. He didn’t feel any different." Even the boy's teachers told him that they "loved his clothes." The child's mother further added, "I know I made the right decision by letting him have this choice. The smile on his face when he came out of school that day basically said it all for me."

She even posted a TikTok video about her son but deleted it since the response on the platform was not quite as supportive and positive, as per the outlet. "I’m quite a liberal person, so that was really hard for me. I know Theo is only seven but he wants the freedom to be who he wants to be," she stated. “He is just a happy wee boy who appreciates love, kindness and acceptance. The clothes he wears shouldn’t define who he is as a person."

A few parents also asked Marion if it was just a phase for Theo and she simply told them that even if it was just a phase, he was allowed to have it. “The good thing about what Theo is doing right now is that he can educate adults, children and the rest of his school by saying, 'this is how I am, this is who I’m going to be, I’m happy with this. If you have a problem with this, that’s your problem, but I’m not going to stop being who I want to be.'" The mom finally concluded, "Theo isn’t saying he’s definitely changing gender just because he’s wearing a dress."