Boy dons skirt to protest shorts ban

IMPINGTON, England, May 11 (UPI) -- A British 12-year-old said he wore a skirt to class to protest his school's dress code banning shorts for boys.

Chris Whitehead, an eighth-grader at Impington Village College, marched to school with supporters Tuesday and spent his school day wearing a skirt borrowed from his 11-year-old sister, the Cambridge News reported Wednesday.

Whitehead said the act was a protest against the school's dress code, which bans boys from wearing shorts. He said he planned the protest after discovering the school's anti-discrimination policy allows boys to wear skirts like their female classmates.

"I wasn't embarrassed to wear the skirt. It was a bit of fun. It just felt like wearing shorts with a big gap in the middle," the student said. "I realized I could use this silly loophole to my advantage. Wearing shorts is better because it keeps us cooler especially when it's really hot."

Robert Campbell, head teacher at the school, has promised to review the shorts policy in September.