Male and female students will be allowed to wear skirts at a school in Taiwan after it announced plans to drop gender-specific uniforms yesterday, a move LGBTQ campaigners said was a boost for gender equality. The change, a rare move in Asia where traditional values often prevail, came after male students and teachers at Banqiao Senior High School near Taipei donned skirts in May during a week-long campaign seeking to break down gender stereotypes. The school’s decision is seen as reinforcing the self-ruled island’s reputation as a beacon of liberalism in Asia. It became the first place in the region to legalise same-sex marriage in May. Under current guidelines, male students are required to wear trousers while skirts are mandatory for female students. The new dress code – to take effect in the new academic year from Aug 30 – will remove any mention of specific gender. “It is to boost the students’ autonomy in choosing their uniforms while respecting their rights,” Banqiao Senior High School told Reuters in a statement.