Montgomery County High Schools Switching to Gender-Neutral Graduation Gowns

Alex Beall
WMAL.com

ROCKVILLE (WMAL) — It’s tradition at some high schools for males and females to wear different color graduation gowns, but three Montgomery County schools are making the switch to gender-neutral robes.

Damascus, Sherwood and Walter Johnson High Schools are distributing single-color robes to all students this year to respect transgender students. At least five other schools plan to make the change next year.

High school students pushed for the change as part of the growing movement to better represent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.

Some argue this change would help transgender students avoid the confusion of choosing a gown color that does not reflect their identity.

The county does not have a policy regarding cap and gown colors. Some schools have traditionally had single-color robes while others have used the two-color scheme.