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Maties sex policy 'archaic'
01/04/2003 23:26 - (SA)
Thinus Ferreira, Die Burger
Stellenbosch - Plans by the University of Stellenbosch (US) to draw up hostel regulations for gays and rules to govern the sexual activities of students are outdated.
This is the opinion of a Western Cape university and gay rights groups.
Dawn Betteridge, director of the Triangle Project, a gay rights organisation, said the US is playing a dangerous game by drawing up a policy to regulate the sexual activities, especially those of gay students, in the US residences.
"The US's ideas for young people, gay or straight, are archaic. What the university is actually saying is that it plans to restrict the sexual freedom of students if they make their sexual orientation public," she said.
"If this is a plan by the US to include sexual orientation and being gay in their diversity policy, then they are starting at the wrong place.
"The US is making the dangerous assumption that being gay automatically implies sex. There is a difference between sex and sexual orientation. It seems as if the US believes sex is inevitable when people of the same sex are in a room together with the door closed."
Prehistoric actions
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GLA) was upset by the US's intended policy and threatened a mass disruption of the campus over what they called the US's "prehistoric actions".
"Out of all South Africa's universities, we have the most members at the US," David Baxter of the GLA said.
"It is unbelievable that someone could come up with such a ridiculous idea. You can't force people to admit to being gay. It is discriminatory to expect people to abide by such rules."
Ragmah Jappie, spokesperson for the University of the Western Cape (UWC), said this university realised that the sexual activities of students could not be policed.
"UWC has no policy regarding sex or the sexual orientation of students in residences. We do not infringe on students' privacy, but students are advised through educational sex programmes to act responsibly."
- Die Burger
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