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Stonewall have just released a survey of British universities [http://www.gaybydegree.org.uk/index.html], measuring how well these institutions cover LGBT issues as follows:
* Stonewall Diversity Champion
* A policy that protects lesbian, gay and bisexual students from bullying
* Compulsory staff training on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues
* Lesbian, gay and bisexual staff network ("Is there a network group for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff which is supported by the university? Is this publicised so prospective students will know about it?" Do students need to know about a staff network?)
* Student lesbian, gay and bisexual society
* Info for students on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues
* Events for lesbian, gay and bisexual students
* Explicit Welfare Provision for lesbian, gay and bisexual students
["Does the university or the Student Union offer specific welfare support for lesbian, gay and bisexual students. This may be in the form of counsellors who are specifically trained in lesbian, gay and bisexual issues or in the form of LGBT society welfare reps."]
* Consultation with lesbian, gay and bisexual students
* Specific Career Advice for lesbian, gay and bisexual students:
["Does the University actively promote lesbian, gay and bisexual recruitment guides such as Stonewalls Starting Out? Or does it offer specific career advice for lesbian, gay and bisexual students either on their websites or through promotional events?" Ponders if this differs from advice offered to straight students - I guess careers in the armed forces or the church might be a problem, otherwise I suspect this falls under bullying policies. Maybe I'm missing something. Advice on becoming a hair dresser, interior designer or chat show host??]
Whilst in general I think this is a good idea - if a blunt instrument - there is a but, which I gather is typical of Stonewall. Let's pass over Diversity Champions (which is mainly the university signing up to agree not to be a shit to LGBT staff and student) with the minimum of sniggers and visions of masked avengers in lycra.
I cannot help but notice an absent presence here. On the one hand, "Stonewall’s University Guide is for all lesbian, gay and bisexual students; and all those in-between" and "You would probably like to go to a university that makes an effort to include lesbian, gay and bisexual people too", but on the other hand, "We’ve made this guide for LGBT students thinking about applying to university so you can find out how gay-friendly each of the 150 UK universities really are and what they have to offer you". In the jargon zone, they define Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, LGBT and Queer, and yet, and yet, there's surely a definition missing here.
The accuracy of the information may be gauged, perhaps, by the location they give for the Secret Campus, which is rather closer to Brisingamen and Peake than to me.
And I pause to wince at "Universities come in two types, town universities where the university is mixed in with the town and campus universities where the university has it's own designated space a ‘campus” usually outside of the town."
* Stonewall Diversity Champion
* A policy that protects lesbian, gay and bisexual students from bullying
* Compulsory staff training on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues
* Lesbian, gay and bisexual staff network ("Is there a network group for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff which is supported by the university? Is this publicised so prospective students will know about it?" Do students need to know about a staff network?)
* Student lesbian, gay and bisexual society
* Info for students on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues
* Events for lesbian, gay and bisexual students
* Explicit Welfare Provision for lesbian, gay and bisexual students
["Does the university or the Student Union offer specific welfare support for lesbian, gay and bisexual students. This may be in the form of counsellors who are specifically trained in lesbian, gay and bisexual issues or in the form of LGBT society welfare reps."]
* Consultation with lesbian, gay and bisexual students
* Specific Career Advice for lesbian, gay and bisexual students:
["Does the University actively promote lesbian, gay and bisexual recruitment guides such as Stonewalls Starting Out? Or does it offer specific career advice for lesbian, gay and bisexual students either on their websites or through promotional events?" Ponders if this differs from advice offered to straight students - I guess careers in the armed forces or the church might be a problem, otherwise I suspect this falls under bullying policies. Maybe I'm missing something. Advice on becoming a hair dresser, interior designer or chat show host??]
Whilst in general I think this is a good idea - if a blunt instrument - there is a but, which I gather is typical of Stonewall. Let's pass over Diversity Champions (which is mainly the university signing up to agree not to be a shit to LGBT staff and student) with the minimum of sniggers and visions of masked avengers in lycra.
I cannot help but notice an absent presence here. On the one hand, "Stonewall’s University Guide is for all lesbian, gay and bisexual students; and all those in-between" and "You would probably like to go to a university that makes an effort to include lesbian, gay and bisexual people too", but on the other hand, "We’ve made this guide for LGBT students thinking about applying to university so you can find out how gay-friendly each of the 150 UK universities really are and what they have to offer you". In the jargon zone, they define Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, LGBT and Queer, and yet, and yet, there's surely a definition missing here.
The accuracy of the information may be gauged, perhaps, by the location they give for the Secret Campus, which is rather closer to Brisingamen and Peake than to me.
And I pause to wince at "Universities come in two types, town universities where the university is mixed in with the town and campus universities where the university has it's own designated space a ‘campus” usually outside of the town."
