The campaigning during ‘Inequality Week’ focused on different areas in which LGBT students are discriminated against, such as media, law, work, society and medicine. There were also guest speakers, a debate and ‘Ask a Gay Friday’.
In response to a debate about whether gay equality had been achieved Adam Hood, LGBT Union Councillor, received an email through a social networking website stating: ‘[…] the law is what controls society - so gay equality has been achieved you fucking idiot.
‘Of course some people are homophobic, some people are prejudiced against black people, some people are prejudiced against white people.
‘SOME IDIOTS ARE PREJUDICED, not most people, and not the LAW THAT GOVERNS EVERYONE. Get over it, you schmuck.
‘I’m so sick of some homosexuals acting like "oh it’s so hard". It’s not. Calm the fuck down. It may have been hard 20 years ago. It’s not now.
‘Not everyone is anti-gay. Most people are not homophobic retards. People like you give others a bad name.’
Hood then confirmed that the individual apologised.
Of the week, Hood said: "It is about raising awareness of areas where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are still treated unequally or even harassed.
"Gay men are not allowed to give blood even though they are a low risk demographic because they mainly practise safe sex.
"The Anthony Nolan Trust (a bone marrow charity) do accept the blood of gay men after testing.
"Gay people cannot get married even though in today’s society this is a social practice rather than a religious one.
"We spent the week campaigning about different issues to raise awareness about the vast differences between homosexual and heterosexual couples.
"There are still vast inequalities between homosexuals and heterosexuals in the western world."
The medicine element of the campaign aimed to highlight the ban on gay men giving blood.
A man who has had sex with another man cannot give blood, regardless of whether they use protection or carry a sexually transmitted infections.
The waiting times for transgender surgery are also long, with it taking up to four years for gender-reassignment surgery to be completed.
LGBT students also argued that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students are also treated unequally in the media, becuase gay men are often still portrayed as camp or feminine and lesbians as butch.
Many newspapers and television programmes are also felt to use homosexual stereotypes.
The LGBT hopes to raise awareness of this treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
Although there are laws to protect LGBT students, many will still face prejudice in their life.
Many religious organisations do not want to allow adoption by gay couples; only six per cent of schools have anti-LGBT-bullying policies and 90 per cent of gay people under the age of 18 have experienced verbal abuse.
Craig Purshouse
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