Tuesday, 15 June

Keith Laband and Queer the Night Collective Media Release:

St. Patrick’s College’s Homophobic Ball Policy

Malcolm Pimentel, a student at St. Patrick’s College in Wellington, was told by Rector Father Paul Martin that at he would be unable to invite a same-gendered partner, Keith Lebad, to the 2011 St. Pats Town Ball. The rector continued by adding, "If you're going to go to the ball, you're taking a girl."

In a later statement to the press, Fr. Martin added that the school had a policy in place not allowing “old boys” or boys from other schools to attend school functions, citing “management issues” as the justification for the policy.

We see this policy as homophobic. If the policy says that you may not take a boy to the dance who is one year out of school, but may take a girl who is one year out of school, then they are indirectly homophobic. Indirect discrimination is applying a criteria or practice equally to all, but which has the effect of disadvantaging any group or individual. This policy, by its very design, creates a de facto ban on the ability of homosexual students to bring a partner from outside of their own school.

Currently any heterosexual student at St. Patrick’s can invite any date (platonic or intimate) of their choice to the ball, regardless of school attendance/non-attendance. Homosexual students, however, are not allowed to invite any date (platonic or intimate) of their choice to the ball, regardless of school attendance/non-attendance. This policy disadvantages queer students in relation to their straight counterparts.

What we want is an end to all explicit and implicit homophobic school policy. Specifically, we demand that St. Patrick’s Collage change its policy so that its queer students have the same ability as their straight counterparts to invite the young-person of their choice to the ball. If St. Patrick’s is not responsive, we will have to consider making a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.

ENDS

© Scoop Media