Students’ Voices Fall on Deaf Ears

London / December 6, 2007 – The University Students’ Council of the University of Western Ontario turned its back on a group of marginalized students last night, with members of the board of directors standing in front of these students informing them that regardless of their experiences they weren’t being discriminated against, they were just confused.

Standing Against Queer Discrimination, in cooperation with allies on the USC, brought forward a motion last night calling on the USC to issue a public statement regarding the discriminatory Canadian Blood Services’ Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) policy, as well as drafting a letter calling for discussion around how best to address this issue and support those students who are feeling intimidated, demeaned, and unwelcome at the University of Western Ontario. This motion was systematically stripped of all mention of the policy as discriminatory in an attempt at appeasement, following which it was nonetheless voted down after heated debate.

The USC Board of Directors, voting as a bloc against this motion, delegated two members (David Simmonds – VP University Affairs and James Arthurs – VP Campus Issues) to stand before council and attempt to appease students who have been discriminated against by informing them that they simply didn’t understand the legal aspects and that they had not been discriminated against. Several students present took offence to this suggestion, arguing that, as the UWO Non-Discrimination Policy states, “Conduct and/or behaviour constitutes harassment … when it creates an intimidating, demeaning, or hostile working or academic environment.” As one student argued, the emails received from students who felt intimidated and demeaned by the presence of CBS on campus should be acknowledged by the USC, rather than being written off as individuals who simply don’t know the legal meaning of discrimination.

Having received a clear message from those in positions of power that the discrimination faced by these members of the Western community is not likely to be addressed, members of Standing Against Queer Discrimination and SOHOC vowed to continue to fight for these students, by whatever alternate methods available to them. One student later tried to articulate the pain of being sent away with nothing, saying “I asked my Student’s Council for support, and I was turned away. I cried out that the discrimination in this policy hurt me, and I was told that I was just confused and didn’t understand what discrimination was. What has to happen before someone will care?”