With reference to recent reported cases of homophobia, transphobia and queerphobia the Management of Stellenbosch University has come out strongly against all forms of discrimination against students and staff in a statement on dehumanisation and discrimination. In future all external bodies that want to make use of Stellenbosch University facilities will be required to sign a declaration prohibiting discrimination against any student that identifies with the LGBTIQA+ community.
Read the complete statement below,
Management statement on dehumanisation and discrimination
In light of Stellenbosch University's imperfect yet resolute transformation journey, the Rector's Management Team (RMT) declares as follows:
As a South African institution, Stellenbosch University (SU) is strongly committed to the values of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, especially the Bill of Rights. This implies that we are committed to the foundational value of the Republic, namely human dignity, including its building blocks of healing reconciliation, justice for all, and freedom from all forms of dehumanisation and discrimination, as well as the freedom to fully participate in our democracy and share in the goods of our society.
SU's Institutional Intent and Strategy (IIS) echoes, contextualises and advances these values. Moreover, in its Strategic Framework of 2000, the University confirmed its commitment to an on-going process of restitution, while the commitment to justice was emphasised afresh in the IIS.
Against this background, we reject all forms of discrimination against our students and staff. We specifically deplore the most recently reported experiences of homophobia, transphobia and queerphobia in our campus community. We express solidarity with those who are hurt and dehumanised by these experiences. We express our commitment to radically rid our institution of these evils through appropriate policies, procedures, practices and actions.
We are taking a zero-tolerance approach with regard to all dehumanising practices on our campus and in the broader society. We are committed to a campus of inalienable dignity and healing reconciliation, embracing justice and freedom for all – a campus where staff and students in our rich diversity of sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, nationality, culture, language, age and physical ability can flourish.
We are therefore determined to act against both covert and overt forms of dehumanisation and discrimination on all our campuses. This commitment is coupled with, inter alia, the strengthening of our anti-discrimination policies, the improvement of enacted structures and response mechanisms, and the protection of our students against forms of discrimination.
We aim to make our institution LGBTIQA+*-friendly by introducing a discrimination policy with provisions that particularly pertain to sexuality and gender identity. We would like to appeal to our campus community to stand together against all forms of discrimination, and also encourage all staff and student leaders to attend sensitivity training with the aim of creating safe spaces and support to safeguard the integrity of student identities.
All external bodies that want to make use of Stellenbosch University facilities will in future be obliged to sign a declaration prohibiting discrimination against any student that identifies with the LGBTIQA+ community.
Improvements and outcomes in this regard will be regularly communicated to students. We urge any student who experiences discrimination or victimisation based on sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, creed, disability, etc. to make use of the available resources and student support facilities the University offers. These include the following:
Centre for Student Counselling and Development – (t) 021 808 4707
Equality Unit – (t) 021 808 3136 / unfair@sun.ac.za
SRC portfolio manager for Sexuality and Gender Identity, Reanne Olivier – reanne@sun.ac.za
Lesbigay – lesbigaystellies@gmail.com
* LGBTIQA+ refers to persons of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual and other sexual orientation.
