Forget Gay Diversity, University Appoints Heterosexuality Officer

by Peter Hacker 365Gay.com Sydney, Australia Bureau

Posted: September 28, 2005 1:00 pm ET

(Sydney, Australia) A university in northern New South Wales has appointed a 22 year old student to be its first diversity officer for heterosexual students.

The University of New England student council named Dave Allen to the post. Although 38 Australian universities have LGBT diversity officers it is the first time straight students have had someone "to protect their rights."

Allen describes himself as a country boy who likes to hunt kangaroo and drink beer. In an interview with the newspaper The Australian, Allen said he did not give "a rat's arse" about gays as long as they were not being given special treatment.

"It doesn't matter whether you're straight, gay, black, white or brindle, but when it starts getting 'Oh, we need a space for us to hang out', it's crap; just come down the pub and have a few beers with us," he told the paper.

The student government is giving the Heterosexuality Office a $1000 (Au) budget, but Allen says he has not been told what his duties will be.

The appointment has drawn criticism from LGBT students. The spokesperson for gay issues at the National Union of Students, Craig Comrie called the need for a heterosexuality officer "crazy".

"The reason why queer departments are set up is because those students are disadvantaged on campus," Comrie said. "I think it's just a really unfair reaction to the fact that student unions support queer activism and women's activism on campuses."

Asked by The Australian if heterosexuals were a marginalized minority on the UNE campus, Allen admitted he did not know. " I haven't done a study on it. I couldn't tell you what percentages we are."

©365Gay.com 2005

Those poor heterosexuals. So discriminated against. Life is so unfair. It's too bad society can't accept them just the way they are. Oh wait a minute, heterosexuals DO dictate what is and isn't acceptable! This is about as ridiculous as the announcement earlier this year that Yellowknife was going to have "Straight Pride Day" in conjunction with "Gay Pride Day". These people are truly ignorant to the point of being moronic. Like, do they not get it?