Oxford speakers slammed for 'grossly offensive' gay jibes
Musevini, left, said he had only 'heard whispers of' three cases of homosexuality. Michael, Earl of Onslow claimed that 'sending homosexuals to prison is like sending drunks to a brewery'.
Union President Chris Farmer has expressed his surprise at complaints made following a debate last week. The Oxford Student received a letter from four Balliol freshers expressing their dismay at comments made by hereditary peer Michael, Earl of Onslow, during a debate entitled “This house believes that political correctness has gone too far”.
Attending their first Union event last Thursday Sam Wetherell, Laurence Smith, Liam Taylor and Vincent Romanelli were shocked to hear the Earl claim: “sending homosexuals to prison is like sending drunks to a brewery.” Describing these remarks as “homophobic and grossly offensive”, the four called on the Union to distance themselves from such views. “We recognise the importance of freedom of speech, but where are the parameters? This felt like free speech for a laugh.
It was just cheap humour and bigotry,” they wrote. Student Union Vice President (Welfare) Aidan Randle-Conde was quick to add his voice to the protests. “Making comments that will undoubtedly offend people in a public forum is unacceptable, whether or not they are intended to be humorous,” he said. “Resorting to offensive, politically incorrect language to gain a cheap laugh in what should be a public debating forum is not just insensitive, it serves to strengthen the existing prejudice.
Farmer is bemused that the Earl’s remarks have caused such a strong reaction, seeing the objections as “slightly odd”. “I thought it was interesting considering it’s a debate about political correctness • I did find the complaints mildly amusing, especially given the criticisms that were made a few weeks ago over freedom of speech with relation to the President of Botswana’s visit.
In the previous few weeks the Union had come under heavy criticism for allegedly heavyhanded treatment of members of the Survival International protest group. The Earl himself feels the comments were taken in the wrong spirit. He told The Oxford Student: “They’re entitled to their view, but they must have very thin skins, that’s all I can say.
“It was an ironic comment about how stupid it is to send homosexual people to prison; and if they can’t understand that then they should be at the polytechnic, not at Oxford.” Farmer described the Earl, who is due to address OUCA on Thursday, as “a very well-respected, upstanding peer, and a very good friend of the Union”, and stressed that he had no problem with any of the comments made. “It was possibly one of the best debates we’ve ever had; it was outstanding.
Also this week the Ugandan President Yoveri Museveni has been accused of making similarly controversial statements at a lecture for the Centre for Socio- Legal Studies. According to an article in The Times, he described homosexuality “with evident amusement” as “no major problem” for Uganda since he had personally heard “only whispers of three cases” in his lifetime.
The lecture was part of the Public Interest Law Program that aims to engage with a wide range of world leaders on human rights. Professor William Beinart, Director of the African Studies Centre in Oxford stressed that “inviting a speaker of course does not imply that we agree with the speaker’s views - or know these views beforehand.”.
3rd Nov 2005