Official statement from the University of Kent’s LGBT+ Staff Network

Feed URL: https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/lgbtstaff/2019/03/22/official-statement-from-the-university-of-kents-lgbt-staff-network/feed/?withoutcomments=1

The University of Kent’s LGBT+ Staff Network is deeply concerned about the University’s hosting of the 2020 Lambeth Bishop’s Conference. The Archbishop of Canterbury has explicitly chosen to single out bishops’ same sex spouses for exclusion. In a recent statement, the University has defended its decision to host the event despite this clear instance of institutional homophobia (https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/03/18/lambeth-conference-university-kent-defends-excluding-same-sex-spouses/). The University’s stance, as quoted in the article, is unacceptable and needs to be challenged. As a Staff Network we believe that the University should prioritise its commitment to students and staff alike on issues of equality, diversity, and inclusivity. Specifically targeting same-sex spouses and excluding them from the Lambeth Conference is homophobic from the side of the church, and hosting the event on University premises facilitates this act of homophobia.