| Gay group banned from USQ Harmony Day |
| Written by Peter Hackney |
| Monday, 25 May 2009 13:15 |
 A gay and lesbian group at a Queensland university is taking legal action after it was banned from having a stall at this year’s Harmony Day.The Alliance LGBT group at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Toowoomba is preparing a submission to the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland (ADCQ) after it was denied a stall at USQ’s Harmony Day celebrations on Wednesday, March 18. Harmony Day, an initiative of the Federal Government, aims to promote “respect, fairness, inclusion and a sense of belonging for everyone”, according to its website. Alliance President Donna Markwell said the group applied for a stall a week before the event and that USQ Harmony Day Coordinator William Conwell was initially enthusiastic. “But he rang back the next day and said we couldn’t attend,” she said. “He wouldn’t explain why and wouldn’t negotiate with us at all.” The group was subsequently granted a stall within the university’s refectory when the USQ Student Guild gave them a space against the wishes of the university. “The end result was that we were in the refectory, separate from all the other groups who had their stalls in the quadrangle. “We were made to feel excluded, inferior and separate." Markwell said Alliance was taking the issue to the ADCQ after the university failed to respond to their official complaint lodged in March. Conwell refused to comment, telling Queensland Pride he was “not allowed” to speak about the matter. A university spokesperson told Queensland Pride: “A working party has been established to review the operation of Harmony Day and guidelines for participation are being drawn up to ensure no misunderstandings occur in the future.” A spokesperson for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, which oversees Harmony Day, said the department was investigating the matter. National Union of Students (NUS) Queer Officer Heidi Claus said: “The banning of the LGBT Alliance group from the Harmony Day at USQ makes a mockery of the point of Harmony Day.” The NUS would be supporting any action taken by Alliance against the university, she said.
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written by Rob Speirs , July 08, 2009 just signed up to study at USQ for a couple of years... hope I haven't inadvertently joined a bunch of rednecks from hicksville! report abuse
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 June 2009 18:22 |
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