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Mckellen says LGBTQ academics have a "duty" to come out

Sir Ian Mckellen  last week suggested that LGBTQ academics have a responsibility to come out to create a supportive environment for students at Oxford.

After his visit to the Union on Monday 3rd November, he told Cherwell, “I think everything from the University authorities, the Vice Chancellor down, through all the individual colleges, should make it clear that you are an individual and you are yourself, you can express yourself and there will be no possible repercussions from anybody because you’d expressed yourself… If you couldn’t come out during your time at Oxford, it should be a pretty sad state of affairs I should think. This means of course that the colleges really do have a responsibility.”

He added, “I think if there are any gay dons in Oxford they should be out. It’s part of their responsibility to set the tone of what this place is. So it’s all the people whom the college employs, people who are their students should be able to follow that lead and be open and honest themselves.”

The comments sparked controversy among some members of the LGBTQ community at Oxford. Jesus student and Editor of the zine NoHeterOx** Jessy Parker Humphreys told Cherwell, “I don’t believe anyone ever has a duty to come out. Whilst LGBTQ academics can be and are great rôle models for university students, every individual is different. Everyone’s reasons for choosing to come out or not come out are valid and should be respected.”

LGBTQ rep of the OUSU Women’s Campaign Jenny Walker agreed, saying, “I do think it’s important for LGBTQIA+ people to have rôle models who are visible and vocal in the queer cause, so that a culture of acceptance and safety for all orientations can be established. It’s true that prominent rôles in particular offer a good opportunity for LGBTQIA+ visibility. However, whilst I think there is some manner of political responsibility that comes with such offices, I would never want to blame or pressure an academic or university figure to come out, as they may find it very difficult for a number of reasons.”

Both did however welcome McKellen’s emphasis on the importance of creating a safe space for LGBTQ staff and students. Walker commented, “I think that Ian McKellen is absolutely right in arguing that all levels of university authority should support, encourage and provide for people who identify as LGBTQIA+ throughout the university. Colleges certainly do have a responsibility to create as safe an environment as possible in order to support people who want to come out.”

Support networks exist for LGBTQ staff at Oxford, with an LGBT Advisory Group that works with the University on policy and practice and an LGBT Staff Network set up in 2009. One member of the LGBT Advisory Panel, New College Home Bursar Caroline Thomas, told Cherwell, “Although I don’t believe anyone has a duty to come out and people should be permitted to preserve their privacy whatever their orientation, Oxford is a very safe and supportive place in which to come out. I know this from my own personal experience.”

Chair of the LGBT Advisory Group Tony Brett added, “We are pleased to be able to say that Oxford seems to us over the years (and me in my 25 years here) to have been an ever-more supportive and affirming University for LGBT staff and students.

“In any large and dispersed organisation experience will vary around individual parts but on the whole we think it is a good one. We are particularly impressed at how supportive our current Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Hamilton, has been in ensuring that he has hosted and introduced every LGBT History Month Lecture since we started them in 2010.”

However, he stressed, “Sexual orientation and gender identity are very much private matters and nobody should ever feel obliged to come out. Of course we are delighted that Oxford is an environment in which many people do feel able to come out and feel empowered by doing so but we would never want to force coming out on anybody.”

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