Is Fair Access For All Possible?

Allowing ‘fair access for all’ is inherently not inclusive if allowing certain people access is inherently cruel to others.

The first big social event for my society was running smoothly. We had completed the bar crawl and everyone was in good spirits and waiting in line for the club to end the night. However, I was urgently called over to my friends and confronted with a nasty situation, about to get out of hand. A society member had used multiple racial and homophobic slurs which had shocked and upset those around him. I asked him to leave, and it was not until I requested the bouncer disallow him entry, that he stormed off into the night.Speaking to those involved, they were shocked, upset and disgusted with the behavior of the individual.

The next morning I fired off emails to the university, department and student union, requesting he be removed from our society and have reprimands placed on him. On came a long onslaught of emails and Microsoft Teams calls where I stuck firm in my demands. Eventually, the witnesses were interviewed and statements taken. I was later informed that the university had taken action to reprimand the individual. However, he was not removed from the society and continues to hold a four year membership and is free to attend further events.

Upon discussion with the student union I was given the statement ‘we cannot remove this individual from your society as we have to allow fair access for all’.

Fair access for all.

Fair access for a vocal racist and homophobe. Fair access for an individual who verbally abuses his peers. Fair access for an individual who clearly broke the universities code of conduct that night, using racial and homophobic slurs without blinking. Fair access for an individual who makes those around him feel unsafe.

Our society intends to be a safe space for students across the department, free from discrimination. We have a large POC and LGBT+ membership and by allowing this individual to maintain his membership in our society, our space was no longer safe for all. Those affected by his words and actions now feel anxious about whether he will continue to attend events and escalate his behavior. This creates a barrier for minorities joining in with our societies’ activities

By being forced to include those in our society who discriminate against others, we are automatically forced to side with the discriminator. He wins. It is the minorities who are forced to stop attending events from fear of racial or homophobic abuse, not the abuser. This sidelines individuals who once saw our society as a safe space and removes them from the picture.

Allowing ‘fair access to all’ is inherently not inclusive if allowing certain people access is inherently cruel to others.