The University of Sussex Students’ Union have released a statement correcting the Daily Mail‘s inaccurate reporting of their new ‘gender inclusive language policy’.
The Mail incorrectly wrote that the students’ union had “banned” the use of the words ‘he’ and ‘she’ from students union meetings and events.
In fact, the students’ union are asking people to check whether people want to be known as ‘he’ she’ or something else, instead of making an assumption.
Sussex Students’ Union Elected Officer Rose Taylor said, “It’s frustrating particularly because it moves the focus away from the important issue of ensuring that students feel included and safe in the students’ union. I hope that people are reading further into the policy and seeing that the headline is inaccurate.”
It isn’t the first time that the Mail has misrepresented the Students’ Union’s gender-related policies.
In 2013 they misreported that the university would be “the first in the country to install three types of toilet for men, women and transgenders.”
In fact, the Students’ Union were in discussion with the university about opening toilets which could be used by people of any gender.