Sep 10
30
City managers play “Adventures in Lesbianandgayland”
The Daily Mail – September 19, 2010
What do you think made you become a heterosexual? Just one of the bizarre questions council chiefs are asking staff on ‘diversity’ course
By Chris Hastings
Town Hall bosses are asking staff to take part in a ‘heterosexuality quiz’ so they can gain a greater understanding of what it is like to be gay. The quiz, devised by managers at Buckinghamshire County Council, is part of an equality and diversity course called ‘Respecting Sexuality’. Questions, which are described as a ‘twist’ on those routinely asked of homosexuals, include ‘What do you think caused your heterosexuality?’, ‘Is it possible your heterosexuality stems from a neurotic fear of others of the same sex?’, and ‘If you’ve never slept with a person of the same sex, how do you know you wouldn’t prefer it?’
The course, which encourages staff to ‘have a better understanding’ of the challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender colleagues, includes a film which follows the experience of four fictitious employees. The film is said to ‘build in intensity’ and can provoke a variety of reactions. Trainers’ notes state: ‘Initial reactions to the stories vary widely, with heterosexual (straight) people often dismissing the stories as exaggerated or rare and homosexual (gay people) immediately recognising the issues and emotions explored here as honest and relevant.’
The Buckinghamshire council course is just one of a series of publicly funded equality and diversity sessions uncovered in a series of Freedom of Information requests by The Mail on Sunday. …
Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed that managers at Brighton and Hove City Council had taken part in a diversity seminar called Adventures in Lesbianandgayland which invited them to imagine they had now woken up in a world where homosexuality was dominant.