The University of Cape Town (UCT) officially launched its Inclusivity Policy for Sexual Orientation. “The policy promotes UCT’s commitment towards a culture that has zero-tolerance towards all forms of discrimination” states Dr Sianne Alves (Director of the Office for Inclusivity & Change, UCT). The aims to ensure consistent engagement between students and staff and create an environment that respects and celebrates inclusion of sexually diverse staff and student on campus.

Under the policy, academic staff and tutors are encouraged to use content and language that is inclusive, neutral and non-discriminatory. The policy suggests, as an example, that instead of using language that assumes every household has a mother and a father, it would be more inclusive to refer to parent/s; or talk about diverse families, which will signal that heterosexual and queer partnerships are equally valid.

In support of UCT’s transformation mandate the policy makes reference to four functional areas of the university namely: teaching practice, communication and media, institutional culture and service provision.

Find policy here