Kiwidad
auckland,#2Author of original report
Fri, November 14, 2008
Dr Craig Immelman, a psychiatrist, said the contract sounded outrageous. "It should not matter in this day and age whether or not you take a same-sex partner to a function or not," he said. Such behaviour could be detrimental to the confidence of young people already struggling with their sexuality, Immelman said. He found it hard to understand whether the school would be acting in the best interests of the students concerned. Immelman said the practice could enforce gay stereotypes and cause the students to feel disenfranchised and marginalised. Papatoetoe High School principal Peter Gall said the school allowed pupils to take same-sex partners to the ball, but he did not know how many took up the offer. He said any outside guests to the ball were vetted by the school. "At the end of the day school balls are not compulsory, and schools are at liberty to determine what rules they have." Gilbert Wong, spokesman for the Human Rights Commission, said any complaints received by it would be assessed as to whether they reached a legal threshold. "If you were applying for a job and were asked to disclose your sexuality that would be likely to breach employment law. Easy to make statements about people or children over the internet, shame it can be misleading.