huffingtonpost.co.uk | Original Article | by Lucy Sherriff

Universities can segregate by gender in talks from external speakers, as long as men and women are sat side by side and not one in front of the other, new guidance has advised.

A document published by Universities UK aims to support institutions in managing controversial external speakers on campus, in the wake of several arguments over their appearances.

The report, titled External speakers in higher education institutions tackles issues such as segregated seating and freedom of speech.

This year, several reports have emerged of segregated seating events at universities. A huge row erupted at University College, London (UCL) in March after atheist Professor Lawrence Krauss threatened to walk out of a debate against Islamic lecturer Hamza Andreas Tzortzis over organisers reportedly attempting to segregate the audience.

In April, it was alleged a sign was posted on the door of a debate at Leicester University pointing males and females to separate seating areas.

"If the segregation is to be ‘front to back’, then that may well make it harder for the participants at the back to ask questions or participate in debate, and therefore is potentially discriminatory against those attendees. This issue could be overcome assuming the room can be segregated left and right, rather than front and back (and also ensuring that appropriate arrangements are made for those with disabilities)." Read More...