Dressing as a Conservative for costume party is offensive, says student union
A STUDENT union is seeking to ban students from dressing up as Tories at fancy dress parties to avoid causing offence.
Kent University’s student union has drafted a set of guidelines which say that costumes should not be “offensive, discriminatory and prejudice to an individual’s race, gender, disability or sexual orientation or based on stereotypes”.
This is to ensure that the university is a “safe space” for undergraduates, where no one is embarrassed or upset by seeing a fellow student’s costume.
Dressing up as “Tories” and “chavs” are given as examples of costumes to avoid, as these would breach the “class and political stereotypes” section of the guidance. Among the dozens of outfits it deems “offensive” are cowboys, Native Americans, priests and nuns, and anyone who wears a Mexican sombrero.
Students have also been warned against anything that has a sensitive historical or religious connotations. It gives the Crusades, Isil bombers, Israeli soldiers and the Prophet Mohammed as examples of costumes to avoid.
Aaron Thompson, the Kent Union president, said: “We would ask students to be mindful of their choices and whether any offence could be caused.”