Sonia Kruger, a host on Australia's Today Extra show, has once again caused a public stir with her on air comments, this time focusing on the need to identify LGBT high school students for scholarships.
Kruger was responding to news the Australian Business and Community Network was for the first time this year quizzing year 10 students about their sexual and gender identity as part of a scholarship that awarded financial or mentoring assistance.
In previous years they were asked only whether they were male or female.
Successful applicants, who were Australian citizens or permanent residents, received $7000 to cover three years of study, including the first year of university.
In a discussion with Today host Karl Stefanovic and her co-host David Campbell, Kruger suggested it felt like "reverse discrimination".
"To ask a student if they identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, you're asking someone about their sexual preferences and I find that that's a really odd thing to do, in any kind of capacity, whether it's a job or a scholarship. I think a scholarship should be given on merit."
Co-host David Campbell pointed out that the scholarship also included transgender people.
"I don't think it should have anything to do with the awarding of a scholarship. I think a scholarship should be given on merit" [...] "And there's a minority there who suffer and I get that but I still struggle with having to identify the sexuality of a person."
I'm ok with this as long as it goes to people who are who they say they are. I would be pissed to find out someone pretended to be LGBT to get a scholarship, stealing it from an actual LGBT member of society trying to better herself or himself.
...I really don't think so. There are some good queer and trans* spaces in academia that are as fruitful and nice as more mainstream ones. It's a shame that GWST/GFWST/LGBT majors are being downplayed like this
I'm ok with this as long as it goes to people who are who they say they are. I would be pissed to find out someone pretended to be LGBT to get a scholarship, stealing it from an actual LGBT member of society trying to better herself or himself.
I've wondered this a bit myself.. I wonder if there's a recorded case of this ever happening. But it's very difficult to "prove" a person's sexuality anyway.
...I really don't think so. There are some good queer and trans* spaces in academia that are as fruitful and nice as more mainstream ones. It's a shame that GWST/GFWST/LGBT majors are being downplayed like this
