Your Shop Offends Gay Student

Campus store Your Shop has come under fire after being accused of unfairly covering up certain magazines on display because they were aimed at a gay demographic.

A black plastic cover had been placed over the front of the two gay magazines sold in the YUSU-owned shop. ‘Lads mags’ and all other lifestyle and fashion publications were left uncovered.

The two magazines in question were Attitude, which featured a topless man and GT, displaying a man wearing a ‘wifebeater’ on its cover. Placed in close vicinity was Men’s Health, whose male cover star was also topless, and Nuts, both of which were completely visible to any browsers in the store.

However, when Langwith Chair and former LGBT rep, Cem Turhan notified YUSU about the situation, he was told that the magazines were “a lot worse” than the others.

Turhan told Vision he felt “extremely offended” that they had chosen to cover gay magazines when it seemed that “there was obviously no other reason than the simple fact they were gay.”

He also commented that, “in all honestly, I think the whole situation is absolutely ridiculous, and as a gay man and former LGBT rep I feel personally offended. It’s not that the incident was aimed directly at me as a person, but that it is just another constant reminder that the LGBT community is treated differently, even through the most ridiculous means.”

Turhan was later directed to YUSU, who argued that the magazines in question had displayed “offensive images” in the past. The cover was eventually removed from GT, but was kept on Attitude, despite it using, in Turhan’s opinion “near identical imagery as the men’s fitness magazines.”

The black screens in the shop were initially introduced by the YUSU Women’s Committee as way of fighting the objectification of women in magazines. Though he agrees with the principles, Turhan stressed that the fact that the covers seems to have been used so subjectively “shows they are not working.”

LGBT Officers Nell Beecham and Tom Martin commented that they would be “concerned” if Your Shop were covering up magazines on a discriminatory basis. However, they also stressed that “that some magazines encourage the objectification of men too, and Your Shop’s may also deem it appropriate to cover up such publications.”

“If it were the case that staff were covering LGBT material based on their own personal prejudices, it would be a serious matter. We will continue to pay attention to this matter, bring it to the committee, and take appropriate response if necessary,” they concluded.

Turhan has since contacted YUSU again about the matter. Welfare Officer Laura Borisovaite responded by informing Vision, “any complaints against any of the commercial outlets should first and foremost be directed to the appropriate channels and then dealt with accordingly. I am unable to comment otherwise without knowing more.”