S.African school closes dorm over lesbian kiss: reports
AFP
DURBAN - A South African girls' boarding school outside Durban has closed down a dormitory after accusing 27 residents of being lesbians, local media reported Friday.
Two girls were caught kissing in the dormitory, which houses 300 students, The Mercury newspaper reported. When confronted by school officials, they identified 25 other lesbians in the dorm.
"Twenty-seven learners were involved in this kind of relationship and the school took a decision to close down the hostel," provincial education department spokesman Mfundi Sibiya told the national broadcaster SABC.
The department has appointed a panel to investigate the issue, but the education department said schools did not have the right to remove students because of their sexual orientation, the paper reported.
Officials at the education department and the school could not be reached for comment.
The decision to close the dorm has brought learning at the school to a standstill, as many pupils have no other accommodation, the paper said.
South Africa's constitution guarantees equal rights for gays, but many gay South Africans still suffer prejudice in an often conservative society.
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The department has appointed a panel to investigate the issue, but the education department said schools did not have the right to remove students because of their sexual orientation, the paper reported.
Officials at the education department and the school could not be reached for comment.
The decision to close the dorm has brought learning at the school to a standstill, as many pupils have no other accommodation, the paper said.
South Africa's constitution guarantees equal rights for gays, but many gay South Africans still suffer prejudice in an often conservative society.
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