“French criminal law repressing LGBTphobic comments and discrimination applies everywhere on French territory, even in Catholic educational establishments. » Etienne Deshoulières, lawyer for the Mousse and Stop Homophobia associations, filed a complaint this Friday on behalf of the two organizations against the Stanislas college, accused of homophobic discrimination
The complaint is based on an article from Mediapart, which recounted the case of a student of the establishment who had been refused access to the final year, for the sole reason according to the father of the latter that she denounced “the homophobia, the sexism, the racism conveyed by the management staff of the establishment. The Ministry is said however “committed to the fight against all forms of discrimination and violence, including that of a homophobic or transphobic nature”.
A report from the General Inspectorate of National Education, revealed in mid-January by Mediapart, also reported homophobic and sexist practices that did not comply with the law. The complaint consulted by 20 minutes reveals elements of this report, in which a sort of education advisor at Stanislas College, called a “prefect”, allegedly criticized the student in an email for “wearing an LGBT sweater”. “The report supports the causal link between the exclusion of this young girl and her positions against homophobia,” states the complaint.
An investigation already opened
“The Mousse and Stop Homophobia associations are filing a complaint today against the school for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The associations consider that the exclusion of this young girl constitutes a discriminatory refusal to access private education services, an act punishable by article 225-2 of the Penal Code,” they write in a press release received by 20 minutes.
For Terrence Katchadourian, general secretary of Stop Homophobia, “this complaint will allow the police to conduct an in-depth investigation inside the school, in order to shed light on the LGBTphobic actions of the management”.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation in the fall, notably for public insult due to sexual orientation or gender identity, after a report from the IGESR following its report.