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Bouncer suspended for 'telling gay student he could be fed to dogs'

Police have launched an investigation into the incident

Kashmira Gander
Tuesday 24 February 2015 17:34 GMT
Corporation in Sheffield, where a bouncer allegedly made abusive comments towards a student
Corporation in Sheffield, where a bouncer allegedly made abusive comments towards a student (Google Maps )

A bouncer at a Sheffield nightclub has been suspended, after he said a student whom he believed was gay could be fed to dogs.

Second year Sheffield University student Rory Barker claims he was given a black eye by a member of staff at the Corporation nightclub on Milton Street at around 1:30am on Saturday morning, following an argument between his friend and another girl.

A bouncer then allegedly told Mr Barker to “f**k off” when he reported the incident, the student told the Sheffield Tab student newspaper.

Following the attack, a bouncer then asked if Mr Barker was a “gay boy”, to which he replied “no, not that it matters”.

Footage from the incident appears to show a bouncer in a high-visibility jacket shouting: “If you want to take a gay boy home with you.”

After a person in the video responds “I’m alright mate,” the bouncer says: “you can feed him to your dogs”.

In a statement released online, Corporation said: “the person concerned has been immediately suspended following initial investigations.”

The club added: “This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable by all here at Corporation. We pride ourselves as a venue that does not discriminate against any group, regardless of creed, colour or orientation.”

South Yorkshire police have said they are investigating reports of abusive comments made towards an individual outside Corporation nightclub.

The incident comes after a National Union of Students (NUS) survey published last year revealed the worrying level of abuse suffered by LGBT students on university campuses in the UK.

One in five LGBT students reported that they had experienced bullying or harassment on campuses across the country, with the figure rising to one in three for transgender students.

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