Oxford college criticised for lack of transparency over Pride flag policy

One of the UK’s top colleges has come under fire from students who claim it refused to review its policy regarding the flying of flags.

Members of Hertford College Oxford’s Middle Common Room (MCR) told PinkNews that the display of the Pride flag was limited to two days during Pride month.

The former president of the graduate student committee claimed the college kept offering new reasons for refusing to fly the flag, only agreeing to do so to coincide with Oxford Pride. Officials cited a policy that the rainbow flag can only be flown for seven days in February, during LGBTQ+ History Month, they added.

It is also alleged that a Pride flag was removed from the common room, and that requests to fly the trans flag during Transgender Awareness month last November were denied.

‘Hertford remains progressive and inclusive’

The student committee is now calling on the college, formerly known as Magdalen Hall, to share details of the flag-related policy, to allow students and staff to offer feedback, as well as provide a clear timeline for reviewing policies, including flag displays, and co-organise LGBTQ+ events.

Hertford’s interim principal, professor Pat Roche, told PinkNews: “The college did fly the Pride flag during the Oxford Pride weekend, only taking it down when the flagpole had to be removed to allow a crane to be installed for ongoing building works.

“The college has not prevented the MCR having a flag in its common room. Indeed, the college offered to assist with mounting it securely. The only restriction is the long-standing principle that no flags, or indeed any form of advertisements, signage, temporary lighting or similar, should be mounted over windows, or in public/shared areas.

“The college receives a lot of input regarding our policies and we will be reviewing many of them in the coming months. Hertford remains progressive and inclusive.”

In response, the former student president said: “The building works did not prevent Hertford from flying its normal flag after the crane installation, while many other surrounding colleges continued to fly the Pride flag.

“Furthermore, the college’s cited principle on displays over windows or public/shared areas is not consistently followed. Displays have been mounted on the common room windows throughout the year, and when the Pride flag was removed from the common room window, the college left bunting hanging there.

“It has been nine months since we started discussions with Hertford yet today the college is not even committing to review the flag-related policy in question.”

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