A petition has gone live after we revealed last week that the British Dance Council, BDC, is to consider banning same-sex couples from Ballroom Dancing competitions.
Last week we revealed that the BDC is to consider banning same-sex couples from all Ballroom Dance competitions in the UK. A proposal from its rules sub-committee has suggested that dance partners for Ballroom dance competitions should comprise of a “man” and a “lady”.
The BDC is the governing body of ballroom dancing in the UK. It formulates and administers the rules for all competitions. It will consider the proposal on the 21st July.
A petition, created by Bryan Allen, on Change.org is urging the BDC not to introduce the rule.
A statement from the petition reads, ‘The proposal is based on complaints that a two men dancing together will possess more physical strength and stamina than a man and a lady dancing together, giving them an unfair advantage.
‘However, the opposing view is that dance competitions are not to do with strength, but rather are judged on qualities of poise, presentation, timing, musicality and technique, regardless of whether it is a mixed or same-sex couple.
‘And not only does banning same-sex couples seem a backwards step in a society which continues to recognise the equality and rights of same-sex couples, it also deprives a lot of dancers a chance to compete in a sport where training takes a considerable amount of time, dedication and cost.’
