First-year visual arts student Steven Carter says his collage, cut from free gay and music street magazines, was unfairly taken down.

“There is nothing pornographic about the collage ... it is about the objectification of men,” said Carter, of Preston.

“If it had been a man with women, no one would have complained.”

“The work was removed (following the instruction from visual arts department head Peter Kartsounis) without anyone even asking me.”

NMIT associate director of arts and social sciences Peter Lamburd in Fairfield said that the piece was removed because teachers believed it would be offensive to some people.

“The explicitly sexual nature would have offended some cultural groups,” Mr Lamburd said.

“The department encourages students to do creative and expressive work.

“We don’t try to stifle people, we are not homophobic in any way ... that these incidents are infrequent means we are doing something right.”

Carter called for NMIT to provide written guidelines which could be displayed so personal prejudices and discrimination would not be indulged.

“Even if this goes against someone’s religious views, this is no reason to take it down, particularly in an art school space where we are encouraged to freely express ourselves,” he said.

He said 18 of his 20 fellow students had signed a petition asking the college to reinstate the work.

Mr Lamburd said that as a result of this incident, the college was developing a written policy clarifying the need for sensitivity about how work was exhibited on its premises.

Source: http://preston-leader.whereilive.com.au