Did a university ban the word 'Christmas?'

People are clutching their pearls at 'news' a university has 'banned' the word Christmas so as not to offend non-Christian students.

Horror has washed over social media with this latest evidence proving once and for all that people are too sensitive these days and anyone under 25 is a complete snowflake, etcetera, etcetera...

Except a university hasn't really banned the word Christmas, has it?

The University of Brighton has released a nine page document outlining their policy on inclusive language.

It does suggest people "avoid using Christian-centric language" like "Christmas closure period" and suggests "winter closure period" instead.

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It also offers advice regarding how to respect people's sexualities, religion, race, age and more.

But it is just that - guidance. Guidance you can read for yourself here.

Nevertheless, speaking to The Sun, Andrew Allison, of the Freedom Association, said: “Universities are supposed to be places where ideas are freely debated.

“This is Orwellian and ridiculous.

“Staff and students ought to ignore it and have a good Christmas.”

Meanwhile, some publications have used the word 'ban' in their headline and this misleading coverage has dominated coverage of the story on social media.

A spokesperson from the university told indy100: “This guidance was produced with our staff and students and is part of our shared commitment to making Brighton a place where everyone feels respected and valued.

"The guidance is exactly that. Words are not ‘banned’ at Brighton, and neither is Christmas – as is clear from the decorations and Christmas trees in our buildings and across our campuses.”

They added they recently enjoyed the Christmas dinner in the uni's on-campus restaurant and even wore a Christmas hat and pulled a cracker.

Hardly 1984, then.

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