Student union reveals society will be closed down for academic year after booklet handed out at freshers’ fair caused outrage

The London School of Economics has disbanded its men’s rugby club after a leaflet distributed by members that contained homophobic and misogynist slurs “brought shame” on the university.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Nona Buckley-Irvine, general secretary of LSE students’ union, said the club would be disbanded for the academic year after the flyer handed out at the freshers’ fair on Friday described women as “mingers”, “trollops” and “slags”.

The club apologised for the offending booklet, which said “outright homosexual debauchery” would not be tolerated and that women playing sports were “beast-like”. The leaflets were confiscated after uproar among students. The LSE and the students’ union launched an inquiry on Monday.

In her statement, Buckley-Irvine condemned comments that were “clearly sexist, and demonstrate a culture within a club that is unable to challenge misogyny, sexism and homophobia” and said the members brought shame on the club and LSE’s wider student community.

She said: “After considered deliberation and a wide investigation, LSE men’s rugby club will be disbanded for the rest of the academic year and not be allowed to represent LSE or LSESU. They will be withdrawn from any competitions already entered into.”

Buckley-Irvine said the sanctions were implemented after no one from the club took responsibility for the derogatory comments, adding: “It is important to note that in our investigations with members, the club was blamed as the body who produced, edited and gave out the booklet. Not one person within the club was willing to take personal responsibility for the booklets. In this case, responsibility does have to fall on to both individuals and the club as a whole, and individuals will be sanctioned separately in addition to this decision concerning the club.”

Buckley-Irvine also spoke out against the derogatory references to “poly” students, referring to former polytechnics which have now been converted into universities

“The persistence [with] which the club references ‘polys’ and abuses ‘polys’ is not fitting of the LSE community,” the statement continued. “This snobbery towards students from other universities is unacceptable. The LSE is a great institution, but that doesn’t excuse elitism or classism. The perpetrators should know that they are extremely lucky to have been granted a place at one of the country’s top universities, and references such as these are a complete abuse of their privileged position.”

The club’s subsequent promises to cooperate fully with the inquiry and its lengthy apology, which called the language in the booklet “inexcusably offensive and stigmatising” and admitted members had “a lot to learn about the pernicious effects of ‘banter’”, were not enough to appease the university and fellow students who had called for harsh sanctions.

On Tuesday the university began an investigation into the incident and also held a women-only meeting to discuss the misogynist comments and wider issues affecting female students. Buckey-Irvine added: “Our actions in disbanding the club demonstrate the seriousness of the situation, and our commitment to challenging cultures that allow misogyny, sexism or homophobia to exist.”

The decision met with approval from fellow students. Lisa Mckenzie tweeted: “Rugby team has been disbanded for misogyny. None of them would own up to their ‘slag’ lit cowardly and misogynistic.”

Dalia Gebrain wrote: “A great stance taken by @LSE against bigotry masked as banter. People dismiss how harmful this culture is.”