CHARITY bosses have defended their decision to advertise a job for gay, lesbian and bisexual applicants only.

The Intercom Trust has been criticised for “discriminating” against job seekers because of their sexual orientation.

But the city organisation, which provides support for gay, lesbian and bisexual people across the South West, claims the position requires someone with experience of gay and lesbian issues.

The advert on the trust’s website  is for a community helpline worker and administrator to work full-time at its city office. It states there is a “genuine occupational requirement” for the successful applicant to be lesbian, gay or bisexual.

The organisation has received a complaint about the advert.

But executive director Dr Michael Halls said: “This position for a helpline worker and administrator requires the person to answer the helpline and speak to people who have often suffered terrible emotional damage. If someone has spent years and years of their life desperately hiding from all of their family something they know will have them thrown out, they want to speak to someone who is sensitive to the issues of being gay or lesbian.

“And if they find themselves speaking to someone who is straight they may close down in the conversation.

“They need to speak to someone who understands from the inside.

“It is the same thing for a women’s rape crisis helpline for example — the callers, who are traumatised enough, don’t want to talk to a man.

“We cannot risk someone who hasn’t grown up with being gay or lesbian to possibly give the wrong response and we want people to feel like they can call the helpline for support.”

“We had an angry voicemail message left by a woman who said she wanted to call us to account. I would have liked to have spoken to her but she never called back.”

In an email to the Echo, a jobseeker wrote: “I find this offensive that the advert is being specific about a person’s sexual orientation.

“I have no desire to enter into any exchange of opinions as I do not have a problem with whatever any person is or believes, if it be religion, race, colour, disability or sexual orientation.

“It is just that I am looking for a job in administration and found it amazing that I have to be something which is so specifically personal and nothing to do with my ability to do the job in order to apply for that post.”

A spokesman for Foot Anstey solicitors in Exeter, said: “Under normal circumstances, refusing to offer an individual employment on the basis of their sexual orientation would constitute direct discrimination.

“However, an employer may have a defence to a discrimination claim if they can demonstrate that it is a ‘genuine occupational requirement’ of the job that the post holder is of a particular sexual orientation.”