A University of Toronto student has lost a human rights claim alleging discrimination after receiving a failing grade in a course that he was “too shy and uncomfortable” to attend because he was the only male.

Ontario’s Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed a case involving Wongene Daniel Kim, who accused his professor of discrimination after he lost marks for not attending class.

Kim had purposely avoided the Women and Gender Studies course in the fall of 2012, after noticing on the first day of class that he was the only male among 40 female students registered for the course.

According to the tribunal decision, Kim claimed he “was too uncomfortable and shy to enter the classroom” on the first day.

Though he contacted his professor, she refused to exempt him from class participation, worth 15 per cent of the overall grade.

Despite his absenteeism, Kim remained registered in the course, claiming he was unaware about the deadline to drop the course and still avoid academic penalty.

He completed the three required assignments, but received insufficient grades and ultimately failed the course. That led to Kim alleging he received low marks on assignments due to his gender.

In her decision, vice-chair Mary Truemner said there was no evidence that Kim had been treated unfairly after admitting that his discomfort is based on an “individual preference” as a shy person.

“The applicant stated that he did not want to interact with the other students because they are women, and thought that they would not be willing to interact with him because of his gender,” Truemner wrote in her decision. “This is merely speculation, as he never gave the class, or the women, a chance.”

The case may reignite the debate over accommodation at post-secondary institutions.

The decision comes just months after a York University professor’s refusal to allow a student to skip a project that involved contact with female classmates ignited a firestorm of controversy over religious accommodation.

The student had requested to abstain from course work on the grounds that his religion prevents him from interacting with women.