Christians demand funding changes

Christians demand funding changes

The Australian Christian Lobby has called on the new Baillieu Government to “rein in” funding for a Victorian anti-gay-bullying project, saying students should not be encouraged to attend Victoria’s annual Pride March.

The ACL’s response follows a letter sent by the Safe Schools Coalition Victoria (SSCV) to all schools recently to remind schools Pride March will occur around the first week students return to schools, for any students wanting to attend.

ACL Victorian director Rob Ward said gay pride marchers were “no places for young children” and schools should not be “promoting alternative lifestyles”.

“All schools should be safe schools, but using Government funding to persuade children to attend a gay pride march is not how our tax dollars should be spent,” Ward said.

“There is no place for bullying in our schools, whatever the motivation, however this call by SSCV demonstrates how one group can push an ideological agenda using government funding.

“We call upon the new Baillieu Government to rein in funding for groups like SSCV and instead promote programs that address bullying in a wider context.”

Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria director Anne Mitchell rejected Ward’s calls saying research shows schools who are supportive of students better protect young people and make them feel safer.

“Same-sex attracted young people are a legitimate part of our community and entitled to safe schools that give them equal educational opportunities, just like all young people, so it’s a good use of tax payers dollars,” she told the Star Observer.

Mitchell said she disagreed with Ward’s claims that the Pride March was no place for children.

“You’ve got to remember we have rainbow families who march in a big contingent and very proudly bring their children along and they think it’s a great place for them to be.”
Mitchell also hit back at claims by Ward the SSCV was demonstrating how a group “can push an ideological agenda using government funding”.

“If they are allowed to have government-funded chaplains in schools, I think a little bit of government funding towards encouraging school participation in Pride March wouldn’t be out of line.”

So far 21 schools have signed on to the SSCV. The Baillieu Government has promised to spend $800,000 over four years for chaplaincy programs in Victorian schools, while the SSCV has received a one-off grant from the former Brumby Government of $80,00 for one year.

Before the election, the Coalition promised to commit $4 million in mental health and suicide initiatives for GLBTI youth.

You May Also Like

20 responses to “Christians demand funding changes”

  1. That’s right. Schools should not be promoting alternative, non-secular lifestyles. Like Christianity. The teaching of faith as anything other than an anthropological, sociological or philosophical study has no place in our schools.

  2. Martin – Well done! A great letter.

    If we all simply email them we will out number the three people who the private company, The Australian Christian Lobby.

    To those who can email, please email. Let us stand together and help stop GLBTI kids getting bashed in schools.

    Email addresses

    The Premier

    [email protected]

    The Deputy

    [email protected]

  3. Two biggest cheers every year that I’ve been at Vic Pride are for the Rainbow Families contingent and the Vic Police. So are the ACL opposed to family values or to law enforcement?

  4. There is no hypocracy here.

    Christians are people that choose their beliefs and in this case choose to force them upon other people. A child born to a Christian family can choose not to accept their family’s religion.

    Gay people do not usually choose to be gay, it is part of who they are, much like gender or skin colour. I have also never met a gay person who tries to force being gay on anyone else, since they recognise it is not a choice.

    The anti bullying program is to ensure everyone, including both gays and Christians learn that it is not ok to bully someone for any reason. ACL are essentially saying it is ok to bully someone because of how they are born. We are criticising those Christians for the choices they make and for the fact that they try to force those decisions on the rest of us.

    I repeat, there is no hypocracy here.

  5. Does anyone even go to church anymore?? I am not gay but this kind of response from the church really makes me not want to be a part of the catholic community… They really do diappoint me with their discrimination and lack of moral values

  6. I’ve emailed this to the Premier and his Deputy.

    “Dear Premier Baillieu and Deputy Ryan,

    I read with Dismay that the Australian Christian Lobby are asking that
    funding for a Victorian anti-gay bullying project be ‘reigned in’.

    I wish to convey my full support for anti-gay bullying projects.
    Anti-gay bullying is not only abhorrent, but is also sometimes fatal.
    This is evidenced by the unacceptably high rate of suicide in young
    gay people, or indeed people perceived to be gay. One only has to be
    slightly different to be a victim of homophobic bullying as is seen by
    the common use of ‘gay’ as a slur word.

    The issues of anti-gay bullying and societal intolerance are
    eloquently expressed by Texas City Councilman Joel Burns. The video
    of his impassioned speach is available on Youtube at
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax96cghOnY4. I implore you to watch
    this speech before any decisions be made to reduce funding.

    I only wish that the Australian Christian Lobby spend more effort
    reducing all forms of hate, rather than singling out segments of
    society and continuing to normalise their ridicule and isolation.
    Such behaviours are not in keeping with any form of Christianity I am
    aware of.

    Kind regards,”

  7. Indeed, Christians should be focussing on helping people, not continuing a useless battle against homosexuality. Whatever happened to Charity and Humility? Oh right, only Christians or possible converts are privy to Christian values…
    Perhaps they want the bullying to continue?
    After all, more gay teens suiciding means less grown up homosexuals in the future…

  8. My brain went into lock-mode — like a computer — when I heard this news for the first time; it was so inconceivable. After processing for a short time, like the beachball-of-death on an apple mac, I finally came up with a single word of confusion:

    ‘What?’

    Here is a perfect example of why small numbers of obsessed people are so divisive — they churn out the same tired old rhetoric about “alternative lifestyles” and how “The children” will be damaged by exposure to them, and then trumpet these as “Australian Values”. Disagree and you’re suddenly labelled unpleasantly.

    But to call for cuts to funding for children who are at risk? How is that going to help? They conclude that gay events are “bad for the kids” yet demand funding be withdrawn to prevent the bullying of kids. So, exposure to so-called “alternative lifestyles” is worse than being beaten up in the schoolyard, ostracised, and driven (in some cases) to suicide by your peers.

    When you become obsessed with the enemy, you become the enemy

  9. The hypocrisy of some in this thread is obvious. Complain about the gay bashing of the ACL, but then engage in Christian bashing.

  10. The ACL needs to change its name to ANPL, because they’re not Christians by any means. They are however Nasty Pasties.

  11. These clowns are about as representative as the Australian Family Association, an organisation that has less to do with families and more to do with sick obsessions with the lives of gay people.

    Thankfully not only gays but a lot of straights are fed up with these so-called Christians and their tired, old bigotry.

  12. instead of young people attending functions “promoting alternative lifestyles” the church would prefer them emptying their pockets every sunday to an organisation that covers up and protects paedophiles and promotes exclusion and intolerance… fortunately todays youth are not that stupid… so let them say what they want!

  13. This is disgraceful.
    The ACL is engaging in a letter writing campaign to shut down the conversation about marriage equality and now this?

    This is really disgraceful, we should not let these people dictate how the rest should live our lives.

    Jesus would come back and wonder what happened to his radical message of equality, love and compassion.

  14. The irony / hypocrisy is breath-taking: “…demonstrates how one group can push an ideological agenda using government funding.” Looked in the mirror lately, Rob? Perfectly OK for you and your mate Jim Wallace to aggressively pursue you personal religious agenda using your tax-exempt (and therefore tax payer subsidised) lobby group…

  15. This is a tiny minority of Christians calling for GLBTI programs in schools to be withdrawn and kids to be bashed. Not enough to fill a Bunnings, not even a train carriage, just a bus stop.

    The Uniting Church has been running anti-homophobic programs for a long time.

    The Australian Christian Lobby is a private company owned by just three people. Australia has over 20 million people.

    Write to the Premier and let him know how important such programs are, and remind him of his election promises to our community. Remember do not include your address, just your email, this way you will not be fogged off if you do not live in Victoria. Be polite but assertive.

    Email addresses

    The Premier

    [email protected]

    The Deputy

    [email protected]

  16. I wish the Australian Christian Lobby would do more work on Christian goals such as helping the poor or preventing war instead of complaining about programmes that defend gay teenagers.