NSW GLRL – Proud schools?
“I think that you explain: this is a Christian school, that unless the child is prepared to accept that it is chaste … the school may decide that it might be better for the child as well that he goes somewhere else. I think it’s a loving response.”
Jim Wallace, managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby, was awarded the Golden GLORIA last week for making comments throughout the year that malign people on the basis of their sexual orientation.
Wallace’s remarks are a troubling reminder of the challenges faced by young same-sex attracted and gender questioning people in schools. In 2010, the Writing Themselves In 3 report highlighted that 61 percent of young people experience verbal abuse because of their sexual orientation, with 18 percent being physically abused. Alarmingly, 80 percent occurred in school situations.
The NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (GLRL) has been working with the NSW Department of Education on the Proud Schools program, a project aimed at promoting awareness and acceptance of sexuality and gender diversity in secondary schools.
The pilot will involve 12 schools across NSW, in regional and metropolitan locations. Over the next year, the pilot will establish resources for the professional development of teachers; provide peer education workshops for students; and facilitate parent information sessions to help end the systemic homophobia and transphobia young people experience.
While promising, such initiatives are currently confined to public schools. Moreover, the reach of such programs is limited, especially when considered in light of faith-based exemptions available to religious schools under NSW anti-discrimination laws.
It is counterintuitive to claim homophobia has no place in schools, while providing exemptions that make it legally permissible in some schools to expel a student on the basis of their sexual orientation.
If the NSW Government is committed to ending the harmful effects of homophobia in schools, it must begin by ensuring the laws unequivocally prohibit it. While there are currently limited legislative protections, the wide-ranging faith-based exemptions continue to undermine the ability of young people to feel safe and secure in any school they choose to attend.
In maintaining the rights of young people to live free from discrimination, it is important to remove the permanent exemptions available to religious schools to expel students because they are not heterosexual or do not conform to their gender expectations.
By SENTHORUN RAJ, NSW GLRL
@ Banks, when you see a story like this, take a moment and replace the word ‘gay’ with ‘black’ or ‘handicapped’ and you may well notice what is wrong about it. There are many things that are not encouraged from numerous holey books because it has no place in modern society. Examples: slavery, racism, forcing your daughter to marry her rapist so as not to bring shame to your family. All things that we as a society have deemed inappropriate and illegal. Just because a school is religious does not mean they should have the right to discriminate against anyone, it wasn’t that many years ago that religious schools beat the children into being right handed. Times change and no book written hundreds of years ago, WHATEVER RELIGION IT IS FROM, should have any sway on the education of our nation.
Hang on a minute what do we expect from a religious school? Don’t the Christian schools have a right to preach and practise their religion?? I really believe we are going too far with this whole “accept us” Its like we now have an excuse to attack the churches because the majority of Australia is supportive of gay marriage – Religion to some people plays an important role in their lives why can’t we respect or even see that?
I am a victim of a catholic school. I was found out to be non-conforming to the ethos of the school and asked to leave. This effected my ability to study correctly and as such failed 6months of schooling. This cascaded into my life and I am a chronic failure unemployed and a pensioner. Thanks.
I find it sad and frustrating that so many people look at religion as a privelidge for straight people. Even queers. And even more so the atheism of alot of radical queers making it difficult to question the incompatibility of the two. As far as i’m concerned one shouldn’t negate the other. You shouldn’t have to choose between your religion and your sexuality. Not too mention the fact that most students don’t choose where they study, and the damage that religious homophobia can do.