LGBTQ+ Teacher Fired As UN Calls For End To Religious Discrimination Loophole

Australia is being called on to end exemptions allowing religious schools to legally discriminate against LGBTQ+ students and staff, as people around the country prepare for the new school year.

Charlotte (not her real name), who had worked as a music teacher at a Christian school in western Sydney for two years, lost her job after a parent discovered she was in a same-sex relationship through a Facebook post.

The parent reported her to the school and she was called into an emergency meeting where she was told she couldn’t return to the classroom as her relationship was “contrary to the [school’s] doctrines and beliefs”.

Only days later, she was fired over email.

Charlotte’s case is made possible by a loophole in the Federal Sex Discrimination Act, allowing religious institutions to discriminate against workers on the basis of their relationship status, pregnancy, or sexuality.

“In 2026, it is outrageous that Australian law still allows someone to be sacked for who they love, their relationship status, for becoming pregnant outside of marriage or using IVF,” said Senior Campaign Manager at Fair Agenda, Amy Barrett.

“While Australian law generally protects people from discrimination based on their gender and relationship status; previous governments decided that those rules don’t apply to religious institutions. Instead our laws give religious institutions special treatment, allowing them to discriminate against staff. This special treatment undermines fairness at work and should not exist.”

“Embarrassing” to see Australia falling behind on a global stage 

Multiple human rights organisations, including Fair Agenda and Equality Australia, are calling on the Australian government to remove the laws allowing such discrimination.

They join the United Nations Human Rights Council who, on Monday, delivered around 350 recommendations to improve Australia’s human rights protections in its comprehensive peer review of each UN member state’s human rights record.

Belgium, Iceland and Mexico all recommended government remove the exemptions that allow religious schools to legally discriminate.

“It’s embarrassing to see Australia falling behind other countries that view protecting staff and students in religious institutions as a basic human right,” said international advisor Savanh Tanhchareun.

“We want to believe that Australia values fairness and equality, but on the global stage our laws are painting a very different picture.”

One in three students and almost two in five staff are enrolled or employed in private schools, most of which are religiously affiliated, leaving members of the queer community at risk of losing their job or community.

A 2024 Australian Law Reform Commission report found that there was strong public support for removing the exemptions, including among parents and people of faith, and that religious ethos of a school could be maintained without such discriminatory exemptions.

“These exemptions are cruel, outdated and indefensible, exposing thousands of Australians to punishment at school or dismissal at work simply for being themselves,” said Tanhchareun.