47 LGBTI+ advocates, leaders and community groups have released a joint statement calling on the federal government to protect all Australians.
Local organisations including TransFolk of WA, PFLAG Perth and Bisexual+ Community Perth have joined their voices with other Australian organisations to denounce discrimination against the LGBTI+ community.
“Last week, following leaks of the Religious Freedom Review recommendations, many Australians were surprised and outraged to learn that under current anti-discrimination laws schools and other services run by religious bodies are able to legally discriminate against LGBTI children, clients and workers,” the statement reads.
“Our shared goal is simple – we want equality for all children to learn, and equality for all people to do their job.”
Advocate, author and mother of a transgender child Jo Hirst says every student should have the right to be safe and accepted in their school community.
“We know that trans and gender diverse students achieve their best academic and mental health outcomes when they are supported by both their families and their school environment,” Hirst said.
“Our trans and gender diverse students just want to be able to attend school with their friends like every other student without fear and discrimination.”
Human Rights Law Centre director of legal advocacy and Equality Campaign co-chair Anna Brown says Australians showed they are for fairness and equality when voting on marriage last year.
“Kids in schools should be worrying about classes and their homework, not living in fear of mistreatment because of who they are.”
“All children should be accepted for who they are at school. Every person should be able to do their job without having to hide who they are. Every school should be inclusive of all types of families. We should all be able to access publicly available services free from discrimination.”
The Equality Campaign, Rainbow Families and independent NSW MP Alex Greenwich have been collecting stories from LGBTIQ people who have experiences discrimination at religious schools to present to federal MPs today.
Over 48 hours, more than 800 people wrote to the Equality Campaign sharing their support, or their own lived experience.
A former student from a Catholic Marist college told their story of exclusion while at school.
“My peers’ reaction to my sexuality was expected, losing friends, everyone hating me, girls feeling weird around me in the PE change rooms, people pointing and laughing at me, teachers on duty doing nothing and telling me ‘kids will be kids’, but when my English Teacher also discriminated against me for my sexuality, I was shocked,” they wrote.
“She had asked the class to write an essay on anything we felt passionate about as practice for our year 10 certificate, I chose a topic about equality for gay people. Before I even put pen to paper she asked me what I was doing and I told her. She called me up to her and told me that I was disgusting and that I will never be allowed to write anything like that in her classroom. She looked me in the eyes and told me that not only was I disgusting but I was a disgrace to the school and to my Catholic religion.”
“That school was a constant hell from year eight when my sexuality got out until the day I left, and now the rest of my life will reflect that school’s actions, or should I say lack of actions to help me.
“I know that it is too late for me to do anything; I know that I am now stuck in retail, but I am not writing this for myself … The laws need to be changed; I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
