LGBT Students: Celebs Rumors

Christian Schools in Australia have pulled out of a consultation process launched by the Anthony Albanese-led Labor government to reform anti-discrimination laws to ban religious schools from expelling students or sacking teachers for being LGBTQI. Family First Party led by NSW MLC Lyle Shelton reported that Christian Schools Australian and the Australian Association of Christian Schools had “lost faith” in the Australian Law Reform Commission, which was tasked with making recommendations. The two groups represent schools that educate around 150,000 children. Federal anti-discrimination laws currently grant religious schools and organisations exemptions that allow them to discriminate against LGBTQI students, and teachers.ALRC recommended that the law be reformed to make it unlawful for religious educational institutions to discriminate against students “on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or relationship status, or pregnancy”. The proposed law aims to  “protect teachers and other school staff from discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or relationship status, or pregnancy”. The AACS said on its website that they were disappointed with the ALRC proposals.

[A student] threw a rotten apple at the back of my head after telling me that the common room is for ‘normal straight people only’. The teacher present then told me I had to leave because I was causing trouble by being there.”While transphobic language was reported with less frequency overall, 71 per cent of students reporting ever hearing such language at school.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government would enact a law to ban religious schools from expelling LGBTQI+ students, there is no move yet to keep that promise.Last week Victorian Greens Senator Janet Rice confronted the Attorney General’s department at Senate Estimates on the Sex Discrimination Act and its implications for schools.Rice, in her questions drew particular attention to section 21 of the Act, which states that under Australian law it is unlawful for an educational authority to discriminate against a person on the ground of the person’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, marital or relationship status.