Australian Catholic schools require parents to sign contracts that could exclude gay and transgender students
“We believe that any form of sexual immorality, (including but not limited to adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual behavior, bestiality, incest, pedophilia and pornography), are both sinful and offensive to God and destructive to human relationships and societies,” the school document said.
The contract also says the school will only enroll one student “on the basis of the sex corresponding to their biological sex.”
The school is one of Queensland’s largest independent schools, teach around 1,700 children from primary to secondary education, according to its website.
The lawsuit accuses the school of openly discriminating against gay and transgender students and asks the school to withdraw the contract.
The petition’s creator Bethany Lau wrote: “Sign the petition to show Citipointe that we will not support blatant homophobia and homophobia. so”.
Pastor Brian Mulheran, principal of the school, said in the statement: “We have always held these Christian beliefs and we have strived to be fair and transparent in our community by clarify them in the enrollment agreement.
“We are looking for ways to maintain our Christian ethos and allow parents and students the right to make informed choices about whether they can support and accept our approach to Christian education. me or not.
“Citipointe does not evaluate students for their gender or gender identity and we will not make decisions about their enrollment in the College on that basis alone.”
However, the new contract states that the school will have the “right to exclude a student” who is no longer in compliance with the school’s doctrinal precepts, including those regarding biological sex,” according to 7 News.
CNN has reached out to Citipointe for further comment.
The Queensland Commission on Human Rights says the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act prevents schools from discriminating against students based on their gender or gender identity.
The commission said in a statement that schools in the state can operate as either a single-sex or religious school, but the law “does not permit a school to refuse admission based on gender or sexual identity”.
“School policy that requires a transgender or gender-diverse youth to be identified as their gender at birth, or requires a youth to conceal or deny his or her gender, potentially lead to unlawful discrimination”.
“Schools cannot contract their duties under discriminatory laws by requiring parents or students to agree to discriminatory terms.”
Australia’s federal government has proposed new legislation that it says will protect citizens from discrimination on the basis of belief or religious activity, just as current law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race. race, sex, disability and age.
The Religious Discrimination Bill is still being passed by Congress and thousands of interested parties have submitted their views.
Critics fear the bill would allow religious bodies, including schools and charities, to discriminate if it aligns with their core beliefs.
In its submission, the New South Wales Civil Liberties Council said the proposed bill “dangerously widens the undue advantage of religious rights over other rights and undermines protections available under applicable federal and state anti-discrimination laws.”
CNN’s Hilary Whiteman contributed to this report.
