Safe Schools Coalition Australia
| Formation | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Type | NGO |
| Purpose | Safety and wellbeing of LGBT and intersex students |
Region served | Australia |
Executive Director | National Program Director |
| Website | safeschoolscoalition.org.au |
The Safe Schools Coalition Australia is is a national coalition of organisations and schools to create safe and inclusive schools for students, families and staff who are same sex attracted, intersex and/or gender diverse. The focus of the organisation is on "challenging bullying and discrimination" within school settings.[1] The coalition is managed by The Foundation for Young Australians and funded by the Australian and Victorian governments.[2]
History
The program commenced in Victoria in 2010, and received national funding of $8 million in 2013.[3] It was formally launched in June 2014.[4]
The program runs in every State and Territory of Australia except Northern Territory.[2] As of mid February 2016, 490 schools are members of the program, and 86 organisations are supporters of the coalition.[2]
In 2015, a teaching manual called "All Of Us" was launched, following approval by the federal Education Department.[3] Authors of the manual include Margot Fink, a finalist for Young Australian of the Year in 2016. The guide includes information on teaching gender diversity, sexual diversity and intersex topics. It includes a video of same sex attracted and gender diverse youth, as well as intersex film-maker Phoebe Hart.[5]
Research
In describing the aims of the program, the Safe Schools Coalition Australia reports that "75% of same sex attracted young people experience some form of homophobic abuse or bullying... A staggering 80% of young people experienced abuse and bullying while at school.[5][6] Research on intersex Australians published in 2016 shows that, while 2% of Australians fail to complete secondary school, 18% of Australians born with intersex variations fail to do so due to issues around bullying, discrimination and pubertal medical interventions.[7]
Controversy
The program has cross party support, including from education experts and peak bodies, Labor state governments, and government ministers, however, the program is opposed by some religious groups. In July 2015, The Age reported that the program was "gagged" on marriage, while the coalition stated that there had been "no change to media protocols.[1] Controversial aspects of the "All Of Us" guide include "encouraging students to defy teachers who do not let them put up posters or access gay websites".[3]
On 9 February 2016, The Australian newspaper reported claims that a "gay manual" was being pushed in schools. A spokesperson for the Australian Christian Lobby stated that the program pressured kids and "confuses them about their own identity".[8] Kevin Donnelly, a senior research fellow at the Australian Catholic University has described the program as "social engineering".[3][9]
However, on 14 February 2016 the education minister, Simon Birmingham, described the lessons prepared by the coalition as having "reasonable objectives". Birmingham stated that controversy over the program was "very unhelpful because the debate that seems to be occurring in the public space is one of whether or not we should be teaching inclusiveness and tolerance in our schools".[10]
Advocates for the program point to hight levels of homophobic abuse, including in school settings, and high levels of school leaving.[11] The managing director of the Young and Well Co-operative Research Centre has described the curriculum material as necessary.[3]
External links
References
- 1 2 Cook, Henrietta (July 28, 2015). "Safe Schools program ordered to stay silent on gay marriage". The Age. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
- 1 2 3 Safe Schools Coalition Australia. "Who are we". Safe Schools Coalition Australia. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bita, Natasha (February 12, 2016). "Sexual politics in the classroom". The Australian. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
- ↑ Safe Schools Coalition Australia launched, Department of Education and Training (Australia), June 13, 2014, retrieved 2016-02-15
- 1 2 Safe Schools Coalition Australia (2015), All Of Us: Unit Guide
- ↑ Hillier, Lynne; Jones, Tiffany; Monagle, Marisa; Overton, Naomi; Gahan, Luke; Blackman, Jennifer; Mitchell, Anne (2010). Writing themselves in three: The 3rd national study on the sexual health and wellbeing of same sex attracted and gender questioning young people (PDF). Melbourne: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University. ISBN 978-1-921377-92-1.
- ↑ Carpenter, Morgan (February 11, 2016). "We support the Safe Schools Coalition Australia". Organisation Intersex International Australia. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
- ↑ Bita, Natasha (February 9, 2016). "Activists push taxpayer-funded gay manual in schools". The Australian. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
- ↑ Donnelly, Kevin (February 11, 2016). "Safe Schools Coalition is more about LGBTI advocacy than making schools safer". The Age (The Age). Retrieved 2016-02-11.
- ↑ Owens, Jared (2016-02-14). "Sex diversity class ‘reasonable’". The Australian. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
- ↑ Shaw, Rebecca (2016-02-11). "There is no such thing as a 'gay manual', but I wish I'd had this when I was a child". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-02-11.