Protect rights of gay teachers
IT’S not Christian to sack or ban gay teachers. It’s immoral and should be outlawed in all Australian schools.
Let’s stop giving bigoted religious schools legal permission to discriminate against teachers who are samesex attracted.
While discrimination of gay students has been soundly rejected on all sides of politics, there is more of an acceptance that church schools should be able to fire or exclude gay teachers.
I want to challenge that view. This is important and not just for teachers like Craig Campbell who was sacked from a WA Baptist school after he took his same-sex partner to his aunt’s wedding.
It’s vital for all teachers working in religious schools who hide the truth about their loved ones for fear of losing their jobs. Sacking staff on the basis of sexuality, when sexual identity is not a choice but a destiny, is the very antithesis of Christian values. Being gay is not the same as having extramarital sex or sex before marriage.
It’s not a choice people have; it’s a biological fact and it’s legal in our society. So it does seem extraordinary that same-sex attracted people can legally marry and then just as legally be sacked because of their relationship.
It’s not just a matter of private schools being accountable because they accept public funding. A deeper moral issue is at stake. Laws need to keep up with our values as a society.
Australian data shows that between 3 and 5 per cent of people are gay, and one in three people in samesex couples are Christian. Of those in couples, 3.8 per cent are teachers.
Church groups fighting for their right to discriminate on the basis of sexuality are turning their backs on members of their own congregations who are gay. The government should not be giving them the right to reject and isolate those who most need support and inclusion.
This is an issue many Christian schools are currently grappling with. However, it’s important to note that the anti-homosexual stance is not reflected at many religious schools.
I was proud last week to see the Anglican school, Trinity Grammar in Kew, take a lead role in this area. Principal Phil De Young wrote to parents stating religious discrimination exemptions are “absolutely out of step with our deep commitment to be a safe and supportive place for all students, families and staff, regardless of their sexuality, faith position, race and ethnicity, or ability”.
The Catholic Education Office takes a similar stance although many of its leaders campaigned against same-sex marriage. It notes “those experiencing same-sex attraction must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided”. One teachers’ resource from the Catholic sector reads: “A person’s sexual orientation has no bearing on their appointment as a staff member or to a position of responsibility.”
The biggest problem seems to be within the evangelical, Bible-based Christian schools’ sector that has about 130,000 students nationally.
Many such schools have values statements that mandate teachers must abstain from “premarital sex, extramarital sex and homosexual activities” as well as “avoiding greed, lust, pornography, gluttony, addiction and drunkenness”.
Sexual orientation doesn’t affect a person’s ability to teach, as Queensland Labor MP Terri Butler pointed out a few weeks ago.
“A gay teacher doesn’t teach gay maths. They just teach maths,” she said. It was a cut-through moment in this debate.
At this point, both the Labor Party and the Greens have moved motions that would remove the ability of religious schools to hire and fire staff based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or relationship status.
It’s great that senior Liberal figures such as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg have signalled their support. Let’s hope Prime Minister Scott Morrison supports the Bill despite his own conservative Christian views.
Ultimately, taxpayers should not fund a system that discriminates against a proportion of the population. But this is not just about funding; it’s about rights and dignity.
When one person’s religious beliefs come up against another person’s human rights, human rights should win out every time. Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist