Australia forbids teaching empathy with LGBTI bullied students

Ridiculously unscientific review recommendations

The Safe Schools program aims to create inclusive environments for same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students, staff and families. It is implemented in more than 500 schools in Australia.
However the Christian lobby group lobbied for 18 months to get a review of the program. The review by Professor Bill Louden was not as critical as they hoped for. The review broadly found the content in the program to be suitable, educationally sound and age-appropriate for all schools. But it recommended that suggested role play would be taken out in consideration of from conservative cultural groups. In this role play students were asked to identify with how it feels to be gay or lesbian. Professor Louden also criticized exercises about how students could be allies of gay and lesbian fellow students.
Louden thinks that teaching heteronormativity is completely age-appropriate, but undoing some of this damage is too complicated for 7 or 8 year olds. He also thinks that discussing the feelings of intersex children is not age-appropriate.

Killing the program’s effectiveness

Education Minister Simon Birmingham chose sides with the Christian un-empathic lobby and announced that the students will also be required to get parental consent to participate in the program. Schools will have to obtain parental consent before opting to use its materials. In effect, this will make the program useless for the children who most need it. In addition, it has been confirmed that the program will not be funded beyond 2017. The program is deemed not to be suitable for primary schools at all.
Still, the Australian Christian Lobby is not happy. The group’s managing director, Lyle Shelton, said that the program still contained ideological madness , referring to parts of the program that teach children how they can refer to people by using their preferred gender pronouns.

Protests

The decisions have sparked heated reactions. First an open letter signed by over 300 academics across the country in support of Safe Schools Coalition was circulated. Later, doctors and other health professionals have also singed and published an open letter. These letters had some impact. The education minister of one of the Australian states said Victoria will continue to expand the program. The director of the Safe Schools Coalition said it has been working with the Australian Government Department of Education and Training to further clarify the recommendations received.

Sources: ILGA Rainbow Bulletin, Crikey, Safe Schools Program, Review of the Safe Schools Program, Open letter by 362 academics.