Stop Safe Schools Coalition’s attempt to sabotage a formal for young queer people results in $36,500 in donations – more than double the fundraising target

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A conservative group’s attempt to sabotage a formal for young queer people has spectacularly backfired. The publicity the group drew to the event helped raise enough funds to cover its entire cost.

The youth-led organisation Minus18 has held a Same Sex Gender Diverse formal for gender-diverse and same sex-attracted young people aged 21 and under in Melbourne since 2010.

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The Stop Safe Schools Coalition group urged its 600-odd Facebook followers to sabotage the Melbourne event by purchasing tickets to it in a post on Saturday. Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable, so “the more tickets sold to us, the more youth we protect”, the page’s administrator explained.

The Facebook page was set up last week to lobby against the government-funded Safe Schools Coalition, which fosters safe and inclusive environments in schools for lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and intersex students and staff.

“Stop this madness before it consumes every area of education and all your child gets at school is indoctrination NOT education,” the page says.

But publicity of the group’s bid to sabotage the event has had the opposite effect, increasing donations to Minus18’s crowdfunding page, which on Wednesday afternoon had raised nearly $36,500 for the formal – more than double its aim of $15,000.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Minus18 says its Melbourne formal for same-sex-attracted and gender diverse young people will be free. Photograph: Minus18

The chief executive of Minus18, Micah Scott, told Guardian Australia the “overwhelming response” meant the event would likely be made entirely free for attendees – “which is the opposite effect to what Stop Safe Schools wanted”.

Any attendee with a ticket would be refunded on the night. Surplus funds will be put towards the organisation’s upcoming formal in South Australia in November this year.

“The response has been that the community won’t stand for homophobia and transphobia, and have sent a really strong message to these people – and the Australian Christian Lobby – that LGBTI young people deserve to feel included and safe,” Scott said.

“It just goes to show out of touch organisations like the ALC are – they’re fighting a losing battle.”

With only 70-odd tickets sold so far, Scott was confident that legitimate sales would be able to be distinguished from any to Stop Safe Schools Coalition page followers.

He said Minus18 had not heard directly from an administrator of the Facebook page but was monitoring its online presence. Guardian Australia has also made contact with the page but has not yet received a response.

The administrator’s identity is not known, and he or she says they have received “death threats”.

Though a commenter on the page indicated that these had been referred to the police, a spokesperson for Victoria police said it was not possible to comment without more specific details.

Scott said he was concerned by how little was known about the Stop Safe Schools Coalition page’s founder.

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“It’s very clear that they’re not comfortable showing their face, or putting their name to anything, which makes me question who is behind it,” he said.

The administrator has promised to organise a protest against the formal but Scott was confident that Minus18 would be able to minimise any possible attempts to derail the event.



He said the page was “all talk”.

“It’s very clearly monitored by someone who is too scared to put their name to their outdated views, and the community response and support we have shows that even if something were to happen like that, they’d be vastly outnumbered and ... largely unsuccessful.”