Some parents of students at Burwood girls high express support of plan to show Gayby Baby as part of Wear it Purple Day, calling it a ‘wonderful initiative’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A documentary about same-sex parenting, which was to be screened as part of a campaign to support LGBTI students, will no longer be shown during class at a Sydney school after complaints by some parents.



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The New South Wales education minister, Adrian Piccoli, said on Wednesday he had “directed” Burwood girls high school to move the screening of Gayby Baby to outside school hours.

“During school hours we expect them to be doing maths and English and curriculum matters,” Piccoli told 2GB Radio. “This movie is not part of the curriculum and that’s why I’ve made that direction.”

The screening was part of Wear it Purple Day, a national initiative to show support for same sex-attracted and gender diverse young people, who continue to suffer discrimination and are six times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.

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Gayby Baby, directed by Maya Newell, an alumnus of the school, follows four children with gay parents and highlights the obstacles they face in Australia and overseas.

Some parents’ concerns about the screening were reported by Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, which accompanied its story with a comment piece headlined “Gay push should be kept out of schools”.

The piece, by Piers Akerman, directly addressed a 12-year-old girl who confessed in the film she often worried if she was “normal”. “Statistically, you are not in a ‘normal’ family, no matter how many LGBTIQ-friendly docos you may be forced to watch by politically driven school principals,” he wrote.



Cath Sefton, whose daughter attends the school, described the episode as a “total beatup”. “What the school is doing as part of Wear it Purple Day ... actually has nothing to do with gay marriage,” she said. “It’s about respect for diversity, about people who are different from you.

“One of the best things about the school is is teaches people to respect other people. It’s been going on for several years and suddenly it’s hit the headlines.”

Another parent of a Burwood student, Kerry, said she was “really supportive” of the school’s participation in Wear it Purple day, including the screening.

“I think it’s a wonderful initiative for kids who are trying to figure out who they are to have more of an avenue to explore themselves and the world,” she said.



Nor was she concerned that the film was being screened during school hours, pointing out the school had been visited during class time on Monday by the foreign minister, Julie Bishop. “She wasn’t there to talk about politics, she was there to talk as a woman, to young women,” she said.

“If they gave up time to hear from Julie Bishop, I’d be delighted for them to give up time to see this film too.”

Newell, whose film opens in theatres early next month, told Guardian Australia the controversy was “quite upsetting and disappointing”.

“Once again on the front page of the newspaper we’ve got all sorts of messaging going out to families and kids saying, ‘You know what, your family isn’t good enough, your parents aren’t good enough’,” she said.

“The film is so innocent. It’s actually much more about four kids who are traversing oncoming puberty, who are dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up. The fact they have gay parents is really minor.”

The federal Labor senator Penny Wong, a mother of two with her female partner, lamented the apparent backlash against the screening. “How sad that a film about real kids and their families is attacked,” she wrote on Twitter. “So quick to bully, so unwilling to listen.”

It is unclear how many parents objected to the screening or the school’s participation in Wear it Purple Day. The school directed inquiries to the NSW Department of Education, which has been contacted for comment.

Wear it Purple Day is promoted by the Safe Schools Coalition, a foundation aiming to promote awareness of the challenges faced by same sex-attracted and gender diverse students. More than 380 schools around Australia have signed up to the coalition.

