Brisbane private school Citipointe Christian College has come under fire after it notified parents that they must sign a contract agreeing that LGBTQI+ identities are “sinful” or withdraw their children from the school. With only seven days notice.
Citipointe Christian College, a K-12 school located in Carindale, emailed out an updated enrolment contract for parents to sign a week before the new school term started, listing new clauses about the school’s homophobic beliefs.
In the updated contract, the school likens same-sex relationships to paedophilia and beastiality, calling them “sinful and offensive to God” and “destructive to human relationships and society”.
This is part of a 16 page contract parents are made to sign on behalf of their child to attend Citipointe Christian College in Brisbane
I have condensed the disgusting content in this contract down to this image.
Sigh the petition. Call this out https://t.co/VYGZcZpNGQ pic.twitter.com/w6JfIYVwue
— Christian Hull (@christianhull) January 30, 2022
In order to sign the contract, parents not only have to consent to the above ideology, but also agree that “where distinctions are made between male and female… such distinctions will be applied on the basis of the individual’s biological sex”.
Essentially, students who aren’t cisgendered and want to wear a uniform that matches their gender identity won’t be allowed to do so. This extends to using the correct bathroom or even being referred to with the correct pronouns.
“The College therefore acknowledges the biological sex of a person as recognised at birth and requires practices consistent with that sex,” the contract reads, stating that the school has “the right to exclude a student from the college” if they identify as trans.
The contract also clarifies its anti-abortion stance, stating: “To take life within the womb or the hasten the end of life through euthanasia is against the word of God.”
Parents who don’t consent to the new clauses or agree with the stances must find a new school for their children — and they were only given seven days to do so.
“Where a parent is unwilling to provide consent and hence no longer desires their child remain in the College under this revised contract, the College will accept the withdrawal of the child,” the email says.
Obviously, the school’s email has been met with widespread outrage, with a Change.org petition garnering over 30,000 signatures in less than 24 hours.
“Citipointe is using their religious beliefs to openly discriminate against queer and trans students, as well as threatening to take away their education,” the petition reads, calling for others to sign it in solidarity with gay and trans communities.
Bethany Lau, the woman who started the petition, told Courier Mail that she did it to stand up for queer kids that will feel “less than human” under the new contract.
“I hope they feel less alone and they know that there are lots of people on their side and I ultimately hope that Citipointe recalls the amendment to their contract because it is inhumane,” she said.
Citipointe Christian College principal Pastor Brian Mulheran released a statement on Sunday saying that these beliefs weren’t new, that the school had always held them — they’re just now putting it to paper.
“We are seeking to maintain our Christian ethos and to give parents and students the right to make an informed choice about whether they can support and embrace our approach to Christian education,” he said.
“Citipointe does not judge students on their sexuality or gender identity and we would not make a decision about their enrolment in the College simply on that basis.”
Except, that’s the opposite of what the contract says — that children who don’t identify as cis will be “excluded” from the school.
Aussie comedian Christian Hull, who has been advocating against the petition, called out the school’s contract for being harmful to the mental health of queer children.
“The new contract is utterly disgusting and dicriminatory. I cannot believe in 2022 we are still here and still fighting these battles,” he wrote on Instagram.
In a seperate post, he called out those saying parents can just move their kids to a new school if they don’t agree with its terms.
“Citipointe Christian College is telling children that what they feel is wrong and telling them that being gay or transgender is harmful to human society. This a deep negative psychological impact,” he said.
“Depression and anxiety is caused by these teachings and then these kids are told that depression and anxiety isn’t real. When kids are struggling with their identity they just end up in a spiral. Nowhere to go for help.”
“These private organisations that get government funding and tax breaks need to be held accountable for the trauma they are causing,” he said.
If you’d like to talk about the issues raised in this story, you can call the QLife LGBTI peer support hotline on 1800 184 527 or chat online.
QLife operates between 3pm and midnight daily.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
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