Media release – Equality Tasmania, 13 May 2024
LGBTIQA+ ADVOCATES SEEK RIGHT OF REPLY TO PORTEOUS LETTER
Equality Tasmania says it will write to all Catholic schools asking for a right of reply to a letter distributed through schools by Archbishop Julian Porteous.
Equality Tasmania president, Rowan Richardson, said,
”Schools should be affirming and safe places for LGBTIQA+ students, staff and parents.
“However, the Archbishop’s letter has stigmatised LGBTIQA+ people as a threat to religious values, and thereby created unsafe learning and working environments.”
“The Archbishop’s letter is also deliberately misleading about proposed law reforms including a state ban on conversion practices and proposed federal discrimination protections.”
“Equality Tasmania will write to all Catholic schools that distributed the Archbishop’s letter asking for a right of reply.”
“The Archbishop has repeatedly said he is a champion of free speech and here is his chance to prove that.”
The Archbishop’s letter asserts that
- A proposed federal law preventing faith-based schools from discriminating against LGBTIQA+ people is “an existential threat” to those schools, despite such a law existing in Tasmania for 26 years
- Bans on conversion practices “are gross violations of human rights”, despite the absence of any evidence to that effect in states with conversion bans including NSW, Queensland, Victoria and the ACT
- Efforts by the “radicalised transgender lobby” to “disconnect gender from biological sex” is a “denial of reality” despite no evidence to back up that claim, and despite evidence that such fearmongering fosters prejudice and discrimination against trans and gender diverse Tasmanians.
Mr Richardson called on concerned parents and taxpayers to express their views to the Catholic Education Tasmania.
“As funders of Catholic schools, taxpayers and parents have a major stake in ensuring these schools are safe and inclusive learning environments for all students.”
A copy of the letter is attached.
Tom Hanson
May 14, 2024 at 14:57
I’m not Catholic, but as a parent I’m equally concerned about these “Conversion” laws which in effect force parents (and doctors, psychologists, therapists, etc) to adopt the “affirmation model” towards their own children, a treatment model which is so destructive that the clinics that practice it are having to be shut down because of the carnage it causes – Tavistock, for example.
Anonymous
May 15, 2024 at 10:28
I went to Guilford Young College.
I did not finish year 12 due to teacher bullying and harassment. The Archbishop pulled a stunt similar to this in the year I was meant to graduate while knowing that one of the student leaders was gay. That year all the students walked out when he started talking. The following day the front steps and crossing at Guilford were chalked in rainbow colours, saying “All are welcomed”.
This man helped the teacher who made First year there hell on earth. He said the teachers were to be respected, and that they knew better than we did, and that what had happened to us happened for a reason.
I sincerely hope this being is removed from his position of power, and that his days of controlling the thoughts of his sheep are numbered.