Elite boys’ school teaching pupils that ‘God hates homosexuals’ awarded millions in taxpayers’ money
An Australian private school has been condemned for its ‘homophobic’ sex education classes (Envato Elements)
An elite Australian boys’ school is under fire for accepting $4 million in taxpayer funding while using sex education teaching material that suggests God hates gay people.
Moreton Bay Boys’ College in Brisbane teaches children from a controversial sex education booklet that discusses how LGBT+ people can “successfully” become heterosexual and describes those with ambiguous genitalia as “freaks”.
‘Teen Sex by the Book‘ by Belinda Elliott asks students to consider whether “God hates homosexuals” and links homosexuality to poor parenting and childhood sexual abuse.
The 64-page booklet says people who “struggle with sexual sin” are deserving compassion but that “doesn’t mean approval and definitely not celebration of an ungodly lifestyle.”
The teaching material is clearly “homophobic and incites hate,” a mother of a Year 10 student told Courier Mail.
“The school should be teaching acceptance, consideration and kindness, especially now as same-sex marriage is legal,” she said. “It’s outdated and very sad and it should be taken off the syllabus.”
The book was also condemned by leading Australian sexuality educator Deanne Carson, who recommended that the school stop using it immediately.
“STIs, heartbreak, regret, shame and sexual violence are portrayed as inevitable outcomes of premarital sex and are to be avoided at all costs,” she wrote in a 2015 review for the parent-run lobby group Fairness in Religions in Schools.
“When discussing anal sex, an entire page of risks is given in the teacher’s manual without any advice on safer practices for anal sex,” she continued.
“The TSBTB [Teen Sex by the Book] curriculum does not offer fact-based information on contraception, birth control, STIs, or consent. These are essential elements of a comprehensive sexuality education program.”
The controversial curriculum has led to the school facing calls for legal action, and questions about whether it is a suitable recipient for government funding.
The private college, which charges $13,670 for a year’s tuition, received $4,021,571 in government funding between January and December 2018.
When asked why the school was still using the handbook, head of college, Andrew Holmes reportedly said it contained “thought-provoking statements used as a springboard for discussion”.
