Mandatory blog post 2: A reflection on a current educational issue in Sydney relating to culture and identity

Mandatory blog post 2: A reflection on a current educational issue in Sydney relating to culture and identity

The issue that I have chosen to reflect on is the role and identity of Gay or transgender students within an educational setting and environment, which has become a prominent topic within the labour party within the last few months.

The NSW Labor party has announced that it is in support and will arguably push to abolish laws that allow private schools to expel students who are either gay or transgender. While this is quite a controversial issue regarding student identity for numerous reasons, I would firmly argue that students should not be discriminated against due to their sexuality. One’s sexuality is very much a representation of their identity and almost a new-age culture, and therefore to discriminate a student on this basis is to strip away their sense of inclusion within the school environment. While I myself am quite conventional and conservative when it comes to matters of education and politics, I still believe that a student’s sense of inclusion should override conservative morals.

The independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich did introduce a private member’s bill to remove exemptions for private schools from parts of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act.  The act identifies that it is unlawful for educational institutions to discriminate or expel students due to their homosexuality or transgender status. Despite this however, private schools are not included and exempt from such laws, and therefore are able to discriminate on this basis. Private schools are often driven by numerous external influences one primary being the parental committee’s and it is possible that they are potentially influenced by parents who feel homosexual or transgender students could somehow influence their children. 

Carmel Tebbutt the spokeswoman for Labor’s education pointed out that the party decided against a conscious vote and would embrace and support the bill when it is voted upon in a few months. I would argue that this is not so much a debate for or against gay or transgender citizens, however more-so an argument for discrimination against culture and identity within the educational system. This bill, if passed, will indicate that it is unacceptable to discriminate against students due to not only their cultural background in terms of nationality and religion, however also their sexuality which very much makes up their cultural existence.

While certain private schools could view this bill as a threat to their religious freedom, I would personally reflect that inclusion and belonging within a school environment surpasses any notion or debate surrounding “religious freedom”. I believe this is clearly a pretext for independent schools to enforce a hidden discrimination policy that is very much influenced by external stakeholders. As indicated by Alex Greenwich this is an issue that is indeed above politics as well as issues of gender, it is about our education system and vulnerable students who are negatively affected by discrimination.