Happy Belated 2016 + An open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Federal Minister for Education, Simon Birmingham

Sorry for the three month delay in posting new content on this blog. But my real-time existence doesn't always revolve in the cyber cortex. But here is something that I personally hold closely and dearly to my subconscious:

This an open letter I addressed to two members of the federal Liberal Nationals Coalition, voicing my disdain to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Federal Minister for Education, Simon Birmingham's descaling of the national Safe Schools Coalition LGBTIQ anti-bullying program for Australian primary and secondary schools.

I'm not emailing or posting this to either of them as politicians of either political party persuasion or affiliation don't tell you what you expect to hear, when replying to your complaints on ministerial and senatorial misconduct and queerphobic rhetoric spoken in the houses of parliament!

Trigger warning - This letter is very contextually unfriendly towards the LNP: 
 

An open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Federal Minister for Education, Simon Birmingham

March 19^th 2016

Dear Mr Turnbull and Minister Birmingham,

I’m writing this to exercise my democratic right as an Australian born citizen to denounce Minister Birmingham’s announcement of descaling the nationally-funded Safe Schools Coalition program. I normally don’t bother corresponding with politicians, either state or federal as trying to appeal to their common decency, civility or dignity amounts to an unrealistic notion of him or her changing their stance, opinion or conscious.

What you have achieved by opting to ‘opt-out’ from this program is pandering to the conservative right-wing fraction of the Liberal Nationals Coalition. Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi, Nationals MP George Christensen and several other backbenchers have menaced   this program, targeting it because it punishes homophobic, transphobic bullies and generalised negative attitudes on diverse sexual and gender identities. 

Thus deploying a snap review, which was initiated by the two of you to appease opponents of Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) and all official resources supplemented by SSCA examined by William Louden, Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Western Australia. That decision ultimately contributed to a sudden but unnecessary modification of a LGBTIQ-specified anti-bullying training, support and educational resource.

I personally relate to what many young, scared and vulnerable same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse people are feeling right now after your announcement Minister Birmingham, because just like those queer-identifying school children I identify as openly gay or as a cis-gendered male homosexual.

Also since birth, I have been diagnosed with multiple medical conditions, sensory impairments and Autism Spectrum (Disorder) from the age of three. Disability is also a minority entity that has faced societal and institutional discrimination because physical and intellectual deformities and disfigurements are perceived as ‘abnormal’, ‘horrific’, ‘disturbing’, ‘unnatural’, ‘unhealthy’ or ‘diseased’!

Growing up as a young, quiet, closeted kid, I went to two special schools, one ran as an independent co-ed Catholic primary school, while the other was a secular privately-managed one.

This was between 1992 to 2004 so any anti-bullying curriculum designed to combat anti-LGBTIQ attitudes, language and behaviours didn’t exist in any capacity. When I was twelve years old I developed a curious affliction for one of my classmates. I had no idea what it was then but now I absolutely believe it was an early indication of my true homosexual self.

Television programs, films and businesses steered clear of confiding or revealing LGBTIQ related content as not to offend the majorly heterosexual audience/consumers who probably had no intention on watching two men or two women acting lovey dovely. When someone ‘came out’ as non-heterosexual in any industry, organisation or institution, it was a career ending dilemma.

I didn’t ‘come out’ as gay to anyone until I was 19 years old to a qualified sexual health educator who visited the “privately-managed” secular special school I attended. Prior to that when I was 16, the school’s Orientation and Mobility teacher and Deputy Principal who were our substitute teachers attempted to teach those in my class the basic do’s and don’ts of sexual intimacy. The first lesson collapsed into hysterics after we saw some dolls who had genitals stitched onto their pelvic region.

SHine SA is one of the Supporter Organisations of SSCA. Ralph Brew, who until he retired from his role last year, was the Disability Services Coordinator. He enhanced my mind to who I was and grew my political advocacy trajectories and skillset to call out those who indiscriminately attack those who are same-sex attracted, intersex or gender diverse.

Minister Birmingham you also told reporters at a media conference after Professor Louden’s review was realised that funding for SSCA wouldn’t be renewed in 2017. You said:

“There was never an intention the program be funded beyond the current contract period. The intention was what the program has done and is doing, developing resources for schools and teachers to use in accordance with their policies and following consultation with their parents and those resources will of course live on … long after funding may have finished.”

Sorry but Minister Birmingham, this undoubtedly reemphasises the many concerning anomalies with your government scaling back most of the SSCA official resources. Parental consent is fine, except that some parents from faith-based households won’t take kindly to finding out their son or daughter identifies as same-sex attracted, intersex or gender diverse.

A 2015 Australian Human Rights Commission report estimated that “the rate of suicide for LGBT people is 3.5 to 14 times higher than the general population.” If any family is aggressively prejudiced to LGBTIQ Australians, their son or daughter is at greater risk of violence, coercion, rejection and homelessness.

Anti-LGBTIQ organisations and lobby groups including the Australian Christian Lobby, Marriage Alliance and Family Voice Australia hate the very convention that LGBTIQ Australians are ordinarily human like they are. What they ignored from Professor Louden’s review was that SSCA official resources were “suitable, educationally sound and age-appropriate”, except for three lesson plans in the All of Us toolkit for classrooms and the documents OMG I’m Queer and OMG My Friend Is Queer due to the suitability of tone and language towards secondary school aged students. That is also despite suiting SSCA’s aims, principles and objectives.

News media outlets Crikey, The Advertiser, The Guardian Australia and ABC News have toothlessly reported Bernardi and Christensen’s delight at the program they revolted against gutting the “bad elements” of the program’s official resources. Bernardi’s office in Adelaide was trashed by Socialist Alternative protestors but the reporting of it misinforms the actual response of those angrily reacting to you changing SSCA’s program framework Minister Birmingham.

After realising who I was at 24 years of age, I finally “came out” to my mum as gay after she read some materials I posted on my Facebook profile for National Coming Out Day months after I turned 26. Apart from that one conservation, I haven’t discussed it with anyone else within either side of my family, as talking about LGBTIQ topics or issues is an unapproachable conversational reactor to breach. But I have never regretted being out and proud for the last five and a half years.

Mr Turnbull and Minister Birmingham, if you actually respect LGBTIQ youth and want to prevent suicidality, then please don’t descale the Safe Schools Coalition program. Future generations of LGBTIQ Australians must not endure the mistakes of centuries long past. And discipline your backbenchers to not undermine your prime ministership or bring the Liberal Nationals Coalition into disrepute!

We love who we love. Bigotry or hatred will not resist us from continuing to educate, enlighten and protect young queer-identifying people from bullies in all primary and secondary schools.

Hope you two have a nice long break from Canberra before the final sitting of federal parliament in May.

Yours sincerely,

Jarad McLoughlin

Oaklands Park, South Australia 

 

If you know someone who is or are yourself at risk of self-harm or suicide, please contact: 

Lifeline: 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 or www.kidshelpline.com.au 

Headspace: 1800 650 890 or www.headspace.org.au

© Equal Marriage Rights Australia 2016