New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns has shown his public support for students at an all-girls Sydney Catholic school who are petitioning against a ban on bringing same-sex partners to their Year 12 formal.
St Ursula’s College in Kingsgrove had allegedly told students they could not bring a female date to the event. A student-led petition – now closed – called for that decision to be overturned and achieved more than 4900 signatures since launching on 24 October.
“I think in this day and age you should be able to take anyone you like to your Year 12 formal – we are, after all, talking about teenagers who are close to or over the age of 18,” Premier Minns said.
The school’s ‘no girlfriend’ rule attracted national media attention after students said they only discovered the Sydney Catholic school’s policy of not allowing same-sex school formal partners after they had bought tickets to the event.
“This policy not only discriminates against LGBTQ+ students but also puts us in a difficult financial situation as we are left with non-refundable tickets and clothes that were bought specifically for this occasion,” the petition stated.
A spokesperson for Sydney Catholic Schools, which runs 147 schools, responded by saying it “traditionally celebrates Year 12 completion through events that either do not involve students bringing friends or partners, or they bring friends or partners of the opposite sex”.
“This long-standing approach continues. Our reason for not commenting on the specifics of any one of our schools at this time is to ensure that our students’ completion of their HSC exams should not be disrupted by a broader societal issue being debated in the media and elsewhere,” they said.
Abbie Frankland, the girlfriend of a St Ursula’s student, said she started the petition after “eagerly anticipating” the event with her partner and then being told same-sex school formal partners were prohibited from attending.
“My girlfriend and I, along with many other students at St. Ursula’s, have been eagerly awaiting the school formal for months. We’ve purchased non-refundable tickets and outfits in anticipation of this event. However, we’ve recently discovered that the school does not allow same-sex couples to attend the formal together,” the petition said.
“In Australia, 61.6 per cent of people voted ‘Yes’ in a national survey on marriage equality (Australian Bureau of Statistics), showing widespread support for LGBTQ+ rights across the country. Yet, despite this clear public sentiment towards inclusivity and acceptance, schools like St Ursula’s continue to uphold discriminatory policies.
“We believe it is time for St. Ursula’s to align itself with these values by allowing all students – regardless of their sexual orientation – to bring their chosen partner to the school formal.”
Legal discrimination gaps must be addressed, says equality advocate
But with current federal and NSW legal exemptions that allow religious schools to discriminate against students because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, Equality Australia CEO Anna Brow described “these discriminatory practices” as “not theoretical or academic” and said that, with one in three NSW students attending non-government schools – “most of which are religiously affiliated” – these legal gaps needed to be addressed.
“The law should reflect what the vast majority of Australians already believe, including many people of faith,” she said.
Speaking with 2GB radio presenter, Chris O’Keefe, petition founder Ms Frankland said she “was very surprised” at the impact her petition had made.
“I’m assuming most of us were thinking the same thing,” she said. “I was just the one to kind of stand up and start something and change their mind.”
