Gayby Baby

[icyfroth]

Burwood Girls High School: Anger over gay parenting documentary ‘Gayby Baby’

PARENTS are angry that a prominent government high school had organised for its 1200 students to watch a documentary on gay parenting instead of normal classes.

Burwood Girls High School sent a flyer to parents last week saying all students would attend a special screening of the documentary Gayby Baby during periods two and three on Friday. Students were instructed to wear purple, with purple cupcakes served after the movie.

But after a backlash from parents, including outrage at the flyer which depicted a young, shirtless boy with a tattoo on his chest, principal Mia Kumar yesterday offered parents the option to exclude their daughters from the screening if they notified the school in writing.

NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli has now directed the Department of Education to ensure the film is not shown in school hours, telling  2GB Radio on Wednesday while the schools accepted diversity, “schools are not places for political issues to be aired”.

“During school hours we expect them to be doing maths and English and curriculum matters.

This movie is not part of the curriculum and that’s why I’ve made that direction,” Mr Piccoli said.

He also admitted that he hadn’t seen the film, which follows the lives of several children with same-sex parents.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/burwood-girls-high-school-anger-over-gay-parenting-documen...

"principal Mia Kumar yesterday offered parents the option to exclude their daughters from the screening if they notified the school in writing." 

How dare they?

Who is pushing this relentless homosexual agenda, and why?

[lyndal1838]

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@iapetus_rocks wrote:

My feelings are that I would have no problems allowing my children to watch the docco but I'd also instruct them about the political implications of the requirement to wear something purple while attending.

The teachers missed the point . . . in my opinion.

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What are the political implications of wearing purple while watching a documentary about children being raised by same sex parents?

The school has apparently been highlighting Purple Day for some time.

I have far more problems with the documentary than with the worldwide promotion of Epilepsy Awareness Day on Friday, the day they are wearing purple.

[iapetus_rocks]

I didn't know that wearing purple was an indication of support for people suffering from epilepsy.

So many coloured ribbons out there. I made an assumption that the wearing of a purple ribbon was a token of support for same sex marriage.

My mistake and I am suitably embarrassed by it.

But in the OP there was no mention of the wearing of something purple being in support of epilepsy. The viewing of the docco was coupled with a request (requirement?) to wear something purple and I drew a mistaken conclusion.

It was not clarified that viewing the docco and wearing of purple while doing so were totally unrelated.

[iapetus_rocks]

You have problems with the documentary?

Have you viewed it? Did you view the trailer to it I linked to?

I've only seen the trailer and not the whole docco, but i have no problems listening to the point of view of children who have to live with same sex parents.

They have a perspective which is their own and is a valid and important one. and now, I'll need to chase down the whole docco and view it for myself before making further comments.

[lyndal1838]

Isn't that what these newspaper headlines are supposed to do......link totally unrelated actions together to cause outrage?

I have a feeling that a lot of the posters on this thread have drawn the same conclusion as you did.

I have always associated the rainbow colours with the gay community rather than just one colour.   

Somehow I cannot imagine the parents at any school being happy at the whole school community celebrating anything as controversial as the gay community, especially over a period of years.

[nevynreally]

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@iapetus_rocks wrote:

You have problems with the documentary?

Have you viewed it? Did you view the trailer to it I linked to?

I've only seen the trailer and not the whole docco, but i have no problems listening to the point of view of children who have to live with same sex parents.

They have a perspective which is their own and is a valid and important one. and now, I'll need to chase down the whole docco and view it for myself before making further comments.

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Would the film have been 'forced' viewing if it wasn't by former students? Where are other films about single parent families? Extended families, etc.

And there's the whole "should wear purple" thing. If it's not part of the curriculum for that State, then it shouldn't be shown unless it becomes so.

[iapetus_rocks]

I used to associate rainbows with a really lovely natural phenomenon and once upon a time i used to like to post the rainbow emoticon when talking on msn and i didn't know it had any association with the LBGT community. until I was told about it.

Schools should not be "celebrating" anything. They should be teaching about the things which exist and encouraging discussion about them without pushing any particular point of view.

It's up to the students to draw conclusions for themselves.

[lyndal1838]

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@iapetus_rocks wrote:

You have problems with the documentary?

Have you viewed it? Did you view the trailer to it I linked to?

I've only seen the trailer and not the whole docco, but i have no problems listening to the point of view of children who have to live with same sex parents.

They have a perspective which is their own and is a valid and important one. and now, I'll need to chase down the whole docco and view it for myself before making further comments.

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I don't have a problem with the documentary in itself.....just the idea that something that has the potential to be controversial and divisive should be shown during school hours and attendance being compulsory.

When I went to school back in the days of the dinosaur sex education was a no-no in the school curriculum but the Education Dept did arrange lectures for the evenings.....boys and girls separately and accompanied by a parent.

It was done every year and allowed parents to decide when or if it was appropriate for their children.

Thankfully things have changed in the last 60 odd years in regard to sex edcuation but I am still of the opinion that viewing this type of documentary should be optional and voluntary, not compulsory and not during school hours.

[iapetus_rocks]

Ok, schools should be celebrating the free dissemination of knowledge and their encouragement of the search for further enlightenment.

Schools should not be pushing any particular political agenda. (and in a real school, they should not be pushing any particualr religious agenda either).

[iapetus_rocks]

What's divisive about a docco where the children of same sex parents explain their feelings about living and growing up in that situation?

[iapetus_rocks]

Compulsion in anything is a hard thing to argue for.

I had to do compulsory mathematics and English when at school. Attendance at school is compulsory. The lessons are set and children are compelled to attend, until they reach the age where they can attend colleges or unis, where there is no compulsory attendance.