There’s a nasty rightwing site – donotlinked here – that opposes ‘Safe Schools’, an Australian school program aimed at stamping out bullying in schools. [Edit because of people who apparently stopped reading there: we are not saying we endorse all aspects of the program. Keep reading.]
This site, UnSafeSchools.org, appears to be operating out of a determinedly homophobic viewpoint, and emphasises quotes from Safe Schools founder, Roz Ward, that she advises kids that homosexuality is fine (the horror).
Seems some trans-critical feminists have not learned their lesson that these rightwingers are no friends of the gender abolitionist movement, and have been boosting rumours which seem to emanate from this website. Why? Because they dislike the program too, but for different reasons.
Background
In March 2016, Australian politician George Christensen used something called ‘parliamentary privilege’ to try taking Safe Schools down by linking it with paedophilia, likely by using the rumours he found on that site. (‘Parliamentary privilege’ means you get to make claims with legal impunity that might otherwise need to meet non-defamation tests.)
As the Daily Mail reported:
However, this alleged connection between Gary Dowsett and the Safe Schools program has long since been exposed as a lie. As Josh Taylor observed in Crikey within the next week:
In fact, it was a nasty, homophobic and redbaiting lie:
That’s right – a key reason why the unashamedly rightwing have opposed this program – which certainly possesses elements we at Stop Trans Chauvinism disagree with – is that one of its key founding figures is socialist Roz Ward. While we deplore those socialists who have lined up with postmodernism and anti-woman politics in pushing the trans ideological line, we most certainly aren’t confused enough to think that lining up with anti-red hysterical homophobia is any kind of solution.
We urge all readers to check their sources before forwarding such claims, and to be aware that Australian politicians have considerable power to get away with repeating anything they like.
We’ll leave you to take a good look at that UnSafeSchools site (again, donotlinked). That’s their banner below. Observe how the main buttons they have to push are anti-red hysteria, homophobia and heavily stressing individuals with no involvement in the program …
'Gender' hides the problem 