Canberra teen sacked for opposing same-sex marriage says young people fear being ‘bullied’ for voting no

A CANBERRA teen sacked for opposing same-sex marriage says many young people are “terrified” of speaking out.

AN 18-year-old Christian nanny who was sacked for coming out against same-sex marriage says there are many other young people who share her views but are too afraid to speak out.

Madeline, who asked not to use her last name, was “let go” from Canberra entertainment company Capital Kids Parties over the weekend after she changed her Facebook profile image to a Coalition for Marriage filter saying “It’s OK to vote no”.

Business owner Madlin Sims messaged her privately to express her disappointment, before blocking her and posting a public message about the incident, which quickly went viral. “Today I fired a staff member who made it public knowledge that they feel ‘it’s okay to vote no’,” she wrote.

Madeline at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture Kym Smith

“Advertising your desire to vote no for SSM is, in my eyes, hate speech. Voting no is homophobic. Advertising your homophobia is hate speech. As a business owner I can’t have somebody who publicly represents my business posting hate speech online.”

In a follow-up post, which was later removed by Facebook for “hate speech”, Ms Sims stood by her decision, saying she had been subjected to a torrent of abuse and even death threats, and describing Madeline as “a risk”.

“This contractor being let go ... was not because I oppose her views on marriage equality,” she wrote. “She was let go because her actions showed she is extremely out and proud about her views on homosexuals and as someone who, as I said before, has [a] responsibility to the vulnerable people we work with, could not risk her voicing those opinions to any children of ours.

“We have gay staff members. We entertain at parties where the children of gay parents attend. We entertain at parties where gay children attend. This. Woman. Was. A. Risk.”

She added that Madeline had made comments on an online article about the sacking “explaining that Australia was built on white Christianity and we need to respect those views”.

“Unwillingness to acknowledge the suffrage of indigenous Australians is a big no no and extremely twisted,” she wrote. “Not only did I realise I had a homophobe but also a racist on my hands.”

Capital Kids Parties owner Madlin Sims.

Speaking to news.com.au on Wednesday, Madeline said she was “hurt and offended” to be described as a risk to children and a racist.

“I am around children all the time,” she said. “I’m a nanny, I have lots of brothers and sisters and cousins, I have volunteered overseas and run kids holiday camps, babysat for people and entertained at parties and corporate events.

“To have her say that I was a risk to children and the families I work with, I was in shock. I was also feeling she was quite hypocritical. The families don’t know me, the kids don’t know me, don’t look at my Facebook page, even if I had left the filter up indefinitely.

“She was acting like if there was a gay child at the party I would act differently — no. If I turn up to a party and a child who is in love with Queen Elsa is gay, that’s okay, I will love them just as much as I love any other kid.”

Madeline added that “never in my life” had she said she thought Australia was “built on white Christianity”. “Maybe she had seen something I posted about Christianity or misinterpreted it,” she said. “I’m not a racist at all, that’s the last thing I would describe myself as.

“That was extremely hurtful, to hear her call me a homophobe and a racist, saying I was running around out in the open being horrible and discriminating against gay people when I’ve never done that at all.

“I posted a filter and she said it was hate speech. Quite ironically she wrote her own hate speech about me.”

Texts between Sims and former employee.

The now-infamous exchange.

Madeline said it wasn’t her choice at all to suddenly be thrust into the spotlight, but she was “trying to stand up and defend myself”. “I was thrown into this completely by happenstance,” she said. “I wouldn’t have come out and made a big deal or anything.

“I woke up yesterday, came into work and before 10am I was talking to reporters. [That afternoon] I had been on the radio twice, and was about to go on Andrew Bolt to give my side of the story. Not everyone has this chance that I have right now to stand up for people who are like-minded.”

Madeline said there were “definitely” other people in Gen Z who shared her views but “tend to keep quiet” due to peer pressure. “The millennials and the generation I’m in now, the LGBTQI community is something we’ve all grown up with and are very accepting of,” she said.

“So now when people want same-sex marriage, most people say, ‘Yes, why not, who am I to say no?’ It’s very hard for young people to say no, because saying no puts them at risk of being bullied, it makes them seem like a homophobe. It’s terrifying.”

Madeline said her main reason for voting no was her Christian faith. “I’m raised that way, and like many other religions I believe in the traditional way that marriage has been, between a man and a woman,” she said.

She added that she was worried about her future employment prospects.

“I had a bit of a game plan before but now that this has blown up, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said. “I think I’m definitely going to continue standing up for what I believe and continue to defend people being discriminated against.

“I hope to continue to be able to work in childcare, but I am quite worried that families will meet me and look at me a bit differently, or straight up just won’t hire me. That’s worrying.”

She described the last two days as “crazy and shocking”. “My family has been really supportive,” she said. “They’ve been talking to me constantly, my brother and sister are saying they’re proud of me for standing up for myself. Even my friends who don’t agree are saying, ‘Kudos to you, it’s okay for you to say no.’”

On Wednesday, the Fair Work Ombudsman confirmed it would investigate the case, although Madeline said she hadn’t spoken to anyone yet.

While Ms Sims said Madeline was engaged a contractor and hence not covered by the agency’s jurisdiction, FWO investigators will assess whether she was correctly classified as a contractor or should have been engaged as an employee.

“The Fair Work Ombudsman is aware of this matter and in order to form an assessment as to whether any workplace laws have been breached will be contacting the parties involved as part of its inquiries,” a FWO spokesman said.

Liberal Senator Eric Abetz, a former Employment Minister, said the action could be a breach of Fair Work laws. “It is unlawful for an employer to take any action against an employee on the basis of a political opinion,” he told The Mercury.

“Apart from being a fundamental attack on free speech, it is unlawful for an employer to sack an employee on the basis of a political opinion — including voting ‘no’ on the marriage survey. This action is deeply disappointing and I am hopeful that it will be fully investigated and if appropriate, prosecuted.”

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Originally published as Canberra teen sacked for opposing same-sex marriage says young people fear being ‘bullied’ for voting no