North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network’s push to make schools more inclusive

Unisex bathrooms, non-gendered playing teams and rainbow flags could be brought into Victorian schools in a bid to be more inclusive.

Avoiding terms like “mum”, “dad”, “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” could be part of a push in Victorian schools to curb the dropout and suicide rates of LGBTQI+ young people.

The North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network has set up the #SpeakingUpSpeaksVolumes campaign which aims to bring in unisex bathrooms, non-gendered playing teams and rainbow flags in a bid to be more inclusive.

The Herald Sunreports that the material suggests avoiding “gendered terms” such as husband and girlfriend instead of the non-gendered partner, and mum and dad rather than parent. Students are also encouraged to ask others which pronouns they use.

But the network denied it was about banning terms like mum and dad.

“To be very clear, the #SpeakingUpSpeaksVolumes campaign is not about mandating the use of pronouns or terms like mum and dad, but is focused on addressing the very serious impacts that bullying and discrimination has on LGBTIQ+ people, children, and young people in particular,” the statement said.

The network’s CEO, Chris Carter, said the campaign “encouraged people to speak up and actively support LGBTQI+ kids”.

Schools and sporting groups are bringing in unisex bathrooms.

“When someone is experiencing bullying, silence often feels like indifference, which can create a terrible sense of isolation,” he told the Herald Sun.

It comes as sex education campaigner Chanel Contos is working with the Victorian Government on lessons that she hopes will teach students about “toxic masculinity” and “slut shaming”.

The Sydneysider has been pushing for earlier and more “holistic” education in schools around sex, relationships and consent after a petition she made brought forward thousands of stories of sexual assault from students and former students across Australia.

Her push has already made waves in NSW, where students are expected to have a much bigger say on what their sex education lessons will look like and NSW Police unveiled an operation to make it easier for alleged sexual assault victims to come forward.

Now it has been revealed she is in conversations with the Victorian Government about modifying the ‘Respectful Relationships’ lessons that are already taught in Victorian public schools, to include a specific section on consent.

She told the Herald Sun she has been working with Education Minister James Merlino’s department to contribute to the curriculum and push for key themes to be taught in Victorian schools.

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Chanel Contos has been working with Victorian Education Minister James Merlino. Picture: Hollie Adams

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“I’ve been working with them on creating the content … I feel like people don’t know that oral sex is sexual assault and that your boyfriend, friend or someone you know personally can rape you – this needs to be taught,” she said.

“We need to talk about the difference between toxic masculinity and normal masculinity. We need to talk about slut shaming and the fact that girls’ sexual pleasure is so taboo.”

Late last month, the Victorian Government announced it would make consent education mandatory in public schools.

Employment Minister Jaala Pulford said teaching school students about sexual consent was a “very important step”.

“This will build on the current program which is significant and does cover consent,” she said at a press conference.

“But what we’re hearing from students is that they believe that an expansion and a greater depth to this training is required.”