By Lucy Carroll and Christopher Harris
NSW Premier Chris Minns has sided with students at an all-girls Sydney Catholic school who are fighting to reverse a ban on bringing a same-sex partner as a date to their year 12 formal.
A petition calling for the St Ursula’s College at Kingsgrove to allow same-sex couples to attend their formal has garnered more than 4300 signatures after the school allegedly told students they could not bring a female date to the event.
A change.org petition that has garnered thousands of signatures is calling for Sydney’s St Ursula’s College to allow same-sex couples at the formal.
“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,” Minns said.
Students say they discovered the Sydney Catholic school has a policy of not allowing same-sex couples at the formal after they purchased tickets to the end-of-year event. The school’s no girlfriend rule has since attracted national media attention.
“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 on Change.org says.
A spokesperson for Sydney Catholic Schools, which runs 147 schools, said 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”.
A petition has been launched calling on St Ursula’s College to allow same-sex couples to attend the end-of-year formal.
“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.
The petition was started by Abbie Frankland, the girlfriend of a St Ursula’s student, who said she had been “eagerly anticipating” the event with her partner, but was subsequently told the school prohibits same-sex couples 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% 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.”
One mother spoke to 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Thursday morning and said a school staff member had called to tell her that her daughter could not bring a girl to the formal.
“I thought it was maybe there wasn’t enough room at the venue.... I didn’t realise until they actually spelt it out ‘your daughter is bringing another female student’ and I said to them, ‘it’s just their friend it doesn’t matter’.
“They said the rules are the rules and the principal’s made the decision in conjunction with Sydney Catholic Schools.”
Equality Australia CEO Anna Brow said exemptions in federal and NSW law currently allow religious schools to discriminate against students because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“These discriminatory practices are not theoretical or academic, as this incident sadly demonstrates, and one in three students attend non-government schools, most of which are religiously affiliated,” she said.
“These legal gaps could be addressed very simply and quickly. The law should reflect what the vast majority of Australians already believe, including many people of faith.”
Education Minister Prue Car urged the school to think of the welfare of the students.
“I think you should be able to take who you want to take in 2023,” she told 2GB’s Chris O’Keefe on Thursday afternoon.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.