The principal of Citipointe Christian School in Brisbane has said in a statement that he’s taking “extended leave” after nationwide backlash to the school’s supremely fucked anti-LGBTQIA+ contract.
Brian Mulheran announced on Friday night that he’d “stand aside and take extended leave in order to reflect on what has transpired and provide the College community time to heal”.
“Citipointe needs to be ready to welcome students on Monday with a positive outlook to start the new school year,” he said, as per The Guardian.
He said that Ruth Gravestien, the school’s head of primary, would be acting principal.
The school and Mulheran came under fire after it sent an enrolment contract with anti-LGBTQIA+ rules to parents.
In the contract, same-sex relationships were compared to paedophilia and bestiality, and described as “sinful and offensive to God”.
This is part of a 16 page contract parents are made to sign on behalf of their child to attend Citipointe Christian College in Brisbane
I have condensed the disgusting content in this contract down to this image.
Sigh the petition. Call this out https://t.co/VYGZcZpNGQ pic.twitter.com/w6JfIYVwue
— Christian Hull (@christianhull) January 30, 2022
The contract also peddled disgusting transphobia, implying it wouldn’t allow trans and non-binary students to wear the uniform or use the bathroom that best corresponded to their gender identity.
“Where distinctions are made between male and female… such distinctions will be applied on the basis of the individual’s biological sex,” it read.
“The College therefore acknowledges the biological sex of a person as recognised at birth and requires practices consistent with that sex.”
23 parents at the school published an open letter calling for Mulheran’s resignation on the same day he announced his extended leave.
“He has shown a callous disregard for the psychological and physical wellbeing of students,” said the letter, as per 7News.
“He has pursued a private agenda of stigmatising a vulnerable minority, and in doing so has caused hurt and distress that has rippled out through the wider community and even around the world.
Mulheran had initially defended the school’s harmful anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric earlier in the week.
“We are a community because we have common beliefs and practices which have been central to our approach to Christian education since the school was established in 1978,” he said.
The school later retracted the contract and Mulheran apologised in a letter to parents.
“The College has decided to withdraw the amended Enrolment Contract at this time, and will revert to the previous terms of enrolment,” he said
“Moving forward, the College will enter into a respectful dialogue with the College community regarding any further amendments to the enrolment contract pertaining to our Christian ethos.
“We deeply regret that some students may feel that they were, or would be, discriminated against because of their sexuality or gender identity and I apologise to them and their families.”
I wonder why they feel that way, Brian? Maybe it’s because discrimination was literally in the school’s contract?
Felicity Myers, a former student at the school, told the ABC that Mulheran standing down could mean the start of a healing process for the community.
“This isn’t over yet. There are further changes within how the school is governed that need to change,” she said.
“The process of healing and restoring is one that is going to take time.”
If you’d like to talk about the issues raised in this story, you can call the QLife LGBTI peer support hotline on 1800 184 527 or chat online.
QLife operates between 3pm and midnight daily.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
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