Queensland education minister slams LNP over anti-trans comments
Image: Grace Grace at the Brisbane Pride March. Photo: Facebook / Grace Grace.
Queensland education minister Grace Grace has hit back at the state LNP opposition for comments attacking trans young people.
After reports that one Brisbane high school was using the Genderbread Person resource to teach about sexuality and gender diversity, Kawana LNP MP Jarrod Bleijie called for it to be banned, according to QNews.
Bleijie told parliament the resource “teaches kids that their gender is fluid and can change at any time of the day depending on what they want to be”.
“Will the [education minister] rule out teaching kids to shift genders and get this sinister and destructive social engineering program out of our schools today?” he said.
Grace slammed comments by the LNP as “disgusting”, calling for “respectful and proper” discussion.
“When we hear the leader of the opposition using words such as ‘indoctrinate’, ‘gender identity can change a dozen times a day’—what rot—‘brainwashing’, ‘confused’, ‘bizarre gender theories’ and ‘this is disgusting’, she has put the plight of students who do not identify as cisgender back 100 years,” she said.
“It is disgusting that that is said for all those parents like me who have children who do not identify as cisgender.”
She said schools should provide safe and inclusive environments to all, including trans students.
“Every day, state schools respond to the individual needs of their students by creating those inclusive and supportive communities to ensure the students can access a quality education,” Grace said.
“There are many students in schools today who do not identify as cisgender. As alarming as that may be to those opposite, that is the reality.”
Queensland opposition leader Deb Frecklington came under fire last month for calling recognition of non-binary sex and gender “political correctness gone mad”, in comments advocates called transphobic.
While the Queensland LNP recently embarked on a campaign of transphobia on social media, the Victorian Liberal Party has passed a motion in support of banning Safe Schools and similar diversity programs.
Neither state party has responded to requests for comment by the Star Observer.
