Citipointe Christian College has come under fire for it's new policies that disallow LGBTQIA+ students at the school. Photo / File
Citipointe Christian College has come under fire for it's new policies that disallow LGBTQIA+ students at the school. Photo / File
A student at a Brisbane Christian college has been left inconsolable after the school requested parents sign a contract – on behalf of their child – agreeing that homosexuality is a sin, abortion is wrong, and gender identity is a myth.
Citipointe Christian College, in Carindale, has given parents one week to return the signed "declaration of faith" if they want their child to continue attending the school.
The heartbreaking toll of the contract, which has been met with fierce opposition and a petition calling on it to be scrapped, has reportedly left students shaken.
In one crushing example, a student was filmed by their parent crying over what the contract would mean for friends at the school who belonged to the LGBTQIA+ community.
"I'm not gay, I'm not transgender, I don't plan to be, but for those who are, it's terrible," they said.
The short clip was shared on Monday to the TikTok account of Brisbane comedian Christian Hull, who has been vocal in his opposition to the school's controversial move.
In a subsequent video, Hull detailed how problematic introducing such a concerning rule was, given the limitless implications it would have beyond students' graduation.
"This has very real-world implications that affect both you and I," he said, arguing cisgendered straight children who went to the school would come to understand members of the LGBTQIA+ community as "second class citizens".
When they entered the workforce and moved into positions of power, it was likely they would pass their beliefs down the line, Hull said, and would not employ "certain people" as a result.
"Then these people get into positions of power politically, for example the current prime minister Scott Morrison is deeply religious.
"Do you know what he's just done? He's instigated the religious discrimination bill, which makes it perfectly legal for the Citipointe Christian College to come out with these beliefs and discriminate against the LGBTQIA+ community.
"It's also worth noting that these groups don't believe mental health issues are real – depression doesn't exist."
An email sent by principal Pastor Brian Mulheran on Friday told parents the contract was designed to "ensure that we retain our Christian ethos, which is the foundation of what has made the College what it is today".
This child was left completey distraught by the contract. Picture / TikTok/christianmhull
Part of the contract stated the school would "only enrol the student on the basis of the gender that corresponds to their biological sex", to remain consistent with its "Christian Ethos Requirements".
Following backlash, Mulheran told ABC News the school had sought legal advice for the contract, and had "certain freedoms under international law and under Commonwealth and state legislation".
"We have always held these Christian beliefs and we have tried to be fair and transparent to everyone in our community by making them clear in the enrolment contract," part of his statement read.
One parent, who opted not to be named, said she was "extremely angry" about the contract, in particular at the fact it had been distributed just days before the beginning of the term.
She, among many other parents, refused to agree to the terms and was now confronted with the eleventh-hour challenge of enrolling her child in a different school.
