An Australian education minister has come under fire for banning every public school in his area from screening a film about children with gay parents.
New South Wales Education Minister Adrian Piccoli refused to let around 50 schools around the country screen the documentary ‘Gayby Baby’, which was going to be shown as part of the nationwide ‘Wear It Purple’ day, an event that supports the inclusion of LGBT pupils in schools.
Piccoli told 2GB Radio that the documentary, which looks at the lives of families with same-sex parents and was given a PG rating in Australia, wasn’t being shown because it wasn’t on the school curriculum.
“During school hours we expect them to be doing maths and English and curriculum matters. This movie is not part of the curriculum and that’s why I’ve made that direction.”
The move has been criticised by the Sydney-based anti-homophobia group behind Wear It Purple day, who aim to stop “ignorance, bullying and suicides” caused by discrimination towards LGBT people.
The director of Gayby Baby, Maya Newell, told The Guardian that the film is less concerned about the sexualities of the parents and more about the development of the children.
"The film is so innocent. It’s actually much more about four kids who are traversing oncoming puberty, who are dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up. The fact they have gay parents is really minor."
Sydney MP Alex Greenwich called the decision “absurd and deeply disappointing”.
