Two years after Brisbane’s Citipointe Christian College made national headlines for its stance against inclusion of LGBTIQA+ people, they’ve apologised and issued a “statement of regret”.
Parents at the K-12 school were alarmed at the start of the school year in 2022 when they were asked to sign a new contract.
The contract included a new clause that said parents would allow the school to expel students if they fail to identify with their birth gender. The school said the Bible does not make any distinction between gender and biological sex.
The contract also described homosexuality and bisexuality as “sinful, offensive and destructive” and listed it alongside adultery, fornication, incest, pedophilia and pornography.
“We believe that any form of sexual immortality (including but not limited to; adultery, fornication, homosexual acts, bisexual act, incest, paedophilia and pornography) is sinful and offensive to God and is destructive to human relationships and society,” the contract stated.
The document also said sexual intimacy should only ever occur between married couples, and only marriage between a man and a woman should be recognised. Marriage is described as a commitment for life. If parents did not sign the document their children would have no longer been welcome at the school.
The school’s attempt to implement the contract came as the Morrison Liberal government attempted to introduce religious discrimination legislation, making it a flashpoint for the political debate on the issue.
While the contact was quickly retracted, and the school’s principal left shortly afterwards, the school as waited until now until issue a full apology.
“We regret any distress or concern which was caused to students, parents and guardian of students or prospective students of the College, which includes those within the College community that are members of the LGBTIQA+ community, and their families and their allies,” a statement read.
The statement is an outcome of a settlement process with parents who complained about the school’s actions to Queensland’s Human Rights Commission.
The school says it is now committed to inclusion and recognise that “all persons have a right to be treated with respect and all students deserve to be feel safe and respected.”
Citipointe Christian College said they were able to meet this requirement while also maintaining their fundamental belief that “all people are made in the image of God”.
