A female student at a Christian college in Brisbane has been expelled after speaking out against the school’s management of a male student who created a list of “unrapeable” students.
Three weeks ago, six male students from Mueller College were found to have produced and shared the offensive list, containing the names of eight senior students, including students with learning disabilities and special needs.
After speaking out against the school’s management of this behaviour on her personal Instagram page, Genevieve Dunstan, a student at Mueller College, was reportedly expelled and given the same punishment as one of the students who created the list.
An online petition to reverse the expulsion of Dunstan has called out the school’s decision, saying “schools should be a safe haven for all scholars, not a battlefield where victims are penalised for speaking up”.
As of Monday morning, the petition has garnered 417 out of the 500 signatures it’s seeking.
In a video shared by the Courier Mail, Dunstan herself has spoken out against Mueller College’s decision to expel her, noting that she doesn’t “regret speaking up for what is right” and “will not be silenced”.
“My name is Genevieve Dunstan, and I have been removed from the Mueller college community after thirteen years of schooling,” she says. “I have been removed because I’ve posted about the handling of the unrapeable list on my private Instagram page.”
“The school has provided me with the exact same punishment as the boy who wrote the list, which I think is totally unfair. I am not allowed to attend formal graduation or even be on school grounds at any time. I do not regret speaking up for what is right, too many people have been silenced and I will not be silenced.”
Many from Dunstan’s community have applauded her brave decision to speak up, voicing their opinion on the petition’s website change.com.
“Genevieve did the right thing and should be admired for her actions instead of punished for them. She showed true leadership when speaking out against something disgusting occurring at the school,” writes Angie Fryer.
Another comment from Hollie Piper says: “Expelling a student for speaking out against toxic masculinity and rape culture only perpetuates the problem. I stand with Genevieve!”