“It’s not a political debate. It’s kids we are talking about, who are entitled to be loved for who they are.”
This is what Kylie Gwynne, Co-Chair of Rainbow Families, told Women’s Agenda recently, while discussing the impact of debate around the federal government’s religious discrimination bill that took over the national conversation last week.
“Whilst people may well think they are having a political debate or a reasoned argument about legislation – they’re actually talking about people’s lives,” Gwynne said.
“It’s a direct attack on young trans people and it’s so damaging.”
Last week, after a marathon stint in the House of Representatives, Labor, crossbenchers, the Greens and five Liberal MPs voted to amend the religious discrimination legislation, in order to protect gay and transgender children from discrimination in religious schools.
Religious lobby groups soon decided they didn’t like the legislation as it was, and it has since ben shelved by the government.
It was a divisive, unnecessary spectacle that occurred in the same week that a Christian school in western Sydney told prospective parents in a “statement of faith” that same-sex relationships and transgender identity fell into the same category as abusive relationships.
Kylie Gwynne says it’s beyond time we stop doing this to LGBTIQ+ children and young people, who are often among the most vulnerable.
“It’s this shock that we have to keep defending who we are. Anyone who knows and loves someone from our community knows that we are just people who love each other, who mess up, who do great,” she said.
“We are just who we are. And for trans young people, the job of schools is to grow them up, to nurture them, to love them, to help them become the awesome adults that they are going to be. It’s not to get them questioning that somehow who they are is not ok.
“There’s just so many things profoundly wrong with a school behaving in this way and for that to then become a part of a public debate. I can’t believe we are doing this in 2022.”
As Annika Reynolds noted in Women’s Agenda recently, media reports and online vitriol quickly becomes real life harassment, abuse, and isolation for LGBTIQ+ people. And the mental health impacts are all too real, especially for trans children.
“I can’t even imagine being a parent of a trans child and trying to get them through the last fortnight – those kids are already pretty vulnerable,” Gwynne said.
Gwynne, who is connected to many LGBTIQ+ youth and their families, says she wants them to know that they are loved and are “fabulous for who they are”.
“So many of us stand with them and beside them, and we’ll stand up for them,” she said. “One of the really positive messages out of last week is that we won’t trade them off. Our parliament was not prepared to trade them off and that is something to hang on to.”
“When this inevitably comes up again – and I’m so sorry that it will – they need to know that we will stand with them and stand in front of them, if we need to. We will fight to ensure that who they are is protected under our law.”
Gwynne also noted that people of faith predominantly embrace and support the LGBTIQ+ community, and the divisive debate we experienced last week can cause us to think we are more different than we actually are.
“When we step back and reflect on what’s happened over the last fortnight, what we’ve learnt is that mostly we stand together, and there’s a few lunatics on the fringe, including some of our leaders,” she said.
“But most people won’t let it happen, and that’s something to hang on to.”
If you’re feeling distressed and want to talk to someone right now, you can call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, and Lifeline on 13 11 14.
LGBTIQ+ Australians seeking support with mental health can contact QLife on 1800 184 527 or visit qlife.org.au.