So after Mike Baird said some pretty dumb things about his government’s decision to ban ‘Gayby Baby‘ at schools last week – namely: “I think tolerance is a good thing. But I think there should be some parameters around it.” – he’s been force to backpedal furiously during what *should* have been a run-of-the-mill budget estimates meeting.
It took a ~sharp~ turn when upper house Labor MP Penny Sharpe (ba-ding, ba-doom) pointed out that banning the film essentially told kids of same-sex parents that they were not normal. Acceptance is great, but do it in your won time.
Sharpe, who herself has children with her female partner, read out a letter from a similar mother:
“I am outraged at the media, but more at the damage made so much greater with a government affirmation and intervention that ensure that the message of ‘unacceptable’, ‘not normal’, and ‘tacitly deviant, therefore worth less’ was slammed full force, without consideration, consultation or care, into the minds of children and families throughout the state.”
Question: what politician, aside from Fred Nile, has actually dared to commit political suicide by declaring outright that they believe any person is “lesser”?
Definitely not old mate Baird. “Everyone is normal,” he said, probably while sweat beaded on his forehead as his eyes darted towards the exit. This ground-breaking declaration was coupled with an insistence that education minister Adrian Piccoli‘s ban didn’t stop schools from screening ‘Gayby Baby’ after school or during lunch, or screening sections of it during classes where it was in line with the curriculum – just not during regular class time.
“Personally I have to say I was very distressed by the way this played out,” he added. So was everyone else, mate. Actively banning schools from dedicating a few hours to educating about tolerance and acceptance is basically saying to kids of same-sex couples that you’re fine, just not *as* important as Pythagoras’ theorem.
Pals, if you want to catch ‘Gayby Baby’ and still have $$$ left over for goon sack-acquiring purposes, Dendy Newtown is offering cheap tix for students.
Picture: Daniel Munoz via Getty Images.
via The Guardian.
