Wed 10 Nov 2010 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Picture: Sydney Morning Herald There has been an outpouring of support for a Melbourne teenager who was told she could not take her girlfriend to her school formal. In a story which has hallmarks of the Constance McMillen case in the US, 16-year-old Hannah Williams was told by a teacher at Ivanhoe Girls Grammar that she was not allowed to attend one of the highlights of the school year with 16-year-old Savannah Supski – and should attend with a male instead. ''It made me very upset. I thought it was unfair so I didn't go,'' Williams has told the Sydney Morning Herald. ''I put a lot of effort into trying to fix things. I had a meeting with principals, looked through the Equal Opportunity Act, all my friends put posters up around the school and the teachers ripped them down. There was an easy solution; they just needed to let me go with my girlfriend.'' Hannah's father, Peter Williams, lodged a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Commission, alleging the school had discriminated against his daughter because of her sexual orientation. '"The school kept saying because it is an all-girls' school we want to make an event where they can meet boys in a social scenario,'' he said. ''That process is anachronistic and creates feelings of discrimination among girls who are same-sex attracted.'' Despite mediation the family was unable to reach a conclusion with the school and Williams has since joined her girlfriend at another more accepting school. Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar principal Heather Schnagl told the newspaper the event did not discriminate against same-sex couples and was designed to promote a co-educational experience. ''I don't think it's appropriate they feel discriminated against, and I'm very upset they feel that,'' she said. ''If we opened it up and said girls could bring another female they would all bring females; the policy is trying to create an event where boys are invited. We are a school that has an all-girls environment, and they are meant to invite guests, not partners.'' Roz Ward, co-ordinator of the Safe Schools Coalition, unveiled by the state government last month to tackle homophobia in schools, told the Sydney Morning Herald the incident was a blatant example of discrimination. In a Sydney Morning Herald poll following the story, 80 percent of readers say same-sex couples should be allowed to attend school functions like balls together.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 10th November 2010 - 8:11pm