High-fee Presbyterian boys’ school Scotch College has sought to distance itself from the church’s view that sexually active heterosexual or LGBTIQ+ students should not be school captains, stressing that its school council – not the church – governs the college.
The federal government is looking to remove anti-discrimination exemptions for religious schools, which allow them to discriminate against staff or students because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or relationship status or pregnancy. The church said its schools “do not refuse or terminate enrolments for students on the basis of sexual orientation” and were not seeking to do so.However, it argued that schools should have the right to stop sexually active heterosexual or LGBTQ+ students becoming school captains.
After the church’s submission was reported by the media last week, Sloan responded on Friday by telling the school community that Scotch “aspired to reflect a community that embraces boys from families of all faiths, backgrounds and countries”.