Parents Chris and Barbara say the vast majority of other parents they meet are supportive of their transgender child and keen to include them in different activities.
“There’s a tremendous body of people out there who are looking to contribute to a diverse society, and really willing to do so,” Barbara, who did not want to use her last name, says.
“And not just in a quiet, sit on the sidelines way, but in a practical and supportive way. You know, how can I involve you? Would your child like to play cricket? You know, how, what can we do? How can we support you?”
That attitude is reflected in a new survey of Australian parents which found 82% support the teaching of gender and sexuality diversity in schools.
The Western Sydney University survey, the first of its kind, asked 2,000 parents whether they believe gender and sexuality diversity should be included in classroom discussions.
94% said they wanted relationships and sexuality education delivered in government schools, while a majority wanted to see gender and sexuality diversity introduced in the curriculum in primary school and the early years of high school.
Chris says they felt their experiences and views were unrepresented by media discussions of parents’ opinions on the issue.
“I think there’s a very strong narrative in the media that seems to be very driven by what the research would suggest is a small proportion of people.”
The release of the parents’ survey comes after the New South Wales government confirmed they would oppose One Nation MP Mark Latham’s controversial bill to ban discussion of gender diversity in classrooms.
The bill sought to ban the discussion of “the ideology of gender fluidity to children in schools” and prevent schools from supporting transgender students without parental consent.
NSW education minister, Sarah Mitchell, released the government’s response to the bill on Wednesday, saying it would “lead to targeted discrimination against a marginalised community which already experiences poorer mental health and wellbeing outcomes”.
Chris said they tried to avoid any discussions on the bill, adding that any negative debates around transgender children made them “fearful” for their kids.
“It reminds me of all the bad playground experiences that they had, and that they continue to have. So it’s actually really depressing.
“But when something like this research comes out, it’s a bit like a beacon of light.”
Jacqueline Ullman and Tania Ferfolja, associate professors at WSU’s school of education, authored the report, and told Guardian Australia the survey was significant.
“Really, up until this point, we really haven’t had large scale research that actually looked at this topic,” Ferfolja said.
“What we’ve mostly heard about is that parents, almost unanimously, don’t want the inclusion of gender and sexuality in the curriculum, and what we’ve found is actually, to the contrary, that actually 82% are supportive.”
“I think it’s pretty significant because it pretty much turns the whole debate around on its head. I think Australian parents are overwhelmingly supportive and really believe in equity for students.”
Ullman added that much of the discussion of parents’ opinions have been “assumptions,” with little to no previous research on their actual views.
“We’ve had lots of outspoken people on both sides of the topic, but most outspoken people, some of whom have been featured in the media, give the impression that all parents feel this way,” she said.
“From the responses we had from parents, we can see that many of them think that it is the child’s right to exist in a safe and inclusive space, in addition to having access to information that’s relevant about their health and wellbeing.”
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The study surveyed 2,000 parents of public school children from kindergarten to year 12, and found broad support for adding discussions of sexuality to relationships and sexual health education.
A majority of the parents believed that content covering gender and sexual diversity should be introduced to students by the end of Stage 4 (years 7 and 8).
Ferfolja said she hoped the survey would provide a “national baseline” for a more representative discussion of parents’ views of schooling curriculum moving forward.
“Kids have a right to be reflected in the curriculum, and to have their voices heard in the curriculum. We can’t just pretend that gender and sexuality diverse kids don’t exist.
“They should have equal access, they should be visible and reflected in the curriculum – because we know that kids disengage if they’re not.”
