A high school has been widely slammed by parents and media personalities after telling students who don’t wear LGBT rainbow colors to pay more than those who do.
Greystanes High School from western Sydney sent out a letter explaining to people that they would charge students who refuse to wear multi-colored clothes more during the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
In a letter sent to all students, parents, and guardians, the school wrote:
“Young people who are same-sex attracted and gender diverse often experience prejudice and are therefore more likely to experience depression and anxiety, lose interest in school and drop out completely. We want GHS to be a safe, supportive space for all students regardless of their sexuality.
“The SRC will be collecting a gold coin donation from all students who wear mufti. Students who wear an item of rainbow clothing will be expected to donate $1. Students who are out of uniform and do not wear an item of rainbow clothing will be expected to donate $2. Students may also elect to attend in full school uniform.
“But if a student is out-of-uniform and does not donate they will be chased up until they pay up.”
After the controversial letter made it into the public, people slammed the high school and accused them of reverse discrimination.
“This is sort of an extraction system, a punishment for people who don’t participate in what clearly is a left-wing movement,” Mark Latham, One Nation MP, said.
According to the MP, the LGBT colors became “a political symbol for the identity politics of the Left.”
“If they’re going to have a mufti day, treat everyone equally and don’t put a political punishment on those who would feel uncomfortable wearing the left wing colors of rainbow,” he added.
Following the public outrage, the NSW Education Department apologized to everyone involved in the incident for the “poorly worded letter.”
After a massive backlash, the school also decided to delete its Facebook post regarding the event.
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