MEDIA RELEASE
Bialik College first Australian school to support Marriage Equality
February 16 2016
Adding its name to an impressive list of over 800 supporters, Bialik College takes pride of place as the first Australian K-12 school to support marriage equality.
As a member of the Safe Schools Coalition, Bialik College is showing genuine leadership and vision by supporting marriage equality. The school clearly understands that giving children equal opportunities in life enables them to achieve their full potential.
Michael Barnett, convenor of Aleph Melbourne, reflects on this significant moment:
“As a former student of Bialik College, I am exceedingly proud of my first high school today. They have come a long way since I attended in the early 1980s. I would have had an easier time at school, experienced less bullying and felt less isolated if the school had told me it was ok to love boys and that I could even marry a man when I grew up. That validation would have made a huge difference to me, particularly at that formative stage of my life”.
Every current and future student at Bialik can now know that when they attend school, their friendships and relationships will be equally valued within their school community and that gender identity, sexual orientation and intersex status will not be a barrier to full inclusion.
This is a proud moment for the Jewish community in Australia. It also brings Australia one step closer to removing the hurtful and pointless discrimination in the Marriage Act.
All Jewish schools, and those beyond the Jewish community, must step up to the mark, in the name of equality and for the best outcomes for their students, and similarly add their name to the Australian Marriage Equality list of academic supporters.
Further comment available from Aleph Melbourne convenor Michael Barnett on 0417-595-541.
ENDS