School Bus Driver Gives Students Anti-LGBT Pamphlets Disguised As Christmas Presents
Students on a public school bus in Victoria, Australia received a bizarre Christmas gift from their driver this week: anti-marriage equality brochures.
The leaflets were disguised as holiday presents and passed out to students Wednesday at Kyabram College, a grade school north of Melbourne.
The "presents" were from Marriage Alliance, an independent union that “educates Australians about the consequences of same sex marriage on our lives.” This particular pamphlet specifically attacked Australia's Safe Schools Coalition, which supports LGBT youth in schools.
“It’s sneaky and it’s really targeting the children,” the older sibling of a 13-year-old boy who received the brochure told Australia’s Gay News Network. “Mum was offended. And it’s upsetting for my brother.”
According to a student, an "older looking person" boarded their bus and instructed the driver to hand out the presents to everyone. The festive envelopes were wrapped in gold paper and marked with a note on the front: "To the wonderful people who care for me everyday! Merry Christmas.”
Stuart Bott, the school's principal, has since said that the pamphlets don't reflect the school's position on marriage equality.
“We are an inclusive school, and are working with families to say that won’t happen again,” he told Fairfax Media.
Marriage Alliance has also spoken about the incident, saying it didn't authorize the distribution of materials and that a volunteer is to blame.
“This was not an action that was part of a campaign from Marriage Alliance and is not condoned or endorsed by Marriage Alliance,” a spokesperson told BuzzFeed. “This action was taken by an individual who has since been contacted regarding this matter.”
Last February, Marriage Alliance came under fire for sharing an image of a woman hanging herself by a rainbow-colored noose on Twitter.
At the time, the group responded to the criticism with a confusingly vague tweet: “A biased position in the same-sex marriage debate deflects from core mission. A neutral stance is always best governance.”
h/t: Gay Star News
