Over 100 Victorian parents and grandparents braved the wintry weather on Thursday night to stand against the indoctrination and sexualisation of children in schools.
The Parents’ Forum, hosted by the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL), followed the Parents’ Joint Letter of 19 August. The letter demanded answers from the Government over the Respectful Relationships program, Sexuality Education, and the Mature Minor Policy.
At the forum, parents shared testimonies of:
- Children bullied for dissent: One child was targeted and excluded by peers for disagreeing with gender ideology.
- Education sacrificed for ideology: A family was forced to change schools after discovering literacy had taken a backseat to indoctrination.
- Gender distress ignored: Parents of children struggling with gender distress warned of the harm caused by medical transitioning, while schools reinforced ideology instead of addressing mental health needs.
ACL Victorian Director Jasmine Yuen, who chaired the forum, told of a 10-year-old boy forced to sit through a trans lesson despite begging to leave, and of Muslim parents faced barriers when trying to withdraw their children from explicit sex education.
Yuen said, “This forum proves it’s not just parents raising the alarm. Children themselves feel unsafe, uncomfortable, and excluded. The government champions ‘inclusivity’ and enforces the Child Safe Standard. Yet, many children are being silenced and sidelined. This is hypocrisy. Schools risk breaching Child Safe Standard 3 by neglecting children’s wellbeing and leaving them isolated.”
The ACL acknowledges the Education Department’s letter of response, but it is not enough.
With an election looming, both Government and Opposition must front up to parents. A real conversation is overdue. Victorian parents, and their children, deserve to be heard.
