Parents have welcomed a "statement of regret" issued by Queensland private school Citipointe Christian College over enrolment contracts students were told to sign that called homosexuality a sin and compared it to bestiality, incest and paedophilia.
The school issued the statement last night after its operator, Christian Outreach Centre, reached a settlement with the group of parents that took it to the Queensland Human Rights Commission over the contracts.
Helen Clapham-Burns, who was both a parent and teacher at the school when the contracts were issued in early 2022, and who resigned in protest of them, said the college's statement was a welcome development.
"The expression of regret says the college is committed to continuing to reviewing and strengthening its anti-discrimination policies," she said today.
"This is really important to me both as a parent and a Christian educator who strives to love in an inclusive way."
The contracts given to students contained a "declaration of faith" that included the following passage:
"We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other.
"We believe that God has commanded that no sexual activity be engaged in outside such marriage.
"We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including but not limited to; adultery, fornication, homosexual acts, bisexual acts, bestiality, incest, paedophilia, and pornography) is sinful and offensive to God and is destructive to human relationships and society.
"We believe that God created human beings as male or female."
Janina Leo's transgender daughter Amy graduated from Citipointe in 2021, only for her attendance at the school formal while wearing a dress.
Leo said engaging with the school over that was difficult and distressing, and that the contracts issued shortly after made matters worse.
"It was a very painful and distressing time, just following the formal," she said.
"My family have been involved at the college for over 22 years so we have a long relationship with the school.
"As a result of the changes to the contract and the difficulties with Amy the previous year, I decided to withdraw my (other) two children from Citipointe Christian College.
"I believed it important to bring this issue to the Human Rights Commission in 2022 to highlight that, regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation, children have a right to an education... they have a right to be accepted and supported."
In its statement, Citipointe College did not apologise for the contracts, but said it regretted the "distress or concern" they caused.
"The Christian Outreach Centre and the College acknowledge, on reflection, that those statements were distressing to members and allies of the LGBTIQA+ community," the statement reads.
"Christian Outreach Centre and the College recognises that all persons have a right to be treated with respect and all students deserve to feel safe and respected," it adds.
"This is consistent with our fundamental belief that all people are made in the image of God."
The expression notes that the contracts were issued by former principal Pastor Brian Mulheran, who resigned following public outrage in March 2022.
The college has also "facilitated a donation to a charity which provides assistance and training with respect to youth mental health issues, including with respect to diversity and inclusion".
