Podcast: The Rainbow Report – Religion in Secular Schools
Last night, I joined the Rainbow Reporter, Doug Pollard (Joy 94.9 FM), education analyst, Adam Smith (The Project) and Ron Williams (High Court Challenge to National School Chaplaincy) to discuss the proceedings of the Humanist Society of Queensland’s recent Separation of Church and State Schools Conference.
My aim was to highlight the very real danger the infiltration (infestation?) of religion into our state schools represents for GLBTIQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer) students (or those still struggling with their sexual identity).
It’s up now as a Podcast on the Joy 94.9 website – look for: The Rainbow Report – Religion in Secular Schools under the heading “Item” and click ‘Listen’ or click the ‘Download’ link.
Thanks to Doug for giving this important issue such prominence.
Listen out for Ron hinting that another High Court Challenge is not very far off …. !
Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear 
Freedom OF religion, also needs to mean freedom FROM religion.
In WA you can just ask that your children do not attend – is it not like that in QLD?
You can ask but often they’re put into RI anyway. And they’re not allowed to do anything but self study. Many kids find themselves sitting outside the RI room and the ‘teachers’ leave the door open so they can hear everything. Others find themselves in the back of the class told to get on with their own work. SOme kids pester their parents to let them go because they get teased by other kids or because they get bribed with lollies and chocolates. You can bet it’s happening in WA too.
If you’re talking about chaplains they’re ubiquitous in the schools. You can’t keep your children from them without substantially disrupting their school experience.