Religious Freedom and LGBTIQA + Students

Abstract

Introduction: The United Nations called member states to better support the education rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and asexual (LGBTIQA +) people in recent years. However, Australian policy debates about schools’ ‘religious freedom’ and exemptions around gender and sexuality discrimination continue. Methods: This article explores 1293 LGBTIQA + students’ experiences around religious freedom, gender, and sexuality by school type using data from the 2022 ‘Gender and Sexuality Expression in Schools’ survey. To understand correlations for students’ religious vs. non-religious educational institution types, basic descriptive and correlative statistical analyses were undertaken for quantitative data in SPSS and Excel including chi-square tests, alongside Leximancer-supported thematic analyses of qualitative responses. Results: Attending religious schools was associated with (1) increased anti-LGBTIQA + and religious freedom-restricting policies, messages, and practices; (2) increased sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts (SOGIECE) messages and practices; and (3) increased negative consequences and feelings. In religious education sites, professionals — especially teachers/educators — were more likely to spread anti-LGBTIQA + messaging at class/group and school-wide levels especially around ‘sinning’; however, professional codes appeared deterrents for school psychologists. In government schools, students more often unofficially spread anti-LGBTIQA + messaging around ‘brokenness’ or ‘social harmfulness’, mostly one-on-one. Conclusions: The article shows the value of anti-discrimination laws and professional codes in reducing official problematic practices, for those contexts and professionals they applied to. Policy Implications: Removal of exemptions for religious education institutions in anti-discrimination laws, revisions of education policies, and clearer protections for LGBTIQA + people in educators’ professional codes are recommended.