This article contains references to suicide.
Citipointe Christian College needs to send a much stronger message than just asking its principal to "stand aside and take extended leave" if it is to undo some of the damage it has inflicted on the community, members from the Citipointe community and Brisbane-based LGBTIQ+ advocates have said.
Brian Mulheran – the principal of the Christian school in Brisbane – he had decided to "stand aside and take extended leave in order to reflect on what has transpired and provide the college community time to heal".
Mr Mulheran's statement followed several days of uproar over the school’s contract that stated "the college will only enrol the student on the basis of the gender that corresponds to their biological sex" and said homosexuality is "sinful", like bestiality, incest and paedophilia. The contract was eventually withdrawn after community backlash.
'Children need to be supported'
Former Citipointe student Jared Mifsud welcomed the decision by Mr Mulheran to stand aside, but said what is really needed is cultural change and the use of inclusive language across faith-based institutions that interact with young people.
"Telling a 14-year-old that they are going to hell for the rest of their life because of who they are - that is the type of the language that just can't be in our schools anymore," the 30-year-old, who is also a performing artist and dancer, told SBS News.
"As a 14 or 15-year-old teenager, in your formative years, it has such a detrimental and lasting impact on someone."
Having graduated in 2009, after 12 years at Citipointe, Mr Mifsud said the language condemning homosexuality was very damaging to himself and other young people navigating their gender and sexual identity.
"I knew I was gay when I was 15 years old, but the fear that had been instilled in me by religion made me pursue religion (for a number of years) with this zealous fire.
Jared Mifsud says it took him many years to work through the negative mental health impacts from the homophobic language used at Citiepointe College. Source: Jared Mifsud
"I look back on those days and all I can see is a teenager who was hurting, who didn't know what to do, or who to turn to.
"I came from a beautiful, supportive family but because of the fear, I felt like I couldn't even talk to them.
"And this is what it does. It isolates people. And in that isolation that is where the danger lies because they feel they don't have nowhere else turn to. And that is why the suicide and self-harm in our LGBTIQ+ youth are so high."
He said it has been heartbreaking for him to hear how many current and former students at religious schools have also been suffering - and he urged anyone in need to seek help.
"The amount of people who have reached out to me over the last week, just to share their stories with me, has absolutely broken my heart.
"There are people who are in the fifties and their sixties who are still dealing with the trauma that was inflicted on them by a church or a religious school.
"Back then when they were at school, it was ten times worse. It is lasting trauma. And the last week has brought that up for a lot of people."
He said what the current and former students - along with parents - who called for the contract to be withdrawn want is for children to be supported in inclusive environments throughout society.
"And what if the child (enrolled in a religious school by their parents) is a member of the LGBTIQ+ community, what are they supposed to do, what if they don't feel safe coming out? They need to be supported somewhere.
"That is why for me, at the end of the day, a school's first and foremost responsibility is the safety and wellbeing of those children. Anything else comes second."
'The problem is systemic'
David Mcdonald, who in 2009 used to work as an unordained youth pastor for Noosa Church – a Citipointe-associated church – said the outcry following the contract should be "celebrated".
“I don’t think they have done enough to undo the damage but I don’t know what else they could do because the problem is systemic amongst religious organisations all over the world,” Mr Mcdonald told SBS News.
Mr Mcdonald received a Certificate in Christian Ministry from the Australian College of Ministries in 2009. The certificate was signed by Mr Mulheran, who at that time was the Learning Centre Director of Citipointe Ministry College.
"I think what should be celebrated is the community outcry following this event because obviously the problem is much bigger and it’s happening everywhere," he said.
David Mcdonald used to work as an unordained youth pastor for Noosa Church – a Citipointe-associated church. Source: Supplied
Psychologist Paul Martin said the school needs to send a stronger message of support to young LGBTIQ+ people.
"The problem with the current message is, if he’s stepping aside, he will come back. And if the school is saying that he’s going to come back, they’re still supportive of him in some ways," said Dr Martin, who has been counselling LGBTIQ+ people aged 16 and more for the past 30 years.
"What has happened at the school is so physiologically harmful that it could – for some people – be the trigger for suicidality."
'They need to show that they have changed their thinking'
According to Shelley Argent, the political liaison office of the Brisbane chapter of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PLAG), the school needs to take more responsibility for its actions.
“They need to show that they have changed their thinking and that they are supportive of young people,” Ms Argent said.
"They need to come out publicly stating that there has been an error in their judgement and their thinking, and they agree that they were wrong. And they also need to actively work now to show that they’re supportive of young people," she said.
Protests against Citipointe Christian College during a march in Brisbane. Source: AAP
Ms Argent said this entire Citipointe Christian College episode is indicative of what Australia would be up for if the proposed religious discrimination bill comes into existence.
"This is a prime example of why the religious discrimination bill, likely to be legislated by Scott Morrison, is so dangerous. Because it gives schools like this too much power and it’s the wrong power because it judges people," she said.
"When you send your child to school, you don’t send them to be judged, you send them to be educated. But many religious schools judge and that makes it very difficult for the students to learn," she said.
Three years after an election promise to legislate on "religious freedoms", Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated he is keen to proceed with the draft religious discrimination bill over the next fortnight as parliament sits.
on Friday raised concerns about the most contentious clauses of the legislation - section 11 and 12. The reports recommended amendments be made before the bill goes to the Senate.
Action needed to reduce mental health impacts
Being judged for years and then for something like this to happen is the biggest threat to the mental health of young LGBTIQ+ people, Dr Martin said.
"Many people in evangelical Christian communities and even in evangelical conservative Protestant families still hold on to outdated beliefs about homosexuality, so there’s already pre-existing damage in young LGBTIQ+ people," he said.
LGBTIQ+ protests against Citipointe Christian College in Brisbane. Source: AAP
"When something like this happens it sends a very powerful message to that kid that all of those beliefs are correct and that can be the trigger for a young person who’s struggling with mental health to commit suicide, so it’s extremely dangerous," he said.
According to a survey published by LGBTIQ+ Health Australia in April 2021, 11 per cent of LGBTIQ+ people aged 16 to 17 had attempted suicide in the past 12 months and 25.6 per cent of them had attempted suicide in their lifetime.
"We know that discrimination for someone’s sexual and gender identity is harmful. And we know that members of the LGBTIQ+ community still have the highest rates of suicide out of any group of people, so it’s very damaging," Mr Mcdonald said.
Parents of young LGBTIQ+ students can play a crucial role in preventing suicides among young people, Dr Martin said.
"I would quote a wonderful man called (American scholar on human sexuality) Milton Diamond, who said: ‘Nature loves variety, society hates it'. And one of the things parents can say to their children is: ‘We are supposed to be diverse,’ and let them know that they’re loved as they are," Dr Martin said.
Readers seeking crisis support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). or on 1800 184 527. More information and support with mental health is available at and on 1300 22 4636.
