A male maths teacher is taking legal action against a Catholic girls’ school in Melbourne for allegedly refusing to recognise him as “non-binary” and let him go by “Mx” instead of “Mr”.
The lawsuit will be heard in Melbourne Magistrates Court next month in what is likely to be a test case of federal laws that allow religious schools the freedom to reject radical gender ideology.
The teacher, Myka Sanders, claims Sacred Heart Girls College in Oakleigh did not formally support him as a “non-binary” staff member, and alleges he was reprimanded for using they/them pronouns and having pride stickers, and told he could not officially be called “Mx Sanders”, the Herald Sun reported.
Mr Sanders said he told the school principal “I too am non-binary” after a support meeting for gender-deluded students, and said he asked if the school could change his title and use the “right pronouns” on timetables, emails and other documents.
But he claims he was told to “book a meeting” and “told off for having pride stickers on my laptop and for handing out stickers to students who wanted them”.
The principal referred the matter to the the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), which runs the school, and they denied the request.
The Independent Education Union, which is supporting Mr Sanders, then took the case to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal before the magistrates court took jurisdiction.
But a source at the school said Mr Sanders “isn’t the first gay or non-binary persona at the college”, and that students and staff already refer to him using the title “Mx”.
“Sometimes someone may forget, but it’s an oversight; it’s not to make a point,” they said, while another revealed that some staff wear rainbow lanyards or have rainbow stickers on their laptops.
“We are being portrayed as very conservative but it’s not the case,” they said.
MACS, which is fighting against formally recognising the pronouns on the basis that they are “against Catholic anthropology”, said it could not comment on the case other than to say that “Myka Sanders remains a valued and respected member of the teaching staff”.
The Australia Christian Lobby said in a statement on Friday that the lawsuit was a consequence of the Victorian government removing protections for religious schools in 2021.
“Faith-based schools have the same right to expect staff to live by their beliefs as political parties, clubs, and associations demand adherence to their values. Allowing freedom for some while denying it to religious institutions is hypocrisy,” the statement said.
“MACS is standing firm, and Christian schools and churches are urged to remain faithful. The Victorian Government must urgently review the law, and the Federal Government deliver on its promise to protect religious freedom.
“The law erodes religious freedom, intrudes on daily faith community operations, and breaches the principle of church-state separation.”
The Labor federal government and “LGBT” groups have long been pushing for changes to discrimination laws that currently permit faith-based schools to employ people who meet their religious criteria, and last year Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would seek deals with either the Greens or the Opposition to change the legislation
Header image: Sacred Heart Girls’ College in Oakleigh (Williams Ross Architects).
