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The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney said he supports a church-related school’s decision to ban gay students from bringing their same-sex partner to a school formal.
Recently, a number of seniors at the prestigious Anglican Church Boys’ Grammar School in Brisbane, Australia, said they wanted to take their gay partners to their end-of-the-year dance, or prom, on June 19, according to The Australian. But school officials said under the current policy they are only allow to attend the ball with a female partner.
Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen concurs with the Brisbane school’s decision, saying that while he supports civil rights for gays in society, homosexuality in the view of the church is wrong.
"People do send their children to our schools – they send them there on the understanding that we understand from the teaching of the Bible that the expression of same-sex attraction ... is morally wrong," Jensen said to Macquarie radio, according to The Australian on Tuesday.
"I guess this will be a matter for the schools, but I think that the school will have my support for taking that line."
He added that he “completely” denounces any violence against gay persons, calling it “morally wrong and reprehensible.”
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Likewise, Laurie Scandrett, chief executive of the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation, supports the controversial decision by the Brisbane school. Scandrett said there is no umbrella “edict” among its schools banning gay students to take their partners to school dances, but it “would not be encouraged,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
"If you believe what the Bible says, that's how you should behave or act. It boils down to what you believe,” Scandrett said.
"The Bible is very strong that marriage is between a man and a woman and homosexual relationships are not permissible in a sense, not encouraged, they are spoken very strongly against."
He expressed some sympathy for gay students who wanted to take their partners to the social function, but highlighted that students and their families enrolled knowing the Anglican school’s position on homosexuality.
"Most parents send their children to our schools because of the Christian values that our schools espouse, because our schools stand for biblical values," Scandrett said.
"We love all our [gay] students as we do all people in our churches but their lifestyle is not encouraged, particularly if it was a promiscuous lifestyle,” he said.
The Anglican school official added that in Sydney a homosexual person is “valued” as a person, but would not be appointed to a position in the diocese. However, they would be “welcome in our churches because everyone is welcome."
But the head of the Anglican Church of Australia, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, was more flexible in his response to the situation. Aspinall, who is also president of the Brisbane school’s council, said he has no “personal objection” if a school allows same-sex couples at their dance, and that he respects each school’s right to make the decision.
"But I understand in this particular instance the school has decided that its approach is to emphasize the interaction of young men and young women and providing them with an opportunity to do that in this kind of formal setting,” Aspinall said, according to Scopical news.
"And I have no objection to that either. I think that's a reasonable and legitimate approach.”
News on Brisbane school controversy has spread nationwide and has forced many Anglican schools to clarify their policy on same-sex couples at school formals. Each Anglican school has the right to make its own decision on policies related to its social functions.
