Journalist, writer and raconteur Benjamin Law has encouraged parents to "calm down" and get the facts on Safe Schools, an initiative he argues should be rolled out in every school in Australia.
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Law investigated the formerly federally-funded teacher resource aimed at helping stamp out the bullying of vulnerable lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex students for the latest Quarterly Essay.
In Moral Panic 101: Equality, Acceptance and the Safe Schools Scandal, Law unpacks the initiative, starting with its launch by former prime minister Tony Abbott's Coalition government in 2014.
The program attracted a storm of controversy after a campaign of misinformation and confusion by conservative media outlets, commentators and politicians. The federal government will cease funding Safe Schools this year but many states and territories, including the ACT, will run their own version.
Rumours continue to circulate that Safe Schools teaches children to bind their chests or encourages the use of sex toys. Canberra Liberal MLA Elizabeth Kikkert this month said the initiative was a tool used for "grooming" by teachers and claimed teenagers were suffering sleepless nights after being asked to imagine having gay sex.
In reality, Safe Schools was an opt-in program aimed at supporting teachers help LGBTI students, consisting mostly of professional learning resources for teachers, Law said.
"I think the way that's just been accepted as a fact - that Safe Schools is about teaching kids anything - has kind of taken hold as the way that we report about it now, and that to me is kind of ludicrous," he said.
"I would want [parents] to calm down, not to go to sites that clearly have an agenda with pushing information or misinformation around Safe Schools. I'd also encourage them to talk to their schools and principals about how Safe Schools actually works.
"I think any kind of sane-minded adult or parent will read about Safe Schools, discover what it's about and think 'what has all the fuss been about'."
Canberra Liberal education spokesman Andrew Wall last month tabled a petition of 1000 signatures calling on the Legislative Assembly to withdraw current and future support of the program.
Education Minister Yvette Berry, who has repeatedly declared her support for LGBTI children and Safe Schools, has three months to respond to the petition.
The petition has been referred to the standing committee on Education, Employment and Youth Affairs, chaired by Labor MLA Michael Pettersson with Mrs Kikkert as deputy chairwoman. The committee is yet to decide whether it will hold an inquiry into Safe Schools.
Law acknowledged it was a "disheartening time" for LGBTI Australians, pointing to the voluntary postal survey on same-sex marriage, but said "we're also the most equipped to fight".
"We are some of the most resilient people in the country as well and in times of hurt and pain also reach out to other people in the community, whether that's people who are younger than you who you can help ... or go to your elders as well who have lived through this already and can provide you with knowledge," he said.
Benjamin Law and Mary Lou Rasmussen will be in conversation on Law's Quarterly Essay at the Australian National University's China in the World Building on September 19 from 6.30pm. The event is free but registration is available online.
