Today Show host Karl Stefanovic weighs in on gay puffer jacket
Karl Stefanovic has spoken out about a school’s decision to have the pride flag on their puffer jackets.
Cheltenham Secondary College in southeastern Melbourne introduced a puffer jacket with the pride flag on one sleeve and the Australian Aboriginal flag on the other.
The $89.95 winter jacket is not required to be worn or purchased, and is a secondary option for students in addition to the standard “softshell” jacket.
Some parents have criticized the school for using the coats to make a “political statement.”
Presenter Karl Stefanovic said on Tuesday that he understands why some parents are upset that the jacket is causing “unnecessary complications”.
Cheltenham Secondary College in Melbourne has launched a jacket (above) with pride and Aboriginal flags on the sleeves
The jacket’s design is ‘initiated by the student community’ and is not compulsory to wear or purchase
Stefanovic spoke to Adam Voigt, founder and CEO of Real Schools, about the community’s reaction to the jacket.
Mr Voigt said the matter was ‘uncomfortable’ to talk about.
“This is a school that is genuinely trying to do the right thing, trying to do something good,” Mr. Voigt said.
“I don’t think it’s just the principal of the school pushing an agenda, this is something that seems to have been done quite collaboratively. However, I think we should walk very carefully.
‘Schools, and this is quite universal, often say that what we stand for is building critical thinkers so that young people can make their own decisions about what matters to them and what they think.
“Anytime we catch ourselves telling kids what to think instead of how to think, we have to take that step very carefully.”
Mr Voigt said the pride flag could lead to division between children whose families hold different beliefs.
“On the surface, it feels like they’re trying to do something good. You have to think about what happens next,’ he said.
“What happens if we have some children who have conscientious objections and come to school with a covered flag? Will we allow Facebook groups to be launched that try to ban social justice fundamentalism in schools?”
“It’s hard to come up with a dissenting voice or opinion when you have a badge on your uniform,” Mr. Voigt said.
He added that Australia also needs to be careful not to become like America, where students are forced to make commitments for social causes.
“I think we have to be careful not to go down a slope where countries like America have gone down,” he said.
‘Where they ask students and lecturers to make commitments for various social goals Unpleasant stop them thinking about it and discussing it like adults.”
Presenter Karl Stefanovic (left, with Sarah Abo) said today that he sympathizes with parents who are outraged by the draft as it creates “unnecessary complications” for some students
Stefanovic agreed with Mr Voigt, saying the jacket will create “unnecessary complications” for students.
‘Mmaybe the majority of the kids want to support [the flags] and they have plenty of background on it, but the kids who don’t…are somehow discriminated against because they don’t wear it. It’s complicated,” Stefanovic said.
The jacket was made available in May and also features the school’s crest with the words “respect,” “responsibility,” “personal record,” and “community.”
The Victorian Education Department stated that the student community had suggested the coat’s design and that the decision to make the item available was made by the School Council, which consists of parents and students.
Real Schools founder and CEO Adam Voigt (pictured) said he believes the school was genuinely trying to do the right thing, but fears the pride flag could cause division among children whose families hold different beliefs
The flags have sparked outrage from parents who have attempted to remove them, which the school says violated its uniform policy.
Penny, whose son attends Cheltenham Secondary College, spoke to 3AW presenter Neil Mitchell on Monday and revealed that the school does not allow students to remove the flags or blacken them with a marker.
“I think it’s disgusting that they have those flags on a school uniform, it’s not right,” she said.
“It’s a school, it’s not a political statement…why do certain people have things on their uniforms?”
Another caller, named John, said he heard from a source that parents who tried to remove the flags were told they damaged the garment.
“They have to stick to raising our kids,” he said.
Another told Mitchell that non-Christian students who took the flags out of their jackets were “left alone.”
Mitchell called the move “an awakening attack.”
Several angry parents from the school (above) said the coat is too ‘awake’ with a mother saying ‘It’s a school, it’s not a political statement’
“I’m all for celebrating diversity and recognizing Indigenous heritage – that’s not the point, but getting the kids involved is going a step too far, and if they’re being punished for not wearing it, that’s just absurd.’
He also pointed out that the Australian flag was missing, which he found odd.
Cheltenham SC took to Facebook to reveal its new optional addition to its uniform on May 19.
The puffer jacket is offered as an additional/alternative item and is not a substitute for the softshell jacket, which is still part of the college uniform.