Parents gathered outside Reynella East College in Adelaide before 8 am this morning to protest the school’s decision to mark IDAHOBIT Day (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia). Police were called. Tensions flared. Counter-protesters showed up. And in the middle of it all, little kids were simply trying to get to school.
How It All Started
On May 6, a letter from Reynella East College landed in parents’ inboxes. It announced the school would be recognising and celebrating IDAHOBIT on Wednesday, 13 May, inviting students to wear rainbow accessories (scrunchies, socks, wristbands, ribbon pins) over their school uniforms as a show of support for inclusion for the day that had a raft of activities planned.
The letter said the school was proud of its diversity and that the aim was to “foster a school environment where every student feels safe, supported, and valued.”Â
That sounds lovely. And honestly, in isolation, it is.
But here’s what the letter didn’t address:Â Reynella East College runs from Kindy to Year 12 and has nearly 1,900 students. That’s 3-year-olds and 17-year-olds under the same roof, participating in the same whole-school initiative.
That’s where Luke Poulton drew the line.
“My Four-Year-Old Is in That Preschool”
The 33-year-old father of two shared the school’s letter on Facebook, and the response was immediate, with over 500 comments, and counting. The community groundswell was enormous. For so many parents, it wasn’t just him. Students even began separately contacting Mr Poulton, reinforcing the sentiment within the students at the school, and reporting that teachers appeared to have little choice but to get behind the initiative.
Mr Poulton wrote to the Education Department. He contacted SA Police. He was completely transparent about what was going to happen on the day.
“My problem is that kindy and junior primary kids are subject to stuff that, until a later age, you shouldn’t even be thinking about,” he told The Advertiser.
His four-year-old daughter attends preschool at the college.
Some parents went further, refusing to send their kids to school at all today, saying they wouldn’t endorse or participate in the event.
What the Community Is Actually Saying
The comment section on Mr Poulton’s post didn’t hold back. Over 500 responses poured in, and the overwhelming sentiment was the same: enough is enough.
One former REC parent wrote:
“My daughter went to Reynella East – they were about sport. I’m disgusted they are not only supporting this but promoting it. Kids don’t need any more stress and confusion in their lives. Shame on you.”
Another parent raised the consent question that has struck a nerve with so many families:
“I nearly fell off my chair when I opened this email from the school. Surely this doesn’t need to be promoted and celebrated in our schools. I have to sign a consent form for my 11-year-old to watch a PG movie in class – but not this? Teach your kids to be kind and inclusive to everyone no matter who they are. My boys are looking forward to student free day next Wednesday.”
That consent point came up again and again:
“You can be whatever you want to be, but if I have to sign a consent for a movie – where is the consent for this? There’s a difference between accepting differences and taking the piss.”
And this, which probably sums up where a lot of parents actually sit on this:
“I don’t care what people want to choose or do with their life – I won’t judge your preferences. But from experience, my kids are confused with all these labels. The schools are encouraging ‘exploring identity’ which to me is a fine line. Inclusivity can be taught to kids without a song and dance about it. My kids will be home that day and I’ll be teaching inclusivity myself.”
The feedback wasn’t fringe. It wasn’t hateful.
It was parents, many of them self-described supporters of LGBTQIA+ rights, drawing a clear line between acceptance and what they see as ideological delivery to children far too young to contextualise it.
“Schools need to stick with educating our kids, not indoctrinating them. Parents in South Australia send their children to school primarily for literacy, numeracy, discipline, knowledge and to develop their skills. Public schools should not be moving from education into ideological or activist territory, especially on socially divisive issues.”
“Completely agree. Kids should be learning reading, writing, maths and real science – not ideology.”
What Happened This Morning
What was planned as a peaceful boundary protest got complicated fast. Counter-protesters arrived. Voices were raised. The police turned up (as they said they would).
One protester, Denise, whose children had previously attended the school, raised something that resonated with a lot of people watching on.
“I noticed they don’t have a Mother’s Day stall or a Father’s Day stall. They have a Loved Ones stall. They can’t say they aren’t twisting the ideology of these children.”
Trans Justice Adelaide released a statement during the protest, saying they were “deeply concerned” about the demonstration. “It is not indoctrination to teach children to care for and respect one another,” the group said.
Susy, a mother of a 12-year-old at the school, disagreed with the protest entirely. “There’s nothing bad about widening the circle and making people feel more included.”
Bree Hatchard, who had recently come out, spoke powerfully from personal experience. “I’ve known who I have been since I could form a cognitive thought. If I had the ability to receive the support, it wouldn’t have taken me so long to be who I am.”
Both sides have a point. And that’s exactly what makes this so hard.
The Education Department’s Very Convenient Non-Answer
Here’s the part that really gets under our skin.
Education Department chief executive Martin Westwell confirmed there is “no directive” requiring schools to observe IDAHOBIT. Schools can simply choose to mark days of significance to them. But then he said the Department “encourages schools to recognise this day.”
No directive. But encouraged.
That is a masterclass in having it both ways. Schools are nudged to participate, but when parents push back, the Department can shrug and say it was the school’s own choice. The school carries the heat. The Department keeps its hands clean.
Ask any principal in South Australia how truly optional that encouragement feels, and then watch them very carefully not answer.
And We Wonder Why Parents Are Pulling Their Kids Out of Schools
Here’s a number that should stop everyone in their tracks: homeschooling in Australia has increased by 37% nationally over the past five years. In South Australia alone, the increase sits at 38%.
That’s not a blip. That’s a mass exodus. And while there are many reasons families choose to educate at home, the growing frustration with ideological content in public schools is consistently cited as a major driver.
The comments on Mr Poulton’s post made that crystal clear:
“I can see why so many are homeschooling – keep the kids home day sounds good!”
“Homeschooling is looking more and more appealing. My daughter can’t even attend kindy without some Labor mantra being recited.”
“Homeschooling has increased nationally by 37% in 5 years and currently sits at 38% increase in SA alone. That speaks volumes.”
It really does. When parents feel the public school system is more interested in social conditioning than reading and maths, they vote with their feet. And right now, a lot of South Australian families are lacing up their shoes.
Okay, Here’s Our Honest Take
I want to be really clear about where I stand. Every child deserves to feel safe at school. Full stop.
LGBTQIA+ kids exist in every classroom, every year level, every school in this country. Some of them are suffering in silence. Some of them are being bullied. Some of them go home to families who don’t accept them. For those kids, a rainbow wristband on one day might be the only moment they feel like the world has their back.
That matters. Enormously.
I have a gay sister and very close gay friends, and I adore them all however they show up and whoever they want to be. Acceptance isn’t a debate we’re having; it’s simply who we are.
But … and this is a big but … does a 4-year-old need to be part of a whole-school LGBTQIA+ awareness day? Does a 5-year-old (who still needs help cutting up their lunch) need to be participating in an event tied to concepts they genuinely cannot yet process?
Teaching kindness at every age? Yes. Absolutely. Non-negotiable.
But there’s a meaningful difference between “be kind to everyone”, which should be woven into every school day from the moment a child walks through the gate, and rolling preschoolers into a formal awareness day with no parental consent, no opt-out, and no age-staged delivery.
The consent issue really is the kicker. You need a signed form for a PG movie. You don’t need one for this. That inconsistency is hard to defend, and the Education Department isn’t even trying to. And this is what is ruffling the feathers of Australian parents.
And this isn’t just happening in Adelaide. Watch below how Victorian schools are forcing gender ideology on kids as young as five.
The Poll That Speaks Volumes
An Adelaide Advertiser poll asked: “Should public schools recognise IDAHOBIT Day?” With nearly 2,600 votes cast, the result was 82% no to 18% yes.
That’s not a fringe view. That’s a lot of ordinary Australians – many of them supportive of LGBTQIA+ rights – drawing a line at how this is being delivered to the very youngest kids.
So, Where Does That Leave Us?
A protest. Police. Clashing crowds. Kids watching from behind the school gate.
Nobody wanted this. Not really.
What most parents actually want is simple: age-appropriate conversations, delivered at the right time, by teachers and parents working together. Not a top-down whole-school event that treats a preschooler the same as a Year 11 student, with no parental input and no consent process.
The Education Department needs to stop hiding behind “encouraged but not required” and actually lead. Schools need clearer guidance that protects every child, including the LGBTQIA+ kids who genuinely need support, AND the 3-year-olds who just aren’t there yet.
Because right now, nobody is being well served. Not the kids who need inclusion. Not the parents who feel unheard. And definitely not the little ones who had to walk past a protest just to get to their kindy class this morning.
