Oz school defends ban on lesbian students from dance

MELBOURNE - A school in Australia has defended its decision to ban a female student from bringing her girlfriend to a school dance, saying that it was not done because of a homophobic reason.

Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School student Hannah Williams, 16, was banned from bringing her 15-year-old girlfriend Savannah Supski to the school’s formal.

Williams told Radio 3AW that the school was discriminating against same-sex couples.

“It was a lot of emotions. At first I was angry that it was in a situation that I thought was pointless. And then I kept trying to beat it and I couldn’t do anything,” News.com.au quoted her as saying.

“That’s when I started to get upset, when I realised that no matter what I did they weren’t going to listen,” she said.

But principal Heather Schnagl rejects the claim, saying the decision was based on the age difference.

“The school is not discriminatory against same-sex couples. We are very very supportive, but the issue here is that it was a year 11 event and it was inappropriate to enable year 10s to attend,” she stated.

“It’s not a discrimination based on sexual orientation. It was trying to keep it a year 11 event.

“I’m really disappointed that it has been taken the wrong way and that girls feel hurt by it, because I never want to hurt a student,” she told Radio 3AW.

Schnagl also said the case, brought before the Equal Opportunities Commission, was dismissed, and that Williams was told to bring a boy or come on her own.

Williams claims there were boys from younger year levels that were allowed to come top the event. (ANI)