Writing in the Brunswick East Primary School’s newsletter, Principal Janet Di Pilla explained that the decision was made after “a lot of discussion” with staff, parents and students. She said both “‘traditional’ Mother’s Day” and “‘traditional’ Father’s Day” would henceforth be referred to as
“Acknowledgement Day” in an effort to be “
as inclusive as possible.”
“I sincerely hope that this change in name will show that we as a community recognize that our families are not made up of any particular combination of people and that
we no longer subscribe to a binary world,” she said. “I am sorry that in the past we have offended some members of our community and I hope that this acknowledgment goes some way to address any hurt which has occurred in the past.”
The Daily Mail
reported that the name change had been
triggered by backlash over a Mother’s Day stall that the school had hosted in previous years, where students could buy holiday-themed merchandise, “such as mugs, trinkets, candles and soaps.”
One parent
expressed support for the move to the Herald Sun, saying: “Some kids, for whatever reason, may not have a mother in their lives, so I don’t mind if they broaden the stall so those kids feel included.”
However, the Australian Liberty Alliance slammed the school, saying it was undermining the traditional family.
“We believe the natural family is the core building block of human society and must be protected,” the conservative group wrote online.
The controversy comes as LGBT activists – having won/q the culture war over same-sex marriage – are advocating the reform other sex-specific institutions, from
schools to the
legal system, to accommodate a range of gender identities.
Meanwhile, Learn & Laugh, a woke preschool in Sydney, Australia, went ahead and completely canceled Mother’s Day and Father’s Day this year, Australian news site 10Daily recently
reported.
“We have spent a lot of time discussing and reflection on this and believe we want to be a more inclusive centre. We want to include all families here at Learn and Laugh regardless of their family dynamics.” acting director April Howlin explained to parents in an email last month. “Instead, we have decided to do family and friends day at different times throughout the year. That way anyone close to the children can come and take part.”