Should information on how to safely bind be available for school students?
In recent months, the Australian Christian Lobby has stepped up its campaign against the Safe Schools Coalition.
Lane Sainty / BuzzFeed
The Coalition is a federally funded program that aims to combat bullying and make schools more inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex students.
Active in over 400 schools across the country, the program enjoys bipartisan support – but is not without controversy.
In particular, Safe Schools Coalition resources, created by LGBTI youth charity Minus18, have been criticised by the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) as promoting "radical sex experimentation".
An ACL petition to the Queensland government asking for the cessation of the program gathered almost 11,000 signatures between July and October this year.
In recent weeks, a Minus18 article offering advice on the little-discussed practice of chest binding has attracted the ire of the ACL and other groups.
Chest binding, practiced by many transgender, gender diverse and queer people, is the temporary flattening of one's chest to reduce the appearance or size of breasts.
It is a "really common practice" among young people who are transgender or gender diverse, Minus18 CEO Micah Scott told BuzzFeed News.
Usually, although not exclusively, binding is done by transgender boys and men, who often experience gender dysphoria and mental anguish over their chest.
On the Minus18 website, an article titled "Healthier and Safer Ways to Bind Your Chest" pointed teens away from unsafe methods, like using bandages, and suggested a variety of safer solutions, including layering shirts, sports bras, and purchasing specially made binders.
The article does not appear in Safe Schools Coalition resources or on the website – rather, it is just on the Minus18 website. Minus18 works with the Safe Schools Coalition to provide resources, but they are separate organisations.
However, ACL director Lyle Shelton described the article as "one of the most shocking things I've ever seen done in the name of a government program".