Overstepping Boundaries?

[Dave]

Ok well I needed to vent over this and I also wanted to hear peoples opinions on this situation that Occurred today. (sorry if this long winded, I'm just trying to cover all bases, the background is under the spoiler, would be a good idea to read to get a bit of an idea what's happening)
** Double Apologies for the wall of text **

Background:

Spoiler

I'm a member of a same sex attracted youth group that works in partnership with and is supported by a sexual health charity, which produces and distributes safe sexual health information and a 'safe sex pack' which is a business card sized bag with a condom, lube and a business card for the charity in it.

Basically we do a few events in conjunctions with local schools/universities and other higher learning Institutes to raise awareness about safe sex, and STIs (STDs for those who still use that term) where we have some interactive learning games, and a stall with brochures, free safe sex packs, and our special Lollipops that say either "STIs Suck" or "HIV Sucks" on them with our website link on the back.

Last Year the local Senior Secondary College (in my town we do our first 4 years of high school [7, 8, 9 & 10] at separate schools then all go to the one school for the last years 11 & 12) lost their school nurse, and in a 'wise' decision to save money they hired a 'Chaplain' to fill in as a nurse (In Australia there is a stupid law that gives public schools extra money if they hire in a Christian Chaplain into the school) basically when he came in he decided to fight our charity and effectively banned us from giving safe sex packs out to students. (who are over the age of consent anyway being a school that caters for 17-19 year olds) Eventually they hired a new school nurse (who saw sense) but the damage had already been done, he'd effected a ban on handing out the packs that could only be overturned by agreement by the schools board. (this ban is actually a state school law, but can be overturned by the school board as mentioned before, we'd done that once with a more agreeing school board many years prior to my youth groups' involvement, but the chaplain put us back to square one again)

Anyway, so my youth group and charity was invited to the Senior Secondary Schools 'Sexual Health Awareness Day' as we have been for quite a few years now. While in previous years we'd been in a location where students generally didn't go, this year we'd been put pretty much on the main thoroughfare which was good, so we didn't have to fight to get students attention. However, while I and another member of my youth group were running our stall, the school Chaplain decided to show up (uninvited we later learned) and pretty much monitor us (make sure we weren't handing out condoms/safe sex packs) and when I was called away to assist with one of the activities we were running for a minute he installed himself at our stall.

When I got back to the stall he was handing out our STIs/HIV Sucks Lollipops (which we were giving out with no conditions to students), out to students who said they 'Loved God' or were 'Choosing Celibacy' and making them choose between saying that or taking a brochure off our table (which was making them uncomfortable, because, as a student you don't really want to be seen walking around with a brochure about Chlamydia, HIV or Syphilis; etc. etc.) and within a few minutes he'd driven all of the students away from our stall

When one of our youth members confronted him about being at the stall and making us uncomfortable he tried to shrug it off, and as our charity worker (another of our associates) walked up during this, he tried to make it seem if a student was making us uncomfortable, and as soon as he was confronted he quickly moved off to a distance to watch our stall, until our worker informed the principal about what he was doing, and she took him off and (we believe) gave him a slap on the wrist, and told him not to show around our stall again.

Well that's my story, congrats if you made it this far...

So I have these questions

1. Did the chaplain overstep boundaries in interfering with our stall?
2. Should the chaplain be in a public school at all?
3. Should safe sex packs be provided to those who need them, even at events such as this one?

and just tell me what you think,

Personally I'm really furious about the whole thing really, we were treated like we were dirt and untrustworthy by the guy, and it means that my youth group is going to have to sit down and consider boycotting any events at the school (which we really don't want to do considering 90% of the towns youth go there) or make formal complaints to the school over the behaviour, because really who would want their kids around someone who acts that way??

Thanks

** third and last time sorry for the wall of text **

[Pepsi]

1. Hell yes he did
2. No way
3. Of course!

He has no place in that school and to put it frankly, I think it is disgusting that the law makes it so they get more money if the guy is a christian chaplain. Also, teenagers are going to have sex. It is just how it is. Someone needs to make that guy realize that. Safe sex programs are vital because they need to make sure they don't get sick. This is all just obvious facts obviously. Really though, something needs to be done about him. I'd start with having people make formal complaints because boycotting events might do nothing. Then if they don't respond to your complaints maybe boycotting might be necessary.

1. Yes! Report the guy to the police for harassment.
2. He should run his own little stand if it was that important to him to be there.
3. Yes!

[Dave]

yeah unfortunately there's nothing to prevent him doing what he did in our laws, and because he was on school property and is a school employee we can't do much in that way, but if he tries it ever again we may take out a restraining/intervention order against him, if we can work the law to do that, that is

Do a meeting with the principal and see if that can solve it?

[Dave]

Been there a few times, we'll just have to see how it goes, it only happened today, so it's possible the group could take action on it in the next few weeks

Priests.. I just can't understand why they can't accept that some people like to actually think for themselves and don't share their fanatism towards religion and what religion dictates to be right.

[Dave]

I agree on that, and that's why it so irritates me, he practically tried to use our merchandise to try to convert the students

[Chip]

Personally, I would take this up as aggressively as possible.

If he believed you were violating school policy, he should have gotten the principal, not taken matters into his own hands.

If he didn't agree with what you were doing, he has a right to have that thought, but not to force himself into your booth and essentially scare students away.

And if the principal approved of what you were doing, and he was clearly violating that policy, he should have been severely reprimanded. If he is actually an employee of the school system, I would insist that a written reprimand be put in his permanent employee record, and that he, in front of you and the principal, agrees not to interfere with your organization again, and to apologize to you for his actions.

It's fine for people to disagree. It's not fine for them to overstep their boundaries and harass organizations whose goals they don't agree with.

[Revan]

It's unfortunate....cuz in Canada and I believe the USA, unless you're a Catholic school, I believe religion cannot interfere with any school functions nor can they impose their values. Ie. What he did with the banning of the Safe-sex packs. I don't even understand though how he even got it passed. What did he say? That the packs are going to give people AIDS?

[Dave]

Good Points Chip, I might take some of those suggestions to the group next week when we meet.

And unfortunately here Christian Lobby groups control most of our government, back when we had John Howard as Prime Minister (about 6-7 years ago) he introduced the Chaplaincy program, which brought in religious chaplains (with a Christian preference required before trying to find a non-denominational chaplain) as paid employees of the school, plus financial bonuses to schools that employed one. And another one of the 'Christian backed' laws was the ban on schools handing out condoms, they're required to teach abstinence, which is part of why the charity I'm involved in is so important, because we kinda circumvent that and teach them the proper information about sex, and the right resources, for all genders and sexual diversities instead of the male focused heterocentric stuff or the plain 'just don't do it' they teach.

[Revan]

That's such bs

[Nazo]

He really overstepped his boundaries.
The business card packets you guys give out are a great idea.
I think schools should have religious counseling of some sort. Preferentially non-denominational and educated in all the main world religions. Obviously, yours is very biased.
Bad chaplain. Bad.

[Stuie]

The entire chaplains in school program infuriates me. Australia prides itself on being a secular nation, but programs like this are entirely ridiculous. Sexual health programs are far more important than religious education programs which people can seek out if they want. ANY religious interference in a state school is overstepping the boundaries. That's what churches are for! Chaplains overstep this boundary massively already and the chaplain you speak of has gone even further.

There's rarely enough done on sexual health in schools and I commend your group on their work. Condoms need to be easily and cheaply (preferably free) available at high schools. Stigma associated with condoms needs to be reduced as well. Doing this is a challenge though. Schools have a pretty big role in this though.

[bookworm43]

what a moron. for a guy who believes in not having babies before marrige, you'd think he'd wanna prevent an unplanned pregnancy...and that's not even the point here. he had no right to do that, and shouldn't be driving away students who (let's face it, us kids can be pretty stubborn) will find a way to do whatever the hell they want in the end. isn't it best they do it the safe, planned way?

[Just Passing]

The situation has been made worse by his interference definitely. I always felt that sex was an issue often avoided, even in schools, but these youth groups do help with having sex safely and being aware of the risks beforehand. Without it, who knows what could happen and the results won't be good.

[Dave]

Well yeah, we try the best we can to promote proper sexual health practices in schools, our parent organisation actually is funded by the government to produce and give out these packs.
Since this incident, we complained to the school, and the chaplain was warned, and we've been invited back later this year, and they've said that they've tasked the chaplain with a job far from where we'll be to avoid the confrontation again,
Hopefully eventually the program will be stopped and we won't have to deal with his problem ever again...