Every parent knows the struggle: They want a night out, or have a special event, and can’t bring their kids. They don’t want to leave their precious offspring with just anybody, so they turn to a babysitting company that vets sitters and matches sitters up with families.
So far so good, right?
Then this happened: REACH Babysitting Company in Australia received a text message from a person requesting a sitter for a four-hour job. The sitter must be a Christian who “supports our teaching of anti gay marriage.”
Not sure how much “pro-gay marriage” teaching a sitter could do in four hours, not to mention that the chances of it even coming up in conversation are very low. To make themselves more clear on the topic, the parents insist that the sitter not support the “gay/rainbow flag community.” (For the record, not a thing.)
The babysitting company requests more details from the family. But they keep insisting that the sitter be “normal” without “colored hair” or “radical gender theories.”
The babysitting company went public with the texts on Facebook, along with the announcement that they had dropped the client, and their statement:
“While I can understand wanting a sitter whose religious beliefs align with your own, to ask that the person serving you openly disrespects another group of people is outrageous! At REACH kids we are incredibly supportive of the diversity within our community. While we recognise not everyone feels the same, we firmly believe in equal rights for all, including the LGBT+ community.”
Right on, REACH. Because we know that the discussion around gender and sexuality is not about “radical theories;” it’s about supporting everyone in being themselves. Using divisive language like this (implying that LGBT folks are “deviant” as compared to the “normal” anti-gay-marriage Christians) is unkind and hurtful.
Unfortunately the real victims here are the kids growing up in this family. Because while the babysitting company can shut down these bigots, these kids have no recourse, and are being fed this hateful garbage. Luckily we live in a society that supports the “radical gender theory” that people should be themselves, and can marry who they want.
Cuz heaven forbid these folks acknowledge their privilege, and the damage they do to their kids with their narrow-minded opinions, as shown in this incredible short film:
Featured image by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images.
