High school under fire for same sex kiss
<p dir="ltr">A high school has come under fire for it’s same sex kiss during a Shakespeare rendition of Romeo and Juliet.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The “SHEkspeare” play included two female leads playing the roles of Romeo and Juliet at Campbelltown Performing Arts High in Sydney’s south west. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The performance included a passionate kiss between the female Romeo and Juliet which sparked a barrage of complaints from parents to NSW MP Mark Latham.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mr Latham raised the issue in parliament where he criticised the fact that parents were not informed of the kiss beforehand. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“There’s [a] passionate kissing scene going on stage,” he began, <a href="https://qnews.com.au/lesbian-kiss-in-a-sydney-school-play-has-mark-latham-in-a-spin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">QNews</a> reported.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Some of the boys yelled out, others were distressed, some of the girls were upset.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“The parents are very upset with the note that went out where there was no mention of this. The kids came home saying there were two women kissing.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It’s inappropriate, this shouldn’t happen in front of 13 and 14-year-olds unless you have parental permission, some of these kids haven’t even hit adolescence.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">“There are Christian, Hindu, Muslim and socially conservative parents in the Campbelltown community who have a different view and were not given the option to opt-out.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Education Minister Sarah Mitchell agreed with Mr Latham that the kiss was “controversial” but fit in with the script. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“The exchange of affection by actors during the play was considered appropriate to the script,” she said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“[Permission was sought and] consistent with the Department of Education’s Controversial Issues in Schools policy.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Adam O’Brien, Artistic Director of The Dire Theatre Company said it should be expected that the two characters would appear affectionate in the play. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty/Facebook</em></p>
