Family First National Director and NSW Legislative Council candidate Lyle Shelton is calling on the Minns Government to end Shane Jenek’s role as an ambassador for the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and cancel the taxpayer-supported Confetti and the Rainbow Garden interactive children’s trail.
The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is currently promoting Jenek — a man who parody’s women under the drag name Courtney Act — as a Botanic Gardens of Sydney ambassador while inviting children to follow a seven-stop trail based on Jenek’s children’s book, collecting stamps and a Confetti sticker along the way.
“The NSW Government should not be putting forward as a role model for children an activist who promotes gender-fluid ideology,” Mr Shelton said.
“Parents take their children to the Botanic Gardens to enjoy nature and learn about plants — not to have contested ideas about identity promoted to them by a government institution.
“The Minns Government has no business using public institutions to indoctrinate NSW children into harmful gender-fluid ideology. Parents, not government-backed activists, should guide children on sensitive questions of identity.”
Mr Shelton said Jenek’s wider political advocacy also raised questions about the appropriateness of the ambassadorship.
Jenek and Governor-General Sam Mostyn are both patrons of Equality Australia, a national LGBTIQ+ political activist organisation which publicly supports access to what it describes as “gender affirming healthcare” for gender confused young people.
“Equality Australia has defended a child gender-clinics which inject children with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and, in some circumstances, refer children for irreversible surgery,” Mr Shelton said.
“Family First believes children should be protected from gender conversion therapies, not introduced to gender-fluid ideology through taxpayer-supported institutions.
“Premier Chris Minns should direct the Botanic Gardens of Sydney to end Shane Jenek’s ambassadorship and discontinue the Confetti children’s activity.
“Keep the Botanic Gardens about plants, nature and conservation. Leave gender ideology out of our children’s childhoods.”
MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Lyle Shelton, Family First National Director
Email: [email protected]
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