A Sydney Private School Asked Boys To Rank Girls’ Qualities, Listing ‘Virginity’ At The Top
Male students allegedly referred to the Christian studies exercise as 'build a bitch'.
Prepare your best *acts shocked* face, because another Sydney private school has gone and done something incredibly fucked up, this time ticking all the boxes by being both misogynistic and xenophobic, with a sprinkle of homophobia as a treat.
As exclusively reported by the Sydney Morning Herald‘s Jordan Baker, boys at Sydney’s St Luke’s Grammar School were asked — during a gender-segregated Christian studies class, no less — to rank the qualities they look for in a girl. (Cue the thinly veiled homophobia!)
A Very Private School Personality Quiz
The exercise was done through a rating system, put together by the school, wherein certain qualities were awarded a different number of points, based on their apparent ‘importance’. Each boy had 25 points to allocate on creating their metaphorical dream partner.
Sitting at the top of the list, the qualities worth six points each, included: virgin, strong Christian, good looking/attractive, popular, kind and considerate, loyalty, and trustworthy.
Lower on the list, worth four points, students found: goes to church, sporty/sexy, honest/doesn’t lie or cheat, similar interests to you, friendly.
Near the end of the list, worth a measly two points, were: brave — stands up for social rights, good at school, right height, socially competent.
And right at the bottom, the lowest of low qualities worth only one single point: favourite hair colour, favourite eye colour, has money, sincere and serious, generous, adventurous, similar beliefs, cares for the world, and comfortable even in quiet moments.
Because who needs to care for the world or stand up for social rights when you could be good looking and popular — amirite fellas? (The full quiz was published on the SMH, should you feel like falling into a deep pit of emotional despair.)
How To ‘Build A Bitch’ 101
But what were the girls doing while this exercise was taking place, you might be wondering? According to the SMH, they were in a different classroom being ‘given articles on the importance of virginity and how Satan provides opportunities for fleeting sexual encounters’. Nice!
And just when you think things can’t possibly get any worse, Baker also reported that some of the boys referred to the exercise as “build a bitch”. Double nice!
How Far Can An Apology Go?
St Luke’s principal Geoff Lancaster has since apologised to the students involved and their parents, admitting that the material was ‘inappropriate’. In a letter to parents, Lancaster explained that the teacher involved — who is also a member of the Anglican clergy — is ‘very sorry for the offence he has caused and saddened to think that the way this discussion was framed has upset our students’.
“Despite the best efforts to teach respect, healthy relationships, gender equality, consent and inclusivity, we don’t always get it right – and last week is a good example of how the very best intentions can go terribly wrong,” Lancaster told Junkee.
“As principal, I have removed the offending material, and one of the Christian Studies teachers has voluntarily stood down while the matter is under investigation. Over the school holiday period, St Luke’s will be completely reviewing and changing our Christian Studies approach for next term and beyond,” said Lancaster. “As a co-educational school, St Luke’s is a proud advocate of equality and we will continue to strive to be strong role models so that students hear this message very clearly.”
The school will now be holding co-ed gender studies classes which — if you find an incredibly powerful microscope — can be seen as a small win for the grammar school’s students.
According to the St Luke’s website, the annual school fees for a Year 10 student are $23, 860, increasing to $24,450 when students hit their final year. Do with that information what you will.
Some Things Money Can’t Buy
If you, like me, have invested a lot of your personal time and energy wondering how private schools will be spending the millions given to them by the government… wonder no more!
It appears that at least a small portion of those funds are being spent on teaching young men that women are only of significant value if they’re so-called ‘virgins’, that believing in social good should be valued below all else, and that — and stay with me here — Satan himself will come fuck up your life if you dare to have sex, even as a consenting young adult.
So, you know, exactly how you’d expect a conservative private school to be spending their money.
Gyan Yankovich is the Managing Editor at Junkee. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram. Yes, she went to a public school.