A Presbyterian minister who spoke out against the screening of a documentary about Sydney high school students with gay parents, had his religious education classes cut in 2013 after they were deemed inappropriate for the school's community.
Gayby Baby was scheduled to screen at more than 20 schools in New South Wales, but faced the backlash of a ministerial decree, which forced a state-wide ban on the documentary during school hours, Fairfax Media reports.
However, minutes from a meeting disclosed to Fairfax Media show Reverend Mark Powell, a key voice in the campaign to ban the film, had previously had his religious education classes cut from once a week to once a term.
Rev Powell is the chairman of Gener8 Ministries, which organised the classes at the high school.
After he was quoted as a spokesman for outraged parents last week, Rev Powell was unhappy with Burwood High school showing the film.
Taking to social media, he hinted that the film was "promoting homosexuality" and that the principal had banned religious education a couple of years ago.
With the help of parents, Rev Powell then collaborated with like-minded outraged parents to have the documentary banned from screening, but still denies his actions to speak out where motivated by his tainted relationship with the school.
He instead compared the compulsory showing of the film to making everybody in the school watch a film about religious education and dress up as Moses.
According to a spokesperson for Burwood High School the classes at the school were a test case, and due to their poor reception decisions were made to cut them back.
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