An Aussie Same-Sex Formal Is Being Targeted For Sabotage By A Conservative Group

A planned same-sex formal for LGBTQI teens in Victoria has been targeted for sabotage by conservative group STOP SAFE Schools Coalition.

According to The Age, the STOP SAFE Schools Coalition is buying up cheap, $10 early bird tickets to Minus 18’s Same Sex Gender Diverse Formal, in an effort to keep teens from attending.

Minus 18 chief executive Micah Scott confirmed that about 50 of the 500 tickets were likely snapped up by STOP SAFE.

He has instead encouraged others from the community to donate full-priced $40 tickets so that “no young person misses out.”

"We have capacity of 500 people, but the more donations we receive and the earlier those donations come in, the more capacity we have to expand the capacity of the venue,” he said.

Scott says the event is intended as a “safe space” for young people who were not “able to go to their high school [formal] ‘out’.”

"Unfortunately, not all young people have the confidence to attend their own high school formal either with a partner of the same sex or wearing the clothes that they feel comfortable wearing that properly expresses their gender identity," he added.

"The Same Sex Gender Diverse Formal provides them with a safe space where they feel they can be themselves and let go and not worry about discrimination.

The STOP SAFE Schools Coalition, named after the Victorian Government’s Safe Schools initiative, took to Facebook to rouse its member base into action.

“The more tickets sold to us the more youth we protect,” their post read.

As of this writing, they have 526 fans.

The Same Sex Gender Diverse Formal will take place on April 9 and is open to anyone under the age of 21.

Update: A crowd-funding campaign to sponsor tickets for the event has rocketed past its goal of $15,000 and, as of this writing, now sits at $31,000.

As it states on the Chuffed page, "[t]ickets sponsored... will continue to go to the Victorian Formal, as well as the South Australian Same Sex Gender Diverse Formal in November 2016."

Photo: iStock.