Overview
The good folks at Sydney's Dendy Newtown have announced they'll be offering discount student tickets to same-sex parenting documentary Gayby Baby when it opens at the cinema next week. Students will be able to see the film for $12 on opening weekend (September 5-6), reduced from the usual $16. Gayby Baby producer Charlotte Mars expressed her support for the move, saying that, "While we are disappointed with the decision to ban the film during school hours, we are extremely grateful to Dendy Newtown for making the film accessible to as many students as possible."
The directorial debut of Sydneysider Maya Newell, Gayby Baby documents the experience of four Australian children between the ages of 10 and 12 years old who are growing up with same-sex parents. The film received extremely positive reviews following screenings at the Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals earlier this year, and is currently set to be released in select cinemas around the country on September 3.
If you've somehow managed to miss the furore surrounding Gayby Baby, then congrats on living in a far less infuriating world than the rest of us. On Wednesday, NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli banned public schools in the state from showing the film during school hours – a decision that, by an astounding coincidence, came just hours after Sydney's Daily Telegraph stirred up controversy by claiming that kids were being "brainwashed with propaganda." Funny how the timing worked out there, isn't it? Oh, and it should also probably go without saying that he hasn't actually seen the film.
Now before you start banging your head repeatedly into your desk, you should know that most people (not named Premier Mike Baird) have actually reacted to this story in the way that rational, compassionate human beings should. Federal Labour MP and gay parent Penny Wong gave an impassioned speech in Federal Parliament, while the prefects at Sydney's Burwood Girls High – which was specifically singled out by the Daily Telegraph – issued a statement pledging their support to the LGBTIQ community. They're also planning on hosting an after school screening of the film in the near future. Legends.
You can also register to host your own screening via the film's website.