Australian principal drops 'gay' from 'Kookaburra' song
Wed. September 1, 2010 11:38 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
Melbourne, Australia -
There might be kookaburras sitting in gum trees at Le Page Primary School in Melbourne, Australia, but they're not feeling gay, thanks to a principal's apparently well-meaning mistake.
Australian principal Garry Martin asked the kids to stop singing the line "Gay your life must be" and replace it with "Fun your life must be".
"All I was doing, relatively innocently, was substituting one word because I knew if we sing 'Gay your life must be' the kids will roll around the floor in fits of laughter," the principal told an Australian radio station. "For example, if a boy is not particularly good at sport, they will refer to that child as gay. They have a vague idea how it can be used but they don't really know the full extent of it."
The principal said he's got nothing against gays and lesbians, he was just trying to keep the kids focused.
"I just didn't realize the implications," he said. "I wasn't trying to incite or insult gay people; it was just a decision at the time that I thought would minimize a disruptive atmosphere with grades one and and two."
Australian principal Garry Martin asked the kids to stop singing the line "Gay your life must be" and replace it with "Fun your life must be".
"All I was doing, relatively innocently, was substituting one word because I knew if we sing 'Gay your life must be' the kids will roll around the floor in fits of laughter," the principal told an Australian radio station. "For example, if a boy is not particularly good at sport, they will refer to that child as gay. They have a vague idea how it can be used but they don't really know the full extent of it."
The principal said he's got nothing against gays and lesbians, he was just trying to keep the kids focused.
"I just didn't realize the implications," he said. "I wasn't trying to incite or insult gay people; it was just a decision at the time that I thought would minimize a disruptive atmosphere with grades one and and two."