Split up or leave, South African school tells lesbian parents

 

Nastasya Tay
Thursday 02 May 2013 19:47 BST
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When a five-year-old boy in his first few months at a private South African school proudly announced to his teacher that he has “two mothers”, his parents were given an ultimatum: get a divorce or have their son kicked out.

Kally and Samantha Mabe, a married lesbian couple, said they chose to send their son to a private Christian school to learn about love, acceptance and forgiveness “as God taught us”, and to ensure he received the best education they could afford.

Instead, at a meeting last week with the school principal and pastor, in the northern province of Mpumalanga, they were told they should remove their son from the pre-school year, “for his own good”. “They said, ‘we do not cater to your type of people, who’ve made this lifestyle choice,’” Kally Mabe, the boy’s biological mother said, “The pastor said that if they had known, they would never have allowed our son in the school.”

The Mabes have been living openly as a same-sex couple since their wedding, which was widely publicised. They filled in the parents’ details section of the school registration form with two “Mrs”, said Mabe. “I sat in the parking lot after meeting, shaking,” Mabe told The Independent, “I was angry. I told these people who I am.”

The Mabes have refused to take their son out of the school, and have decided to pursue legal action against the school.

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