On the surface, Australian anti-discrimination laws safeguard queer, trans and non-binary adults and children from discrimination while working and receiving an education. But in reality, our anti-discrimination laws provide a legal shield for select institutions to remove LGBTQI+ staff and students from classrooms. The Sex Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender, gender identity, marital status, and sexual orientation. However, it also provides exemptions for religious institutions, including schools established for religious purposes, which allow them to discriminate against employees and students whose gender identity or sexual orientation is in conflict with the religion’s “doctrines, tenets, beliefs or teachings”.