Members of the University of Notre Dame’s LGBTQIA+ club say they feel unsafe and uncomfortable after being taken to task over the display of pride flags on campus.
Stripes Fremantle president Shelley Dewrance says the student-led group was first told to be discreet with the rainbow flag in May 2025, after the university took issue with the group’s orientation day stall.
“The issue they had contention with, to our knowledge, was that if you crop a photo of the stall to where you can’t see the table, then the photo of just our members with the pride flag behind them would be considered advocacy, which is not allowed,” Dewrance says.
“It could be seen as a form of protest.
“My initial response to them was, ‘can you give me a definition of what advocacy is?’ Because one of my roles on campus that year was as a disability representative for the student association. I said to them, ‘how is that any different?’”
Since then, Dewrance says it’s been a constant battle.
“There were a lot of different email chains about what was and wasn’t allowed – at one point, we couldn’t even have rainbows,” Dewrance says.
“It seems like they want to very much hide our presence. We can be there; they just don’t want anyone to know.”
In an email exchange with Stripes, seen by the Western Independent, a university official says, “while the rainbow flag can be incorporated as one element of a broader display, it is not to be displayed by itself”.
“There has been a request that the rainbow flag not be displayed prominently on advertising materials,” another email seen by The Western Independent reads.
As a Catholic university, Notre Dame follows the Catholic Church doctrine, which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman.
One of the university’s five core values is “Catholic mission,” with students encouraged to be “a force for good and help to advance Notre Dame’s mission to be the leading global Catholic research university”.
Angela Han is the chair of Acceptance Perth, a community support group for LGBTQIA+ Catholics.
She says Notre Dame also has a responsibility to protect queer students.
“In terms of Catholicism, there’s a broad spectrum and Notre Dame is considered more on the conservative side,” she says.
“If you look at Pope Leo, Pope Francis, they are pastoral in nature.
“The Vatican itself allows expression from queer people and uses their testimonies to say certain things are bad, like conversion therapy.
“But Notre Dame seems to not want to create dialogue or follow the Vatican’s model. It’s worrying.”
Ms Han says she’s worried about the message the restriction is sending to queer students on campus.
“It’s concerning that something that is supposed to be symbolic of inclusion is being taken away,” she says.
“I think that it’s not safe for queer students and staff to be there if they’re not allowed to have something as simple as a flag.”
It’s not the first time the university has taken issue with the rainbow flag.
While Dewrance says there has been growth in the past few years, recent discussions with administrators have been a “step backwards” for the university.
“A lot of my club (members) have now said to me they are considering leaving the university because it’s just very difficult to be on a campus,” Dewrance says.
“They don’t feel comfortable to be here. It feels very much like we are not welcome.”
The Stripes’ Club was required to submit all material for prior approval by the university ahead of setting up a stall on campus last week, marking International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism, and Transphobia.
“Every single time we do a stall, this happens. No other club gets continuously barraged to provide a photo of every single resource that they have,” Dewrance says.
As a religious institution, Notre Dame can expel or discriminate against students based on sexual orientation as per a clause in the Sex Discrimination Act, a concern Dewrance says is always top of mind.
“The club has not spoken out about this for a very long time because my concern has always been that we will be at risk of being shut down or having individual members expelled,” Dewrance says.
Equality Australia legal director Heather Corkhill says religious institutions are not held to the same standards as any other organisation when it comes to employment, education and service delivery.
“Despite receiving millions in public funding, religious schools and universities are still legally allowed to discriminate under our federal laws,” she says.
“They can sack gay teachers, deny promotions to unmarried mothers or divorcees, and prevent LGBTQIA+ students from taking on leadership roles or having an active presence on campus.”
Rainbow Futures engagement lead Nat Latter says WA’s Equal Opportunity Act needs work to provide adequate protection to LGTQIA+ students and teachers at religious schools.
“The suppression of the pride flag for students in Notre Dame’s Stripes club demonstrates how this can play out in practice,” she says.
“In a climate of rising anti-LGBTQIA+ hate, the pride flag is an important signal to those seeking collective safety.
“Institutions suppressing these expressions of identity are discriminatory and should be recognised as such in our laws. It is time the Act is modernised to provide protections to everyone in our community.”
Dewrance says it’s exhausting to always be mindful of the university’s image when conducting club activities.
“It’s very tokenistic. They’re happy for us to have an event on campus, but it’s on their terms. If we stray a little bit too far from how they want us to act, how you want us to present, that’s it,” Dewrance says.
“If we are at open day and a year 12 student comes up to me, and the make-or-break decision for whether they come to our university or a different university is whether they think they’ll be safe here. You’re expecting me to tell them that they are?
“But are they actually safe here?”
In a statement, the University of Notre Dame Australia says it is committed to fostering an environment that welcomes all students and remains committed to working collaboratively with all student clubs and societies.
