Calls To Change Father's Day To Special Persons' Day

Should we change it up?


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There are calls to rename Father’s Day “Special Persons’ Day” all in the name of inclusiveness - but the idea hasn't gone down too well at all.

Activist Dr Red Ruby Scarlet, who holds a doctorate in early childhood studies, told Today Tonight last month that updating the name of the day would create a greater sense of community among diverse family structures.

“If we think about children’s rights and how they get to participate in a community and feel a sense of belonging, sometimes shifting the language around those emotive and important days can be significant and more inclusive,” Dr Scarlet said.

Dr Scarlet, whose real name is Miriam Giugni, said many families without fathers were backing the idea.

"We have single parent families, satellite families, extended families, lesbian and gay families,” she said.

However New South Wales Liberal minister David Elliott is among critics taking to social media to rubbish Dr Scarlet’s idea of renaming Father’s Day.

“People still celebrate fatherhood even after their father and grandfathers have passed away, in fact for many people Father’s Day is a wonderful time of reflecting and remembering,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Can’t believe that someone who professes to be ‘enlightened’ would advocate such crap.”

A viewer of the Today Tonight interview was left “offended by the idiocy” of the segment. "So will she also be pushing to rename Mother's Day?” wrote Adam Myles on YouTube.

“As a father I am offended by the idiocy of these so called "experts", this kind of thinking is what is wrong with our country at the moment, stop wrapping kids up in cotton wool and let them learn life's lessons before they become the next "it wasn't my fault" generation."

You can see a portion of the video below:

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Troy Nankervis

1 September 2017

Article by:

Troy Nankervis




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