University of Queensland law dean 'transitioning' from role
The University of Queensland's law school head who faced controversy during his two years in the role over comments he made about transgender children will step down in the new year.
Professor Patrick Parkinson, AM, will depart his role as academic dean and head of the TC Beirne School of Law in January before "transitioning to a fractional appointment" at the university.
Professor Patrick Parkinson said "giving up" the senior role had been a "difficult decision to make".
Appointed in May 2018 after time as a family law and child protection specialist at the University of Sydney, Professor Parkinson also chairs the conservative think tank Freedom for Faith. He also commissioned a report for the Australian Christian Lobby while at his former university.
Professor Parkinson told Brisbane Times on Tuesday "giving up" the senior role, to better balance his work and family life, had been a "difficult decision to make".
"But as I explained to the staff, the needs of the family really had to take priority at this stage and could not easily be met while in such a demanding role," he said. "The law school is doing really well, and I am confident it will go on from strength to strength."
News of the departure comes little over a year since his comments at a Freedom for Faith conference in Sydney sparked revolt among the law faculty in Brisbane.
Presenting a paper to a conference for the group in September last year, he argued religious schools should be free to not accept the "new" gender identity of a child who wanted to transition.
The paper, titled Is Gender Identity Discrimination a Religious Freedom Issue?, drew comparisons between transgender children and those with eating disorders, while attempting to outline "just how many of the ideas strongly promulgated by some in the transgender movement are based upon unscientific beliefs".
Almost 40 law academics then pledged to support transgender students at the university in an open letter. The University of Queensland Law Society also distanced itself from the professor.
"These sentiments are not reflective of the inclusive culture fostered amongst law students," the society wrote at the time.
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Matt Dennien is a reporter with Brisbane Times.