Quarterly Essay № 67: Moral Panic 101

Are Australian schools safe? And if they’re not, what happens when kids are caught in a bleak collision between ill-equipped teachers and a confected scandal? 

"This is a timely and important work."  -  The Sydney Morning Herald

In 2016, the Safe Schools program became the focus of an ideological firestorm. In Moral Panic 101, Benjamin Law explores how and why this happened. He weaves a subtle, gripping account of schools today, sexuality, teenagers, new ideas of gender fluidity, media scandal and mental health.

In this timely essay, Law also looks at the new face of homophobia in Australia, and the long battle for equality and acceptance. Investigating bullying of the vulnerable young, he brings to light hidden worlds, in an essay notable for its humane clarity.

Benjamin Law is the author of The Family Law and Gaysia, and a columnist for Good Weekend. He co-wrote the TV adaptation of two series of The Family Law.