Luka Kiernan, 19, who attended St Kevin’s college, revealed on Friday that his portrait (pictured) on the school’s High Academic Achiever’s Board has been defaced with the words ‘traitor and ‘snitch’
A former student has been targeted by vandals after speaking out against the misogynistic culture entrenched within an elite Melbourne all-boys school.
Luka Kiernan, 19, who attended St Kevin’s college, revealed on Friday that his portrait on the school’s High Academic Achiever’s Board has been defaced with the words ‘traitor and ‘snitch’ .
The attack comes two days after the former pupil spoke out about a sexist chant performed by the Toorak private school students on a tram last week.
A second video of the same offensive lyrics, being sung days later during a pub crawl, has since emerged.
‘I’ve received quite a lot of harassment,’ he told news.com.au.
‘When somebody breaks from the ruling class discipline like I’ve done, when somebody cuts against the grain, they are absolutely victimised because you’re not allowed to leave the ”boys’ club” and you’re certainly not allowed to criticise it publicly.’
Kiernan, who graduated last year, says the act of vandalism on the portrait, which sits in a walk-way frequented by Year 12 students, is ‘an admission of guilt’.
Year 10 pupils at $19,000-a-year sang a cricket chant with offensive lyrics while on their way to an athletics tournament on Saturday.
Dressed in their school’s stripped blazers, they chanted: ‘I wish that all the ladies, were holes in the road… And if I was a dump truck, I’d fill them with my load.’
The video was shared by a frightened passenger who described the chant as ‘disgusting’ and said she was too afraid to confront the boys.
Kiernan (pictured), who graduated last year, says the act of vandalism on the portrait, which sits in a walk-way frequented by Year 12 students, is ‘an admission of guilt’
The alumnus, who still tutors current students, said he wasn’t surprised by the video as the college has a long-standing problem with sexist behaviour on Wednesday.
‘It is very reflective of the hyper-masculine, totally misogynistic culture that really pervades all levels at St Kevin’s,’ he told the ABC
‘It really for me just shows a level of confidence and audacity that these boys have in their own sexist attitudes that they feel they can express them publicly on a tram without any shame at all.’
Several students from Year 10 and Year 11 have since been suspended.
The second video, filmed on Monday night, has sparked outrage within the school community that the pupils aren’t taking the allegations seriously.
The second video, filmed on Monday night, has sparked outrage within the school community (pictured) that the pupils aren’t taking the allegations seriously
Kiernan said it demonstrated complete disregard for the backlash after the first incident, and how sexist attitudes pervade the entire school’s system.
‘It proves it’s not a minority of extreme sexists, it’s an ingrained culture that is adhered to by the majority of the school population.
Headmaster Stephen Russell has apologised for their behaviour.
‘Students upset by the behaviour have already come to me and we have been following through in both a disciplinary and pastoral manner,’ he said.
‘We have always and will continue to challenge such poor behaviour and misogynistic attitudes through programs at school and with the co-operation of parents.’