A Queensland prestigious boys school has told final-year students they can't take their gay partners to the senior formal.

Gay students at Churchie - the Anglican Church Grammar School - want to escort their boyfriends to the school's formal on June 19, but the school is insisting they must take a female partner.

The school's headmaster Jonathan Hensman said none of the students had approached him directly, but a staff member had raised the issue on their behalf.

...we would not see it as appropriate for couples in a same-sex relationship to attend an event such as a school formal

"The senior dinner dance is an opportunity for our young men to escort a young woman in a formal school environment," Mr Hensman said.

"We don't intend to change our practice. As well as being a social occasion, it's an education forum and to that end the school decides what is appropriate behaviour and what is not."

Queensland's Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth said sexuality discrimination was unlawful, and that applied to private and public schools as well as other organisations.

However, Churchie is not alone in its stand against same-sex couples attending school formals, with Queensland Catholic Education Executive Director Mike Byrne saying their schools would not allow it either.

Mr Byrne said Catholic schools were committed to modelling behaviours in keeping with the values and principles of a Catholic institution. 

"As such we would not see it as appropriate for couples in a same-sex relationship to attend an event such as a school formal," he said.

"Where young people are concerned, there are often matters associated with sexuality and relationships - both heterosexual and homosexual - where schools provide a range of support services for students."

Although Ms Booth could not comment specifically on the Churchie case because it was "a potential complaint", the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner said schools should not treat students differently on the basis of their sexuality.

"What we hope is that there can be a discussion about the issue, that's what happens in the commission, and that's where we hope the matter can be sorted out."

Queensland University of Technology School of Justice lecturer Dr Angela Dwyer said Churchie's stand on the issue of same-sex formal partners would be "devastating" to those involved.

"We're talking about someone's identity here. The way that they feel and the way that they express themselves is basically being squashed by the school," said Dr Dwyer, who is writing a research paper on "How queer young people are policed".

If you go to a school who has banned you from taking your same sex partner to the formal, please contact us at GenQ.

Tags: anglican church grammar school, anti-gay, churchies, gay australia, gay formal, gay teen, homophobia, homophobic, homosexuality