Urgent Appeal to the Australian Classification Review Board from CoMHWA

Dear CoMHWA Members,We need your support today!You may have read Sane Australia’s media release slamming the horror film Split for its stigmatising portrayal of people with dissociative identity disorder (please see links below for more information)In response, WA’s mental health consumer peak body CoMHWA wrote to the Classification Review Board seeking to have the film reclassified to R18+ and restricted to adult only audiences.Our request for Review has been granted and the Review Board is accepting email submissions today to make a decision before the film’s release on Australia Day.We see this as a vital way to reduce the potential harms and repercussions of the film’s screening through ensuring young people with mental health issues are not at risk of self-stigma and peer stigma - such as cyberbullying - as a result of the film.It also sends a clear message to film makers to address mental health themes in ways that that promote respect and acceptance or that, at least, do no harm. In 2017, it’s not appropriate to make mental illness the theme of horror entertainment.Please send your letter today (24^th January)  to crb@classification.gov.au outlining why you feel it’s important that minors (under age 18) are not exposed to the stigmatising messages of the Split horror film. You can download a letter template here.Click here to read CoMHWA’s original letter. 

Thank you in advance for your support.

  Further LinksView Sane’s Media Release here.View the Split film trailer here.View activist commentaries here from The Mighty, Dominick Evans and The Petition Site.