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Two
activists are taking the Surrey School Board to the BC
Human Rights Tribunal for allowing certain comments from
those opposing the inclusion of pro-homosexuality books
as approved teaching materials in the schools of the district.
The Surrey School Board, you may remember, held forums
in June at which the vast majority of speakers opposed
the books. Now the complainants, according to The Surrey
Leader, charge that the district "discriminated against
them, as lesbians who attended the meetings, by creating
a process which resulted in a 'poisonous' environment."
"In order for people like myself, who were in support
of the books, to present our point of view," said
. . . [one of the complainants], "we had to sit through
comments that were being made that were very offensive
and demeaning to people that were gay, lesbian, bisexual."
It is now revealed that the complainants had hoped to
stop one of the meetings from being held. When the June
10th meeting was held it was noticed that different guidelines
were laid down by the chairperson. She, as The Leader
puts it, "made a firm statement that general feelings
on homosexuality would not be considered in the board's
decision on the books." It seemed to some that a
chill on discussion had set in, as, after all, the publics'
feelings about homosexuality have a lot to do with the
inclusion or exclusion of pro-homosexuality books.
Commenting
on the actions of the complainants, Surrey School Board
Chairperson Mary Polak said, according to The Leader:
"The potential for this to limit the ability of members
of the public to speak to their elected representatives
is really quite astounding."
Chairperson
Polak's comment is very much to the point. If governmental
bodies cannot allow citizens to express themselves freely,
within the traditional boundaries excluding libel and
slander, how is democracy to function? If references to
the views of parents and others on the moral issues associated
with homosexuality and references to the medical dangers
of homosexual behaviour, based on research, are to be
considered out-of bounds, then only the pro-homosexuality
activists will have real freedom to contribute to a very
important discussion. That discussion is over the appropriateness
of governmental bodies putting the stamp of approval on
homosexual behaviour, whether that stamp comes through
the approval of pro-homosexuality teaching resources,
or by the recognition of same-sex unions as "marriages."
Freedom
of speech and of religion are already under threat: Remember
the printer who had to pay a fine for refusing to print
for a homosexual organization, and the Roman Catholic
school that was forced to allow a self-proclaimed homosexual
student to bring his boy friend to the school prom, and--of
course--Chris Kempling, who is still under the threat
of punishment for speaking out against aspects of the
pro-homosexuality program of the BC Teachers' Federation.
If
those freedoms are under threat already, how much greater
will that threat be if Bill C-250 becomes law! We urge
you to stand against this bill. Please phone your MP if
you have not already done so, and e-mail other MPs. (See
the BCPTL website for the link to an external web page
enabling you you to e-mail any single MP or all the MPs
at once.)
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