An excerpt from "Elections, Part III: The future of Canada"

When same-sex lifestyles were accorded equal status by the Liberal government of Paul Martin in June 2005, many Canadians may have thought this would satisfy the homosexual community, and the 'progressive' movers behind them, and that this would be the end of it. They could only have believed this because they were unfamiliar with the thrust and nature of the homosexual drive for equality. Now that homosexual activists have achieved their legal status, their next demand is that the validity of their lifestyle - and other, related perversions such as trans-sexuality - must be acknowledged by all Canadians as legitimate and acceptable. How is this to be done? It starts with the children. - Editor

Homosexuals target schools

            Ottawa-Having won 'rights' such as same-sex 'marriage,' homosexuals are now setting their sights on the schools with a two-pronged agenda. First, they seek to inculcate their propaganda among children - whether in religious, public or private schools. Second, they want to expunge any vestiges of parental opposition.

Capital Xtra!

Ottawa's homosexual newspaper Capital Xtra!, full of pornography and the endless listing of sexual encounters, ran a lengthy feature on, "Fighting the religious bully in schools" (Feb. 22, 2007). "The one thing all these schools - whatever their religious or cultural affiliation - seem to have in common is their unwillingness to go along with the public school system's attempts to teach that gays and lesbians are entitled to live their lives as equals, with equal protection under human rights legislations," the article said.

Xtra! quoted a homosexual Ottawa public school teacher as charging that, "All private schools tend to be at least implicitly homophobic . all religiously formed independent schools are definitely homophobic." Xtra! described the situation as "a battle for the hearts and souls of Canadian students, with the battleground being 'queer' rights." It acknowledged that, "Schools are crucibles for young people. They're where the personalities of students are forged."

What do we know about the situation across Canada so far?

QUEBEC

In 2006, the Quebec government ordered some Protestant private schools to teach the same graphic sex education and Darwinism taught in all other schools, in keeping with the provincial curriculum. It threatened these schools with closure if they failed to comply. At the moment, we have no further information on what the current Quebec curriculum teaches.

What is known is that in September 2007, Quebec schools will no longer teach any course from a Catholic point of view, including religion. The Catholic and Protestant system was dissolved in 1997. The Catholic bishops did not oppose it, even though it went against the wishes of a large body of Catholic parents (see "Secular fundamentalists undo Quebec schools," in the print edition of Catholic Insight, Jan.-Feb. 1998; pp. 24-25). Please note that in the House of Commons, the drive for the abolition of Protestant and Catholic schools in Quebec was led by one Stéphane Dion, then a federal government cabinet minister. (See also Archbishop Ouellet's concerns in News in Brief, p. 38 in the print edition.)

The Atlantic Provinces

            In the Atlantic provinces, all schools are public schools. Readers may remember that Newfoundland's religious school system was also dismantled in 1997, under Liberal premier Brian Tobin, supposedly a Catholic. (See Fr. Carl Matthews, S.J., "Suppression in Newfoundland," in the print edition of Catholic Insight, Jan.-Feb. 1998, pp. 25-26.) This move was immediately supported by then-prime minister Jean Chrétien, who by-passed the constitutional requirements of consulting at least five other provinces to get it approved in Ottawa.

Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and New Brunswick closed their Catholic schools over 50 years ago. The assumption at the time was that their schools were Christian, because the communities they reflected were Christian.

Well, times have changed. In 2006, Catholic Insight published three articles about the infiltration of the Nova Scotia school system by Planned Parenthood, an anti-life, anti-family agency (see Alexander MacDonald, "Planned Parenthood's attack on Nova Scotia's children," from April, 2006 at http://catholicinsight.com/online/church/education/article_666.shtml; "The school struggle in Nova Scotia. When is a health centre not a health centre?" on p. 10 in the May, 2006 print edition; and "Can Catholic teachers be compelled to teach sex education?" on pp. 13-14 in the June, 2006 print edition).

The articles described how sex manuals with graphic depictions of sex, pornography and misleading claims about 'safe' sex have made their way into the province's schools; how, thereupon, so-called health clinics have been established in which youngsters are brainwashed into PP's manual of anti-life, anti-family propaganda of contraception, abortion, condoms, etc.; and how teachers have been steamrolled into compliance.

All of this paves the way for homosexualists to move in under the same umbrella. In the small city of Sydney, N.S., for example, three K-12 school principals are known homosexuals. They will not stand idle.

What is the situation in Ontario?

A Grade 12 student at a Richmond Hill, ON, high school, who describes herself as "bisexual," is seeking to form a school club focused on homosexual issues. (Editor: There is no such thing as a "bisexual." The term merely covers up the desire to fornicate with both men and women.) An informal homosexual club, supervised by a supportive teacher, has been meeting there for several years. The principal thinks the "needs" of homosexual students would be better served through a new "diversity advocacy team" that is being formed. The student wants a club so it can issue announcements and put up posters. A "gay-straight" club, however, has, so far, been rejected for the school (National Post, Jan. 22, 2007).

Today, Ontario's Liberal government has a lesbian education minister (as well as a homosexualist health minister). By coincidence or not, she is a graduate of the same high school mentioned above and was approached by the student to throw her weight behind the effort for a club, in the midst of what was described as "a homecoming queen's welcome" at the school. Kathleen Wynne applauded the student's initiative and recalled how she used to learn what the rules were so she could go about changing them. During her high school years, Wynne said, she had challenged a regulation against allowing female students to wear trousers and was also among the organizers of a controversial group of feminist speakers (Toronto Star, Jan. 13, 2007).

Hamilton citizens' group sounds alarm over school board's 'equity policy'

Another example may be found in Hamilton. The school board in that city is planning to impose an "equity" policy that includes an "anti-homophobia" curriculum for the city's public schools. An active organization of concerned citizens, the Hamilton-Wentworth Family Action Council, says that under the policy, expressing perspectives on homosexual and bisexual conduct from a principled and moral perspective will come to be seen as 'homophobia' and 'heterosexism.' In other words, it will be forbidden.

The Action Council is encouraging local citizens to speak now, for the policy is due for validation this spring. The consequence of the policy is the end of the freedom to speak out. It warns that lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgendered 'communities' will enforce the understanding that the homosexual lifestyle is natural and normal and is to be promoted and celebrated. Terms such as 'mother' and 'father' will be replaced by 'partner' (HWFAC e-mail and press release, Jan. 17 and 20, 2007).

The Hamilton-Wentworth Family Action Council can be reached at P.O. Box 66714, 38 King Street East, Stoney Creek, ON, L8G 5E6. Its website is: www.hamiltonfamilyaction.org.

Catholic schools

What about Catholic schools? Ah, you say, this cannot be a problem for Catholic schools because the Church has vigorously rejected the false notion of same-sex 'marriage' and denied the validity of the homosexual lifestyle as either acceptable or natural. Well, think again. Homosexually active Catholics have been infiltrating Ontario's Catholic schools for some time and, with their new legal status, now demand to be recognized.

The homosexual network in Catholic schools

In Catholic Insight's January issue, we published an insightful article on the Pastoral Guidelines issued last year by the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops on assisting students with same-sex tendencies (the Guidelines used the term "orientation," about which there is more below). The article pointed out that while the document gives teachers much to think about, good pastoral judgement needs to be exercised in the section on pastoral practices, where terms such as "orientation, "self-discovery" and "homophobic" are used freely, as if they have the same meaning for people of opposing views. They do not. 'Homophobic,' for example, is used by homosexuals for any opposition at all, including the views of the Church. (For the January article, see: http://catholicinsight.com/online/church/education/article_696.shtml.)

The Catholic Church's tradition has always declared homosexual acts intrinsically disordered and contrary to the natural law. The Catechism teaches that homosexual acts "close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved" (paragraph 2357).

Soon after the release of the Pastoral Guidelines, two Catholic homosexual activists, Michael Arbour and Barry Blackburn, co-composed an article in the now-defunct dissenting newspaper, the Catholic New Times. The two characterized the bishops' guidelines as, "Good News for gay and lesbian kids" (June 4, 2006). The January 2007 article in Catholic Insight shows they have twisted the Pastoral Guidelines to serve their own bias.

Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts

The same Michael Arbour is head of the Department of Religion at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts in North York, ON. Blackburn is a retired teacher, a fully out-of-the-closet homosexual, and the partner of the homosexual suspended Catholic priest, Tim Ryan. Blackburn and Ryan have been living together for a long time. (For more on Father Tim Ryan, see the print edition of Catholic Insight, April 2004, p. 3, "Fr. Tim Ryan suspended.")

          At a December 2006 school staff meeting on the subject of homosexuality, at least five teachers "outed" themselves as homosexuals. A music teacher announced she is a lesbian who "married" her partner following the passage of Bill C-38 by the federal Parliament in 2005. She has told her students that her "lifestyle" is normal and acceptable.

          Under the leadership of Michael Arbour, Cardinal Carter Academy's religion department has created "co-curricular activities," corresponding to religion courses. The Grade 12 course entitled "Christianity Reloaded" (Church and Culture) has attached to it the co-curricular GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance), described as "a conversation between gay and straight students." GSAs usually follow the umbrella, first of "safety," then tolerance, then affirmation. The nature of this "conversation" seems quite obvious, as already the terms "gay" and "straight" come directly from the homosexualists' language and culture. In fact, the whole idea of GSAs comes from there.

          Some people may think that as long as it is restricted to Grade 12 students, it cannot be too bad because they are mature enough to handle this semi-indoctrination. We don't think so. Aside from that, this is not the end of it. The same religion department (together with the "chaplaincy") has a religion course for Grade 9 entitled, "Belonging," and for Grade 10, "Emerging." Attached to these Grade 9 and 10 courses (exactly what they are and what they have to do with the Catholic faith is not evident), the chaplaincy lists "grade-level retreats animated by Grade 12 leadership class." So the Grade 12 students now have a chance to pass on the affirmation of the homosexual lifestyle to the younger students!

          With half-a-dozen teachers having 'outed' themselves as 'gay positive,' parents may want to rethink sending their children to this school, unless the trustees and the school board decide to act. (For the damage these disordered lifestyles can do and for their dangers, see the websites http://www.narth.com/

and http://www.pfox.org/.)

Meanwhile, there seem to be homosexual teachers sprinkled throughout Toronto's Catholic schools, teachers who do not hesitate to posit their views against the Church in their classrooms.

Another Ontario example

The Windsor Star (March 1, 2007) reported on a transgender "dress-like-the-opposite-sex" exercise, held as part of a "Spirit Day" at St. Angela Catholic School. Joshua Johnson, a Grade 7 student who was found by his mother to be sporting female eyeliner, said there were "boys with boobs and everything; we had transgender day . Some of the boys had wigs." Joshua's mother said she had no idea it was happening.

School principal Colleen Arfiero said a newsletter usually goes home with students to inform parents of what will be happening during Spirit Day, but that did not happen this time. Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board superintendent Joe Berthiaume called the event "inappropriate" and added cross-dressing "is not a Catholic belief." For his part, Joshua asked, "Why do they even have a day like that? It just teaches us it's okay to be a different gender. It's not, I think."

The Windsor incident came as "transgendered" Ontarians are making a push for legitimacy and protection against discrimination in the province's human rights code. The group is said to include trans-sexuals, transvestites and "other individuals whose identities don't conform to traditional notions of sex." NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, a United Church minister, said she will introduce a private member's bill to amend the provincial human rights code to add "gender identity" ("a person's inner sense of being a man, woman or other gender") to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination (Toronto Sun, March 6, 2007). Ontario MPPs should have the conviction to say "No," but don't count on it. Ontarians better start writing their Members of the Provincial Parliament!

Michele Glavine

Michele Glavine, from the Dufferin-Peel (Mississauga) Catholic District School Board, is a member of the Catholic School Education Writing Team that produced the Ontario bishops' Pastoral Guidelines. She gave a workshop presentation on the Guidelines at the 11^th When Faith Meets Pedagogy conference for Ontario Catholic educators, held in October 2006.

An attendee at the session told Catholic Insight that Glavine's remarks "contained many conflicting messages and ambiguities that left many in the small workshop with more questions than answers . Glavine's approach sowed seeds of doubt regarding the Church's beautiful understanding of human sexuality." At one point, Glavine stated the Church's understanding of human sexuality is "still unfolding."

It was at this workshop that Glavine took credit for having been responsible for getting the term "orientation" into the title and text. As Catholic Insight pointed out in the March article "Elections, Part II," under our commentary about the statement of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (subheaded "Uneasiness," p. 23 in the print edition), the Church's Catechism and other Vatican documents never use the term "orientation." This term was created by the homosexual community to indicate their belief that their condition is normal and natural. Instead, the Church uses the terms "tendencies" or "attraction." It is through these subtle maneouvrings that homosexualists gain their footholds in these programs and then expand into homosexual propaganda.

At the conclusion of her workshop, Glavine recommended as a resource the Gay-Straight Alliance Handbook, produced by the Canadian Teachers Federation. This handbook normalizes and celebrates homosexuality. That reconnects the story to Michael Arbour and his doings at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts.

The question about all this is: is somebody (teachers, principals, school boards, parish priests, trustees, bishops) and parents going to do anything about this?

Western Canada

In Calgary, Bishop Fred Henry says it is critical to re-evaluate the kinds of sex education commonly being imparted to our young people. Citing an enormous increase in sexually transmitted diseases, the bishop is calling for a return to traditional sexual and social ethics that reserve sexual activity for married heterosexual couples (LifeSiteNews, Feb. 20, 2007, http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/feb/07022009.html).

In British Columbia, a battle continues over homosexual content in the classroom. As we reported in December 2006 ("Bishops and laity oppose 'gay'-positive curricula," pp. 36-37 in the print edition), the provincial government gave two homosexual activists unprecedented say over the provincial curriculum as part of the settlement of a human rights complaint. The agreement includes a provision that will prevent parents from taking their children out of classrooms in which pro-homosexual material is being taught.

Thousands of parents have signed petitions and sent letters to the Education Ministry, insisting they be allowed to pull their children from public school lessons involving 'gay-friendly' instruction that conflicts with their moral or religious values. Education Minister Shirley Bond, however, says she does not intend to change a policy that allows withdrawal from only three courses.

Nonetheless, six of 60 B.C. school boards say they will not compel students to attend classes over the objections of their parents (Victoria Times-Colonist, Feb. 19, 2007). The Catholic Civil Rights League is working with B.C. parents to secure their ultimate right over the content of children's education in all the school boards (LifeSiteNews, Feb. 27, 2007, http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/feb/07022706.html). The CCRL has provided an online overview of the situation and a resource for parents at: http://www.ccrl.ca/index.php?id=435. Parents are also voters. They should organize the defeat of Shirley Bond at the next election. And they should organize resistance against local schools which introduce these courses.

The issue of legal rights and the clash of opposing values in schools has recently been discussed by Peter Lauwers, Catholic Register, March 4, 2007, pp. 15-22.

(N.B.: Catholic Insight is interested in receiving factual information about the situations described above, and other similar ones, either by e-mail or letter. Please contact us).

Catholic Insight's continuing series on "Elections" began in February, 2007 with "Part I: Whom not to vote for" (pp. 19-28 in the print edition), which is available in full at http://catholicinsight.com/online/political/article_702.shtml. The next installment in March, 2007 (pp. 19-26 in the print edition) was "Part II: Where to, Canada?"

          The latest installment in April, 2007 (pp. 21-30 in the print edition) is "Part III: The future of Canada." The above article is "Section B" of the three-part feature. For "Section A: The latest attacks on religion and speech," and "Section C: A new springtime: God's plan for Canada," please see the print edition. Click here to subscribe: http://catholicinsight.com/online/subscribe.shtml.