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from Political News
Canadian Trends:
Persecution Of Gay Critics; Affirmation Of SSA
Two recent events in Canada show that the persecution of individuals who criticize homosexuality continues; Catholic Bishops issued guidelines to affirm teenagers who believe they are gay.
July 27, 2006 -
Cape Breton University History Professor David Mullan has been fined $2,100 for printing letters on his web site that were critical of the Anglican Church of Canada for support of gay marriage.
Mullan's postings were challenged by Shane Wallis, a homosexual student who coordinates the campus Sexual Diversity Office. The student was offended by the letters and filed human rights complaints against the professor.
Mullan responded to Wallis' unsolicited email to him by observing: "Homosexuality is a repudiation of nature and the apotheosis of unbridled desire." Wallis then filed a second complaint against Mullan for his email.
According to Mullan, the university has "declared war on free speech" and is "trying to send a message about their seriousness concerning this harassment and discrimination policy." Professor Mullan says that giving protected status to homosexuals is a "national obsession" in Canada at the moment.
He refuses to stop exercising his free speech. The school's Faculty Association is filing a grievance on his behalf.
Canadian Bishops Issue Gay-Affirmative Guidelines For Students
The left-of-center Catholic New Times reported on June 6, 2006 about new gay-affirmative guidelines published by the Education Commission of the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops. The publication, "Pastoral Guidelines to Assist Students of Same-Sex Orientation," quotes Pope John Paul II, who urged the church to create a "civilization of love" in a "spiritual community."
This document is designed to help same-sex students who are "victims of verbal, physical and more subtle forms of abuse."
The guidelines urge Catholic educators to create learning environments that are safe, nurturing, and inclusive of same-sex students. The document urges educators to protect same-sex students and to affirm their self-esteem as being "essential to human happiness."
According to the Catholic New Times authors Michael Arbour and Barry Blackburn, "Our pastoral approach to gay students needs to be proactive. Catholic educators need to reach out to them, telling them in overt ways that they are loved by God, that they are welcome in the faith community, that they will be listened to and included, and that they have a contribution to make. ... This document is very helpful to Catholic educators at this time. Hopefully the teaching community will embrace it. ... For the gay and lesbian students who sit in our classes and hope for affirmation and acceptance, this can only be good news." (Arbour and Blackburn are Catholic educators in Toronto.)
Additional Reading: Homosexuality Trumps Free Speech And Religion In Canada;
Recent Legal Developments--Texas Sodomy Law & Canada Marriage Law;
Against the Current: The Cost Of Speaking Out For Orientation Change In Canada;
The "Privilege of Speech" in a "Pleasantly Authoritarian Country": How Canada's Judiciary Allowed Laws Proscribing Discourse Critical of Homosexuality to Trump Free Speech and Religious Liberty.
Updated: 8 February 2008
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