Halton Ontario Catholic School Board Bans Gay-Straight Alliance Groups

Allow me to introduce Alice Anne LeMay, chair of the Halton Catholic School Board just outside of Toronto (Canada).  She was interviewed recently by several media groups regarding the Board's ban of Gay-Straight alliance groups on campus at their schools.  

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, Gay-Straight Alliance groups are springing up on university, college and high school campuses all over in direct response to bullying and intolerance.  It is a show of support for diversity in our schools and a means of offering protection and support for those who might (would) otherwise become targets of verbal and physical abuse.  

It stands to reason that any school not allowed to have a such group is essentially sanctioning violence against gay or lesbian students.  Whether directly or implicitly, the result is the same.  There is no excuse, ecclesiastical or otherwise for allowing violence in our schools.

I went through the Catholic School system right through to the old grade 13 back in the ’70s and my school, staffed in part by clergy, was openly supportive of gay rights in general and gay individuals in particular.

I remember one priest telling my grade twelve religion class that the editor of “The Body Politic” (now known as “Extra”) was a graduate of the school and that the staff were very proud of him. He actually said he hoped that, in some way, this graduate’s experience at the school had helped instill the courage and self esteem that allowed him to “be himself” (The expression ‘coming out’ was not yet in common parlance in them days).

Alice Anne LeMay and her gang at the Halton board have been called brave.  They are not brave. They are lazy. They lack empathy and understanding. They are usurping archaic traditions and using them as an excuse to bury their heads in the sand. The Bible and the Catholic Church are not something to hide behind blindly. Positive change takes time and only happens when people expect and demand it from within.

The Catholic School boards of Ontario are fully funded by the Province and have an obligation, regardless of the religious implications to uphold the same standard of tolerance and acceptance as any other government organization.

By openly banning GSA groups for the reasons given the Halton Board is in direct contravention of Provincial Policies on equity. Want to see the facts Anne? Maybe you better leaf through this document again. I’m sure there must be a copy of it somewhere in your building: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/inclusiveguide.pdf