Date Posted: July 19, 2011
Print Edition: July 8, 2011
By Jennifer Colbourne (The Cascade) – Email
The kerfuffle in Burnaby over the anti-gay bullying school policy, finally passed unanimously on June 14, is a case-study in bigotry and overreaction. Though the amendment passed, the conflict is not over. Parents’ Voice, an opposing group of concerned parents, has recently submitted a petition of 5,000 signatures to Christy Clark – who has passed the buck yet again.
A Parents’ Voice spokesperson, Mr. World, has summed up the concerns of the group in a recent media interview, stating: “We’re simply saying that this [policy] gives too much breadth and width to activist teachers to preach, to indoctrinate, to unduly influence minds that are still in the formative stages” (Globe and Mail). Excuse me? Indoctrinate children with tolerance? It’s not like these teachers are going to convert children into being “gay.” “Yeah, his teacher taught him it was okay to be gay and now, at age 8, he’s an outrageous queen…” Ridiculous.
Another one of Parents’ Voice’s complaints is that children are too young to learn about sexual diversity. Is a child too young to be told it is wrong to beat up someone just because their skin is a different color? Or because they’re a boy/girl? Or because they’re a Christian or Sikh? Children seem to have an innate desire to “Other,” a desire that needs to be curbed as soon as possible. Obviously a child shouldn’t beat anyone up, even the kid who broke their toy and probably deserves it; but the issue at hand here is targeting.
Children have to be taught at a young age not to target other children solely because they are different, including if they are gay. It doesn’t have to be complicated; we don’t have to teach a 7 year old in detail what a vagina is necessarily – just that some women love women, some men love men, some men love women and hey, they have that right and it’s okay. Psychological studies have shown that most homosexuals know long before puberty that they are gay; such children should not have to grow up in fear and a climate of heterosexism.
This is, after all, keeping in line with Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Section 15 states that “Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.” Now frankly, I think it’s pretty unconstitutional, not to mention ageist, to disallow children these rights and protections. It’s not okay for a child to steal, assault, or murder; it’s not okay for a child to harass or be harassed, either.
Of course, it’s not that these parents are saying that they think gay children should be bullied. They object to the fact that bullying based on sexual orientation is being highlighted as a particular issue that needs to be addressed in school. I’m pretty sure any gay kid can tell you why a special point needs to be made – because, like it or not, gay kids are a target for bullying. And gay youth suicide rates are soaring. Personally, I don’t think “don’t bully” as a blanket statement suffices. We make a point to address racism because racist behaviour is a problem: the same applies to heterosexism and homophobia.
And homophobia, at the moment, is a serious, rampant problem. It’s not a matter of what you personally believe is “natural” or “healthy”; it’s a matter of life and death. Ask Mathew Shepard – except you can’t, because he was tortured and left to slowly, painfully die tied to a pole, his tear streaks the only part of his face not covered in blood. It’s a matter of fear on all sides – but whose fear is justified? I’m going to side with the gay children who face a life of harassment or death, not the parent who is worried their child is secretly gay and may not feel confident enough to accept it or that their core beliefs will somehow be undermined by learning tolerance.
Here in Canada, homosexuality is accepted as a defendable right. If these parents don’t like it, they can go move elsewhere. In the meantime, Canada is the land of tolerance, diversity, and democracy, like it or not. We teach and show respect for our fellow citizens – even our children.
