I knew they were oil pimps. I knew they were Con dinosaurs. But who knew they were so ignorant?
What I do know is why they did it. To appease the Christianist hatemongers like the AmeriCon wingnut Ted Morton.
"According to the feminist-gay gospel, the great evils of this world are sexism and homophobia, and their breeding ground is the traditional family," Morton told his audience. "Hence, the gay-feminist project has become a social engineering project -- to use the coercive power of the state to undermine the existing family and to reconstruct in its place their gender-equal utopias."
And I know who will pay the price.
What Christian right-wing activists couldn't accomplish, even in George W. Bush's America, they're about to to pull off here. To placate a few anti-gay members of his caucus, Ed Stelmach has allowed this Trojan Horse of a social-policy entry to our school system. I fear we, our children, and all our families -- natural and not-so-natural -- will pay the price for years to come.
But most of all I know who will suffer the most. Gay children or the children of gay parents.
Who will be marginalized more than they already are...
By being made to feel that who they are is too dirty to talk about.
Or that the parents who love them are evil.
Which can only lead to even more bullying... and even more dead kids.
The ignorant cowardly dinosaurs.
The cruel bastard Cons....
I do challenge the teachers of Alberta to send a year-long notification/permission slip to their students' parents that will explain that the classroom is a "whole-world" class where at any time, students may learn content that includes sexual orientation, sexuality, and religion. There is no discrimination in the classroom. I would have every classroom include a poster of k.d. lang reading a book with the caption, "This classroom does not discriminate based on sexual orientation, sex, religion, race, ethnicity, and disability." Either parents can opt-in for the whole year or opt-out. There will be no piecemeal opting-in and out. The quality of teaching and learning should never suffer under the threat of lower student attendance.
ReplyDeleteWell put, Simon!
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe this passed so easily. Obviously Alberta didn't think it was very controversial.
Hi Skinny Dipper...I agree an excellent idea. And thank you for reminding me about the teachers. They are putting up a heroic resistance to this ridiculous law.
ReplyDeleteI admire tham a lot and one day the people of Alberta will have to pay tribute to them for standing up for the future of their kids....
Hi David...yes you're right...these ridiculous War on
ReplyDeleteEverythings have all but raped the U.S. Constitution and would have horrified the founding fathers.
It also introduces aggressive militarism into civil discourse and degrades a society.
On the other hand if anyone wants to declare a War on Poverty, or a War on Bigotry,I'll be a willing recruit...
Hi Mark...you know the whole idea seemed so backward I honestly didn't think it would pass. But I guess with people like Ted Morton around anything is possible. I read his entire speech supporting the bill and it was one of the most crazed speeches I think I've ever read.
ReplyDeleteViva Alberta !! Aren't you glad you live in Montreal ? :)
Mark and Simon:
ReplyDeleteI can't say 'Alberta' passed this. But the monolithic beast known as the Forever Conservative Government certainly did. The oppostion party reps tried, but they're peeper frogs next to fat elks in permanent rut.
I just want to see a progressive pull their kids out, challenging the Christian agenda to promote religious bigotry in class. I mean, after all, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Can't you imagine the swawking and martyrdom from the usual suspects about that?
The publicity alone is going to blacken Alberta's 'hep' reputation as a place where forward thinking business gets done. I'm *sure* Flanagan's 'freemarket principles will solve civil rights problems because that's where the profit lies' will fix things right away.
That said, it's interesting that serious corporations in province have ethics policies that deny anti-homosexual activists from indulging their beliefs on fellow employees in the office, including the government halls, but schools are being trapped into isolating and censoring even awareness of a human minority.
Hi Niles...everything you say is true. I can't blame Alberta... as much as I would like to... ;) Because there are a lot of good people teachers and kids who are fighting the law as hard as they can.
ReplyDeleteIt's also great that adults can be protected from work place discrimination.
But if you want to change attitudes and protect the children you have to start in the schools.
And the fact that this law will only marginalize gay kids further, and make them even more likely to be bullied really makes me angry.
If Alberta wants to be considered as more than than just a one-party redneck state it's going to have to give its head a shake.
Because it's looking RIDICULOUS...