Parents protest gay-friendly classes
Parents say they have the right to pull students from lessons at odds with religious beliefs

Janet Steffenhagen, CanWest News Service Published: Monday, February 19, 2007

VANCOUVER -- Thousands of British Columbians have signed petitions and sent letters to the Education Ministry insisting that parents be allowed to pull their children from public school lessons to avoid gay-friendly messages that conflict with religious or family values.
But Education Minister Shirley Bond said she doesn't intend to change a policy that says parents may remove their students only from specific health lessons in three courses: Health and Career Education for K-7, Health and Career Education 8-9 and Planning 10.
Bond said the protest is premature since government has not moved on a promise to revise the K-12 curriculum to ensure individuals and groups "across the full range of gender identity and sexual orientation" are represented in a positive, non-denigrating way that emphasizes their contributions to society.
That promise was part of a contract the government signed last spring with gay activists Murray and Peter Corren to end a protracted human-rights case. As part of that deal, the government said it would enforce a policy that limits the ability of families to opt out of classes they find objectionable.
In an interview yesterday, Bond said the agreement is intended to make public schools inclusive and respectful, and parents should wait to see what curriculum changes are proposed before worrying about removing their children from classes.
But Sean Murphy of the Catholic Civil Rights League said the minister is ignoring the central point, which is the requirement for public schools to accommodate freedom of conscience and religion.
"That's the point that we've been making since September and that's the point she's been steadfastly ignoring," he said in an interview.
The ministry has placed school boards in an awkward position by requiring them to adhere to a policy that violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, he said.
By making a freedom-of-information request, Murphy found out that the ministry has received 1,000 pages of petitions and 5,000 pages of correspondence related to the Corren agreement.
The ministry confirmed those numbers Friday. Bond said she doesn't know how that compares to public outpourings about other issues, adding she also received thousands of letters and petitions from across the province about a requirement -- recently revoked -- that students complete a portfolio of their non-academic work in order to graduate from Grade 12.
"There is certainly a group of people who have expressed concern [about the Corren agreement], but it is balanced by those who support the initiative," the minister said. Murphy has also written to all school boards and to key members of the B.C. Teachers' Federation, warning them that following the ministry's rules could result in lawsuits.

Of the 60 B.C. school boards, six replied that they will not compel students to attend classes over the objections of their parents, he said.
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007