The Roman Catholic Church is escalating its opposition to a British Columbia government teacher guide that encourages diversity in the public school system.This week the Catholic Civil Rights League, a lay group, urged parents to protest against the guide over its inclusion of gay issues including same-sex marriage.
The guide, which does not mandate diversity studies, is the result of a human rights complaint filed by a same-sex couple in 2005.
The following year the education ministry reached a settlement with Murray and Peter Corren to make the curriculum gay-friendly.Called Making Space, Giving Voice, the guide will help teachers in developing discussions of diversity from kindergarten to Grade 12.
The Catholic Civil Rights League in a statement said that the program will conflict with the religious beliefs of parents and take time away from core core curriculum subjects.
The League said it will work with other groups to mount a concerted effort to kill what it calls the government's attempt drive to introduce "non-heterosexual realities" in all classrooms.
The head of the Vancouver Elementary School Teachers' Association said the League's protest won't succeed because the courts have already ruled that public schools must be inclusive. "The ministry is putting out this document as a suggestion -- it's not mandatory but I think it's pretty solid," Glen Hansman told The Vancouver Sun.
In their 2005 complaint to the B.C. Human rights commission the Correns said that the provincial school curriculum does not present a balanced view of gay issues.
Same-sex marriage is legal in British Columbia but the province's schools do not include gay issues in the curriculum they charged.
Murray Corren, a teacher in Coquitlam, has been fighting for recognition of gay issues in the curriculum for a decade. He said that there is systemic discrimination through omission and "suppression of queer issues in the whole of the curriculum."
Corren said the curriculum should include LGBT history and historical figures, the presences of positive gay role models - past and present, the contributions made by gays to society and civilization, along with issues relating to same-sex marriage and gay families.
A human rights tribunal heard evidence in the case that year, but in 2006, the provincial government, without waiting for a ruling from the tribunal, agreed to examine how to add diversity programs to the school system.
The education ministry then asked the Correns to participate in the process.
Even though the guide has been completed and distributed it is not in effect.
Education Minister Shirley Bond told The Sun she is still reviewing public feedback on the guide.
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