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(Vancouver, British Columbia) Conservative
political action groups and the Roman Catholic Church are demanding the British
Columbia government abandon plans to introduce a course next year that would
include LGBT civics and material on gay marriage.
The course, called Social Justice, is still being
developed by the Department of Education. It will examine a range of
topics, including race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. The course,
aimed at grade 12 students, would not be a requirement for students, but could
be taken as one of the optional courses leading to graduation.
The leader of the province's Roman Catholics has
assailed the course. Vancouver Archbishop Raymond Roussin says it could lead to
"inappropriate and
morally objectionable material'' in the public school system.
In an editorial this week in province's Catholic
newspaper Roussin says the course threatens the right of
parents to control their children's education and calls on parents to pressure
the government to abandon the project.
A political action group called Concerned Parents of British Columbia
has begun lobbying school boards to pressure the government to drop the planned
course.
"We've got an advocacy group that has
opened the door of a precedent and we don't know who's going to walk through the
door next," said spokesperson Brian Roodnick following a presentation this
week at the Richmond School Board.
Ten days ago, about 1,000 members of the group
and other conservative organizations demonstrated against the course at the
Vancouver constituency office of Premier Gordon Campbell. (story)
The group claims not to be anti-gay but
angry that parents were not part of consultation process.
The course stems from a British Columbia Human
Rights complaint filed by a same-sex couple.
Murray Corren, a teacher in Coquitlam, and his
husband, Peter, accused the Ministry of Education of discrimination
against gay students and the children of same-sex partners.
A human rights tribunal heard evidence in the
case last year.
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.
The province's teachers union supported the
couple's complaint.
The government settled the complaint without
waiting for an outcome from the Human Rights Commission.
Under the agreement the Department of Education
said it would add the course as an option for grade 12 students. The government
also said it would launch a review of the entire curriculum to ensure it
reflects B.C.'s diverse population. It then asked Corren to help design the
course.
It is believed the course would be the first of
its kind in North America. Concerned Parents says it is concerned the
agreement reached with the Correns could set a precedent for other groups -
something the Correns and other school groups dispute.
Legislation to mandate a similar course in
California schools was watered down after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened
to veto it if the measure passed the legislature.
The amended version would prohibit any negative
portrayal of gays in textbooks and other instructional material. It passed the
legislature and on Wednesday Schwarzenegger vetoed it (story)
calling the bill "vague and potentially confusing".
©365Gay.com 2006
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