Catholic Church Interferring with British Columbia Diversity Education

The Vancouver Sun is reporting (http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=b50249ce-2e12-42be-8d71-8d89c11a19a6) that a Roman Catholic Church affiliate organization is endeavoring to interfer with the implementation of a diversity education program in the provincial public schools. Its too bad these Kool-Aid drinkers don't spend an equal effort demanding accountability from the Church hierarchy for all of the cover ups and intimidation of families done by bishops and cardinals. Until such time as they do so and get their noses out of the hierarchy's ass (really, it's a wonder these people don't suffocate), they have no standing to argue any matters of morality whatsoever. One might also ask these folks when hate, discrimination and intolerance became Christian values. Not that the public schools should be teaching only what comports with one group's religious views in any event. Here are some story highlights:

The Catholic Civil Rights League is urging parents to protest a B.C. teacher guide that encourages discussion about diversity -- including sexual orientation -- in all subjects and in every public school classroom. The Education Ministry drafted the guide as part of an agreement reached in 2006 with Vancouver activists Murray and Peter Corren to make the curriculum gay-friendly. With the signing of the deal, the Correns dropped a human-rights case accusing schools of systemic discrimination.

In a release titled "Resist, Counter and Protest," the league promises to work with other groups to develop strategies to fight the ministry's drive to introduce "non-heterosexual realities" in all classrooms. It sent the release and its critique of the teaching guide to every school board and district parent advisory council in B.C.

But Glen Hansman, president of the Vancouver Elementary School Teachers' Association, said the protest won't succeed because the courts have already ruled that public schools must be inclusive. Furthermore, he said the legalization of same-sex marriage suggests that most people are now comfortable with such diversity. The new guide will assist teachers in addressing social justice issues, just as a similar guide some years ago helped them incorporate aboriginal content across the curriculum, he said.

Banks Actively Seek Gay Employees

This Financial Times article (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a248d0de-c2b0-11dc-b617-0000779fd2ac.html) shows that more and more companies are recognizing the merits of recruiting gay employees. Would that this mentality would trickle down to Virginia and help it drag itself from the 19th century. One can continue to hope that a progressive light will shine upon the state. Here are some story highlights:

Lehman Brothers, the US investment bank, recently  held an unusual recruitment event at Hong Kong university. Lehman’s invitation was specifically aimed at gay and lesbian students who aspire to be bankers. Encouraged by the success of the presentation and buffet dinner for 50 students, Lehman is planning to extend its initiatives targeting the gay community this year. It will include the bank’s first pro-gay activities in Singapore, the city-state that has become one of Asia’s leading financial centres but where sex between men is illegal.

Lehman Brothers is not the only bank seeking to recruit from Asia’s gay community. Such is the enthusiasm among investment banks that some have banded together to give their Asian events a higher profile, taking it in turn to organise lectures, dinners and other events around a gay or lesbian theme. In November, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Lehman, Merrill Lynch and UBS co-sponsored a cinema evening in Hong Kong which featured The Bubble, a 2006 film about the gay relationship between a Palestinian and an Israeli soldier.

Investment banks’ efforts to recruit more gays and lesbians is partly an attempt to attract the most talented employees. At a time when Asia has become the world’s biggest region for deals such as initial public offerings, investment banks are struggling to fill the new positions on offer. And the intense hiring competition makes it crucial to ensure talented gay people are not deterred from applying because of a combination of Asian intolerance and western macho behaviour on trading floors.

The international dimension of investment banking is also forcing employers to confront the issue of homosexual discrimination more regularly than their counterparts in retail banking and other more local institutions. A recurring problem is the difficulty of getting investment bankers to relocate to countries that do not offer dependent visas for same-sex partners.

India offers another intriguing situation, according to Stephen Golden, a vice-president at Goldman Sachs, who helps co-ordinate the bank’s global leadership and diversity programme. He says: “India is one of those places where the laws relating to homosexuality haven’t changed but society has. We have had employees who are openly gay and have been asked to transfer to India and have gone there without any issues. They understand the cultural environment and have had very good experiences.”

Christianist Wingnut Meltdown in California

HOMOSEXODUS! Revealed: 'Gay' plans to target 2-year-olds.

That is the headline for a new story on Wing Nut Daily a/k/a WorldNetDaily.com. (http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59259). The story is based in reality only insofar as it references a new California statute recently signed into law by Governor Schwarzeneggger which simply took anti-discrimination language used in other areas of California law, such as employment and puts that in the education code. The new law provides that "No teacher shall give instruction nor shall any school district sponsor any activity that promotes a discriminatory bias because of a characteristic [including perceived gender.]"

Doesn't sound too subversive or bad, does it? Well the loony tunes crowd is having apoplexy, particularly Karen England, pictured at left, the head of the Capitol Resources Institute, an anti-gay "pro-family" organization. How dare the existence of gays, lesbians, gay parented families, etc. be acknowledge! They want us faggots to remain invisible. In my view, these people are sick, not to mention unhinged. One reason for their crazed response to the new law: California is one of the largest text book buyers in the country and "pro-family groups" are worried publishers will not print a different version (i.e., versions that protray gays negatively) for other states. Here are some quotes from Wing Nut Daily:

A list of school resources, sponsored by a homosexual-advocacy group called Safe Schools Coalition, suggests that for those who are only two years old, there's "Felicia's Favorite Story," which tells how she was "adopted by her two mothers." The list also promotes a book called "Are You a Girl or a Boy?" by Karleen Jiminez, a resource for children ages 4-8 when advocating homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism and other alternative lifestyle choices. It's described as "A sweet book about a gender-different kid."

Other resources being promoted in light of California's adoption of SB 777 as state law include books authored by officials for Planned Parenthood and the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network. One book, called "Tackling Gay Issues in School," is for kindergarten through grade 12, and offers a "rationale (for the inclusion of les/bi/gay/trans issues in school)." It features recommended "extracurricular" activities for classes.

And Karen England, a spokeswoman for Capital Resource who is a primary organizer behind the Save Our Kids plan to put the issue before voters and ask them to reject it, noted "All along, Capitol Resource Family Impact has maintained that the true agenda behind SB 777 is to infuse school curriculum with pro-homosexual, and other controversial lifestyles, propaganda. The proponents of the bill countered that this was not true and the law would merely 'streamline' anti-discrimination laws for schools. Based on our 20-year experience with the homosexual lobby, we know that a common tactic is to maintain innocence and then utilize vague language to push a radical agenda. We expected the same of SB 777 and we are already witnessing the same pattern," England said.

WND already has reported how the Gay Straight Alliance has forwarded instructions to its California chapters with information on how to make sure homosexuality is taught in public schools, and its warning having students and parents simply "tolerate" homosexuality is not enough. WND also has reported how thousands of requests for information about homeschooling and Christian school are bombarding organizations that support those efforts.

I guess Wing Nut Daily endorses having more messed up individuals like Matthew Murray - who was home schooled by his religious fanatic mother - turned out of these home school programs.