Weapon X Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday that a British Columbia school board should not have banned books at the kindergarten and Grade 1 level that depicted same-sex parents. In a 7-2 ruling, the top court said the school board in Surrey went against provincial legislation that says the public school system is secular and non-sectarian. The case goes back to 1997, when the school board refused to approve three books for use in kindergarten and Grade 1. The three books are Asha's Mums, Belinda's Bouquet and One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dads, Blue Dads. The books depicted same-sex parents in a favourable light, triggering complaints from parents who took objection on religious grounds. James Chamberlain, a primary-level teacher, wanted to use the books in class, even though they are not part of a reading list approved by the B.C. Education Ministry. The Supreme Court ruling focused on the religious objections, rather than the larger issue of gay and lesbian constitutional rights. The Surrey board said it ordered the ban because the books were not suitable for five- and six-year olds. The board also said many parents objected to the books because they regard homosexuality as a sin. But the court said the moral objections of some parents are not a basis for a ban. The court also concluded "tolerance is always age-appropriate," said John Fisher of the group Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere. "The Supreme Court of Canada today ruled that learning about difference actually enhances children's education, that kids benefit when they learn respect for those who are different," he said. A trial judge supported Chamberlain in 1998; then the B.C. Court of Appeal reversed the decision in 2000. The appeal court ruled the board could exclude the books from the classroom but have them available in the school library. Written by CBC News Online staff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EveryWhere Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 1st Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kr430n5_666 Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 Unable to save the world But able to suffer in this so-called heaven Your grotesque vision of pure holyness Will be suffocated like you - bearer of light Cry bearer of light To weak to fight Your fear - Your death Eye to Eye at Armageddon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
effyoo Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 Is the school board Catholic? If so, I could see why the parents were so upset. But if the school board was public the parents shouldn't use the excuse that they think being a homo is a sin. "In a 7-2 ruling, the top court said the school board in Surrey went against provincial legislation that says the public school system is secular and non-sectarian" Secular- 1. Worldly rather than spiritual. 2. Not specifically relating to religion or to a religious body Sectarian- 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a sect. 2. Adhering or confined to the dogmatic limits of a sect or denomination; partisan. 3. Narrow-minded; parochial. Put a "non" in front of this and you get the defn. for non-sectarian. So, doesn't this mean that the courts should take the more worldly view and let the teacher use these books? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Resurrection Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 http://www.dolemite2002.com/images/coll/back2.jpg'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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