Ban on gay-straight student alliances sparks outrage

OAKVILLE, Ont. – A new ban on gay-straight student clubs by the Halton Catholic District School Board has sparked outrage from human rights groups.

It has also attracted a thumbs down from celebrity blogger Perez Hilton and prompted a newly elected Catholic trustee to vow to fight the move.

Paul Marai, 22, who is gay, says he has no idea why the ban was enacted in the first place and plans to challenge the policy at the next board meeting.

What catapulted the issue into the blogosphere was a comment by board chair Alice Anne LeMay that gay-straight alliances, recommended by the province as one way to support gay students, do not fit the teachings of the Catholic Church. For the same reasons, she added, the board does not allow Nazi groups.

LeMay has since apologized on the board’s website for the comparison, but the board insists it will not allow gay-straight alliances in its schools.

The board says the ban, passed at the last meeting of the former board in November, upholds the Catholic faith, but equity activists argue gay-straight alliances are essential for teens questioning their sexuality.

The goal of Catholic school boards "is to end discrimination against anyone in our society," said Nancy Kirby, president of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association. "But we still have to follow the church teachings."

But Catherine Fife, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association argues that "religious rights shouldn’t trump human rights."

"There’s no good reason any school should not have a gay-straight alliance if students want one," she said. "They build relationships and understanding and ultimately create a safer learning environment."