Our Children's Future VS. Sanity and Reality: Challenging the Edmonton Public School Board

Well, you know, I've been a wee bit busy and stuff, and it's distracted me somewhat from becoming enraged enough by something to write a blog about it. But, I just read something that changed that, and here is my blog about it.

What has me so enraged that I actually stopped being so lazy and took to the keyboard? Well, that damn Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) in Alberta, Canada wishes to create a safe and inclusive environment for all of their students. What BEASTS! What ANIMALS! How could the Edmonton Public School Board wish to create a school system where a diverse range of children can study together and create a bright and better future for all?? Someone REALLY should protest this.

And, alas, thankfully, someone has! Apparently all of this talk of inclusion was far too much for whoever the frick is behind a weird little, seemingly anonymous website titled "Our Children's Future-Standing Up for Moral Standards in Edmonton".The first red flag is always the "moral standards". When this phrase is used, especially in conjunction with anything to do with children, you know bigotry and hatred is what is to follow.

Apparently, the problem this person/these people have is that under a proposal by the Edmonton Public School Board in a policy on sexual orientation and gender identity, sexual "minority" students and same sex parented families will be (among other things, such as being accepted and protected from discrimination) AFFIRMED by the EPSB. Now, this lovely group or person or entity or whatever that is behind this site states:

We agree that all people regardless of sexual orientation have to be treated lovingly and not subjected to bullying however we will not affirm their unique identities, families, cultures or communities.  Affirming this type of sexual orientation violates the basic tenet of our belief systems, which is not a series of man-made rules and evolving human ethical standards, but the Holy Bible which clearly prohibits this type of sexual behaviour in both the Old and New Testaments.

Gotcha. And your narrow minded beliefs should come first and foremost, is that correct? That appears to be the belief, and they are calling on other like (narrow) minded people to do their duty and write to school board members to tell them that they shouldn't be treating these gays and lesbians and such with the dignity and respect they deserve because it goes against their beliefs. Look, telling people that your beliefs (religious) trump THEIR reality (sexual orientation) is NOT treating them lovingly. It is discriminatory. Telling someone that you will not accept them based on their sexual orientation is pretty mean and low. I always question the moral standards of someone who says something like that. We clearly do NOT share the same morals, and for that I am very glad.

So, here is what the proposal by the Edmonton Public School Board looks like and I think it looks not too bad at all:
http://www.epsb.ca/policy/aaadraft_ifa.bp.shtml

If you go to http://www.ourchildrensfuture.ca/ you will see that the site's creator(s) have done a fine job of listing all of the school board members which they are asking other bigots to write to and explain why the school board members should listen to bigots and not give GLBT (etc) students and their families the support and recognition they deserve.You may wish to contact them regarding the issue as well, what the heck. There is also a survey you can take, apparently, to give your views on the EPSB's proposal at this survey link. May as well plug in your answers there, too!

I hope that if you are reading my blog, you feel the same way as I do. I think this is a positive inititative by the Edmonton Public School Board and I want to see it put in place, not only in Edmonton, but across the country. I want to see kids feel at home at school, not as outcasts, and definitely not as being immoral just because of their sexual orientation. And I don't want to see people that believe discrimination and bigotry constitute "moral standards" from hijacking public school systems.

Let's Talk About Kim Evans of Riverview, New Brunswick, Shall We?

Oh Kim Evans of Petals and Promises in Riverview, New Brunswick, what the hell were you thinking??

Have you heard about this lovely story? (You can read about it here if you wish) It seems that Kim Evans, a self proclaimed "born-again Christian" (I still can't for the life of me figure out what that is, but, whatever) decided that she did not wish to sell flowers to a same sex couple who were getting married. Well, first she said that she would provide flowers for the couple's wedding, and then she found out that the couple in question shared the same kind of genitalia and she sent them an email saying (I love this) "I am choosing to decline your business. As a born-again Christian, I must respect my conscience before God and have no part in this matter,"

Oh, isn't that lovely. That's like sending an email to a mixed-race couple saying "I am choosing to decline your business. As I have recently joined the Klan, I must respect my Grand Wizard and have no part in this matter." Yikes. Come on lady! You not only refused their business because they are a same-sex couple, but you did so in a terribly rude and horrible way. That doesn't help your case at all, not that you had one in the first place.What other acts of bigotry does your "born-again Christian" status allow you to indulge in? Who else are you refusing business to? Are you getting a detailed CV from each potential client now to make sure you approve of everything they have ever said, done or will do to make sure it fits into your new Christian lifestyle?

I have no patience for this kind of stuff. There is no way that this kind of discrimination should be taking place, in CANADA, in 2011. I feel personally insulted by what she has done, as a human being and a fellow Canadian. This is not what Canada is about. This is not what being a human is about. Treat people with some decency, would you Kim Evans of Petals and Promises in Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada! And get a better name for your business, would ya! Petals and Promises??? What the hell kind of name is THAT! Bahhhhh. See how angry I am? It's the Promises part of the name that erks me. You PROMISED them flowers. You gave them homophobia. What a rotten deal.