Ted Hewlett, president of British Columbia Parents and Teachers for Life, doesn’t like that the B.C. Teachers’ Federation is endorsing the Day of Pink in schools. No, no, no he doesn’t, if this article in the Georgia Straight from yesterday is any indication.
If you need a feel for Hewlett’s group, check out their website. Top post as I write this is a collection of links to stories about the recent Bill Whatcott Supreme Court decision, posted with the tag “Rights for a Free Society”.
With that in mind, what possible problem could Hewlett have with the BCTF bringing Day of Pink, an event meant to raise awareness of homophobia and transphobia, into schools? You could probably guess. The Straight quotes him as saying:
“I’m not saying they’re the same or exactly comparable but we do not expect schools to positively affirm a drug-taking lifestyle, a drug-taking behaviour,” he said. “Now there are people who would say that homosexual behaviour is also harmful from a medical point of view. We don’t go around picking out every single lifestyle, in order to affirm it.”
While [director of social justice programs for BCTF] Ruzic said that research has proven that homosexuality is something people are born with, Hewlett dismissed that idea and said he would have to see those studies.
And I’m sure if he saw any of that research, Hewlett, the impartial advocate, the man fueled purely by reason, would change his mind. Hewlett wants his own ideology to be the law of the land in B.C. schools, and doesn’t care how many students suffer as a result.
