More False Advice

More False Advice

by Catholic Insight

March 1996

The following is an analysis of another outrageous attempt in the schools to make homosexuality acceptable, this one by "a group of Roman Catholic educators." Earlier, Catholic Insight reported a so-called "homophobia workshop" moderated by Father Repicky for North York and Toronto Catholic teachers ("How to corrupt boldly," May 1994 followed by an exchange of opinions and further articles in the July/August 1994 issue). The same people involved in that venture are backing this one, now augmented by the Jesuit Centre for Social Faith & justice and units of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association.

In December 1995 Toronto parishes received an expensively produced pink and blue poster promoting acceptance of homosexuality. It came from the Toronto Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues, a subcommittee of the Mayor's Committee on Community and Race Relations. The poster, by appearing to attack "homophobia" (a new word meaning hatred of homosexuals) is really trying to gain tolerance and acceptance of homosexual activity.

Similarly, just before Christmas 1995, copies of a sixteen-page, legal sized edition of The Moment devoted to affirming the "gay"-lesbian-bisexual lifestyles was left in teachers' rooms in Catholic elementary and secondary schools throughout Ontario, enough for one copy for every four teachers. The colourful white, purple and black newsletter was recommended to Toronto teachers in two simultaneous public meetings and distributed everywhere by members of the Catholic teachers union.

The Moment is a newsletter published by the Jesuit Centre for Social Faith and Justice, Toronto. Issue Number 26, 1995, produced by a "group of Roman Catholic educators." was entitled In Search of Safety: The Lives of Lesbian and Gay youth. It was co-published by the Ontario English Catholic Teacher's Association (OECTA), Toronto Secondary Unit, Affirmative Action Committee.

Hatred...a smoke screen

As usual in such documents there is much made of the putative hate of others for L/G/Bs. This "hatred" is blamed for 'rejection", which in turn is blamed for the existence of loners, alcoholism, drug addition, run-aways, street kids, suicide, prostitution, theft, and drug dealing.

It is true that some people have a vindictive attitude toward individual L/G/Bs. This is to be deplored and guarded against. But hostility towards sodomy as such is a necessity and is simply society's defence against its own destruction. The authors refuse to recognize this. Instead they dwell exclusively on perceived hateful attitudes.

This over-emphasis has been evident in the media and the publications of Public Health Departments from the first moment that the public became aware of, and afraid of, HIV infection. This exaggeration is a deliberate one aimed at covering up, first, the approval of a sinful lifestyle and, second, at diverting attention from the danger to public health that L/G/B practice entails.

The concentration on the "bad" attitudes of others is thus being used to provide a smoke screen. Held especially to blame for these attitudes are "non-supportive" church communities and "non-supportive" families. Needed, the authors say, is "...love of families to integrate their sexual orientation into a healthy sense of self." This surely can only mean acceptance of homosexual practice as good.

There is also a clear implication that acceptance and understanding are far more likely to be found if the young person confides in a teacher or counsellor, rather than parents, whose potential attachment to notions of right and wrong is considered threatening.

Pastoral questions but no sin

Nowhere in this document is a distinction made between a tendency to L/G/B activity and the L/G/B activity itself. This failure to differentiate has totally confused the discussion, and as a result, the document represents homosexual activity as normal, healthy and good.

Everyone agrees that all people deserve to be treated with charity and justice at all times, regardless of who they are or how they have behaved. This does not mean however, that criticism of the L/B/G lifestyle implies the slightest injustice or uncharitableness to those whose lifestyle it is. Quite the contrary! The only charitable and just response to this problem is to tell the unvarnished truth with kindness.

The heavy emphasis in the media, and in this document, on the real or imagined hate of others takes the spotlight off the sinfulness of homosexual practice. This document hopes to have a pastoral function for those working with L/G/Bs. It claims to help counsellors and chaplains yet, illogically, it claims not to deal with moral questions. It then proceeds to contradict itself in boosting one side of the moral argument by quoting young people, with implicit approval, as follows:

".........I happen to like who I am." ".........I know I am a good person because of my sexuality." ".........I accept myself now....my life seems headed in the right direction" (emphasis added).

In a comic strip by Lynn, which fills two pages, a young man says to his homosexual friend, "I'll do my best to accept your lifestyle."

On page 13 "the Roman Catholic educators"provide a list of 32 L/G/B role models, including k.d. lang (Canadian singer) and Member of parliament Svend Robinson (Canadian politician).

Catholic Church teaching that L/G/B activity is seriously sinful is nowhere mentioned. Nowhere is the question put, "Do you not know that our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit?" (1 Cor. 6:19).

Instead the advice is given:

".....start looking for support." ".....find a local book store with and L/G/B section." ".....hit libraries and video stores."

For this purpose, the authors provide a two-and-a-half page list of active L/G/B centres in Canadian cities from coast to coast, and a one-page list of homosexual videos and books.

Elsewhere in the publication, teenagers (gay or not) are encouraged to view popular films which feature L/G/B characters, including "Jeffery," a hedonistic sex comedy which contains one of the most viciously anti-Catholic portrayals of a priest ever presented!

Teenagers, we are told, ask such questions as: "How can I face God?" or "What will god do to me now?" The answer given is "God love.....provides the strength to choose...wholesome, honest and mutually satisfying relationships." The implication is that homosexuality is God-given.

Sexually transmitted disease

In one brief sentence, the document fleetingly refers to STD's (sexually transmitted diseases) and HIV but only in a context of sexuality and promiscuity in general. Nowhere is it mentioned that promiscuity is common to the L/G/B lifestyles, in fact practically constitutive of it, and is a great danger to life and health both in regard to oneself and to others. The hazard of HIV infections and of many other sexually transmitted diseases in great. In 1994 the World Health Organization reported 333 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases. Where is the compassion and justice in not warning of the possible consequences of this lifestyle?

God's grace

Being homosexual implies a tendency or temptation to evil. God's grace is sufficient to enable everyone to live a holy life. This document mentions neither evil nor grace. It appears to imply that the lifestyle is good, healthy and wholesome and that a person so afflicted has no need of grace. It is not "tragic" that the L/G/Bs feel guilty and ashamed. What is truly tragic is that "the Roman catholic educators"do not themselves express any guilt or shame over this publication.

The list of credits below speaks for itself. Readers will recognize some of the names which have appeared earlier in our magazine.

Son Schmidt is the president of OECTA, Toronto secondary unit. (See his attack on C. I., Dec. '95, p.18) Fr. Bob Repicly, C.S.B. and Donna Ash were involved in the 1994 "homophobia"workshops described in Catholic Insight. Ted Hyland, S.J., was the former director of the Jesuit Centre for Social Faith and Justice; Kevin Arsenault is the current director. Stan Kutz, Principal of Toronto's Senator O'Connor high School, is a former priest, and one of the two speakers recommending this newsletter to teachers. Fr. Michael Mulhall, O.Carm, is a supporter of CCCC and a contributor to its publication Roundtable. (The CCCC itself has had a speaker promoting the acceptance of homosexuality at each of its annual meetings.)

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