OK, kiddo! Here are all the fantastically amazing posts tagged with Defend Traditional Marriage and Family

Anti-Gay Group Bans Diversity Book From Schools

November 28th, 2007

The Gay Ring

A teacher’s resource book has been removed from staff rooms in the Waterloo Catholic District School Board after an anti-gay group, Defend Traditional Marriage and Family, lobbied to have it pulled.

The book, entitled Open Minds to Equality, advises on how to deal with ageism, sexism, and homophobia in schools. While the resource was available for teachers to consult, it was not required reading, nor accessible by students directly.

Jack Fonseca, a spokesperson for Defend Traditional Marriage and Family, was thrilled by his lobbying victory:

[The removal] will make it more difficult for the book to get into the hands of teachers who might’ve been misled by the flawed lessons within.

So, what “flawed lessions” might these be?

Prior to the censorship decision, Fonseca was unable to present anything demonstrative of his rhetoric, only saying that the book “could have the effect of encouraging students and teachers to view the gay lifestyle as being morally neutral,” and adding “they will have been led to reject Jesus.” In an open letter, however, the group said that “the effect of this book is to indoctrinate teachers and children to accept and celebrate homosexuality under the guise of ‘diversity’ and ‘equality.’”

It’s clear from the language used by Defend Traditional Marriage and Family that they are incapable of distinguishing a “morally neutral” presentation of homosexuality from one that “indoctrinates” and “celebrates” the “rejection of Jesus.” When convinced, however, that there is no such thing as gay people—only straight people who are sinning—that’s enough for them to expend great effort ensuring teachers do not even have the option of consulting resources to help them deal with issues that gay students face.

What a sad state of affairs. It’s no wonder Catholic teachers feel they must hide their student compassion from these groups.

Incidentally, of the lobby group’s executive members, only 6 indicated that they support the Catholic School Board on the voter list, and none of the 11 members have their children enrolled in the system. Could all this hoopla over a rarely-consulted resource book be ostensible rhetoric for a larger anti-gay agenda? I think I’ll let Catholic board spokesperson John Shewchuk’s jugement stand on this one: “It seems fairly obvious this group isn’t as concerned about Catholic schools and Catholic education as they would have local Catholics believe.”

The board has kept the book available in a central teacher’s resource library.

Group Lobbies to Censor Unavailable Book

October 1st, 2007

Book Censorship

Defend Traditional Marriage and Family, an anti-gay lobby group, is trying to ban a book entitled Open Minds to Equality because it presents a “morally neutral” view of homosexuality. The book, an optional teacher’s resource for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, is unavailable to students.

Jack Fonseca, the lobby group’s spokesperson, said that Catholic teachers should not have the option to read the resource because “[it] could have the effect of encouraging students and teachers to view the gay lifestyle as being morally neutral,” adding “they will have been led to reject Jesus.” In an open letter, the group stated that “the effect of this book is to indoctrinate teachers and children to accept and celebrate homosexuality under the guise of ‘diversity’ and ‘equality.’”

So, which is it? Is the book “morally neutral,” or something that “indoctrinates” readers to “celebrate” homosexuality? Frankly, I don’t think that Defend Traditional Marriage and Family distinguishes the two. Anything that acknowledges the existence of homosexuality without condemning it is akin to “celebrating the gay lifestyle” in their eyes. And that’s enough for them to lobby to ensure teachers are ill-equipped to dealing with issues that gay students face.

Anti-Gay Group Lies About Candidate Support

November 13th, 2006

Anti-Gay Puppet

Well, after tallying the results of their news-making homophobic questionnaires, the anti-gay lobby group, Defend Traditional Marriage and Family, have finally announced their endorsements for the upcoming civic elections in Kitchener, Ontario! How splendid!

Every endorsement is, of course, a shining testament to that candidate’s extraordinary anti-gayness. Well… Almost every endorsement.

“I was shocked,” said Jon Huemiller, after reading about the group’s endorsement of him for mayor in a local newspaper. “I wholeheartedly support gay marriage; I am not a closet bigot.” Mr. Huemiller, you see, not only supports equality, but didn’t even respond to the lobby group’s questionnaire, noting that it was still sealed on his desk. “As soon as I saw Defend Traditional Marriage and Family, I thought ‘gay bashing,’” he said.

A spokesperson for the lobby group backpeddled furiously when questioned, saying that—unlike the other candidates—Mr. Huemiller’s endorsement was actually decided on from a telephone interview, not from the results of their questionnaire. Mr. Huemiller confirmed that the group did call one day, but denies that an interview took place. “[They] did all the talking. [They were] trying to persuade me to support their coalition.”

Defend Traditional Marriage and Family has agreed to withdraw the endorsement, though mentioning it “smelled a little undemocratic” to do so. (Uh, OK…)

But hey, that’s the kind of stuff to expect from a group that endorses virulently anti-gay candidates who, even if elected, are utterly incapable of doing anything about same-sex marriage in Canada whatsoever.

Waste that time, sister!

Lobby Group Endorses Homophobic School Trustees

November 10th, 2006

School Board Monster

Remember the obsessively anti-gay lobby group Defend Traditional Marriage and Family? (They’re the ones who publicly demanded that a non-religious counseling centre stop providing meeting space to a gay rights group.) Well, now they’re pestering candidates for their local public school board with homophobic questionnaires!

Kitchener candidate, Rob McNeil, said he was baffled by the “irrelevant and offensive” survey:

There was no question of value on it. It just blew my mind because there are so many other important issues going on. There’s school safety, there’s the balanced school day. This is a questionnaire based only on how I stand on the gay rights issue—which, to me, has nothing to do with “can you balance a set of books at the school board?”

Well, that’s the thing with the “pro-family” lobby, isn’t it? They’re one-issue folks. You could be a pointy, baby-eating vampire robot and still win their endorsement, so long as you’re anti-gay. Heck, they’re so one-issue that they’ve got more gay-related material on their website than I do!

Incidentally, only 1 of the 6 candidates ended up receiving an endorsement. According to the group’s newsletter, that candidate didn’t agree with many of their views on gays—but he was the only to actually return the survey.

Counseling Centre Attacked For Gay Meetings

October 11th, 2006

Catholic Counselling Centre

A counseling centre providing meeting space for gay rights organisations? What is the world coming to?!

The obsessively anti-gay lobby group Defend Traditional Marriage And Family publicly denounced the Catholic Family Counseling Centre, which has been providing space to the equal rights organisation Tri-Pride for over three years, for “going against the teachings of the church.”

A spokeswoman for the CFCC responded with shock, reminding the anti-gay lobby that the counseling centre is a non-denominational, inclusive facility, and that the word “Catholic” appears in the agency’s name simply to honour the priest that founded it. She then re-assured Tri-Pride that they will continue to be welcomed at the centre’s facilities.

Of course the anti-gay group started furiously backpedalling, ranting about some sort of semantic responsibility with the word “Catholic.” And why not? I mean, ignore for a moment that gay people can be devout Catholics too. Couldn’t you understand the confusion—even though the CFCC’s website mentions that it is a non-denominational agency in capitalized, boldfaced letters as its first sentence? After all, “non-denominational” is a very big word, and flipping through a dictionary can be… Well, you know how those “pro-family” types are when it comes to depth of research.

Anti-Gays Don’t Hold Protest

May 8th, 2006

How to Not Hold a Protest

The not-so-influential lobby group, Attack Gay Marriage, uh, “Defend Traditional Marriage,” was protesting outside governement offices in Ontario last week—or so it would look at first glance. When asked about the protest, spokesperson Jack Fonseca responded “This is not a protest.” Instead, he indicated that it was a “positive rally.”

The protes—oops… positive rally included a handful of people carrying megaphones and signs with phrases like “Notwithstanding Clause: Use it, Mr. Harper,” referring to the never-before-used-in-federal-politics clause that can make otherwise unconstitutional laws legal for a period of 5 years. The pr—ositive rallyers want the clause used so they can ban same-sex marriage in Canada without facing constitutional challanges. Yeah, that’s being positive…

Now, pardon me a moment. My neighbours above seem to have stopped defending the tranquility of soundlessness. Just listen to them walking around like that! They need to be more pro-quiescent; I’m going to rally for their support.