OK, kiddo! Here are all the fantastically amazing posts tagged with Egale
Vatican Backpedals After Blaming Gays For Scandal
The Vatican released a statement on Friday asserting that their officials are not “competent” to talk about psychological matters. The unusual (but fair) assessment came after one of their cardinals, Tarcisio Bertone, declared—without sound reference—that homosexuality, and not mandated celibacy, was responsible for the church’s paedophilia scandal. (No link between paedophilia and homosexuality has ever been demonstrated.)
The comments received massive condemnation from governments and gay rights groups, including Canada’s own Egale. And from me too, why not? Because unjustly blaming an already tortured minority in order to divert responsibility for this horrific cover-up is… well, about exactly what I’d come to expect from the Vatican.
- Vatican ‘clarifies’ gay comments [Montréal Gazette]
- Just another Day of Silence at the Vatican [Egale]
Study: Gay Students Feel Threatened
More than two thirds of gay students in Canada feel their safety is threatened at school according to a survey conducted by Egale Canada. The 1,200-student questionnaire was distributed in schools across the country, except for several Catholic school boards which declined participation.
Further to the banner statistic, the survey also revealed that fourty-one per cent of gay students reported having been sexually harassed at school (as opposed to only nineteen per cent of straight students), that fifty per cent reported having been verbally harassed, and nearly half reported having mean rumors spread about them at school.
Dr. Catherine Taylor, a researcher at the University of Winnipeg, was particularly bothered by the results:
This [sexual harassment] figure is shocking. Homophobia and transphobia is linked to poor performance in school, drop-out rates, and teen suicides.
Helen Kennedy, Egale’s executive director, was also worried by the results, saying that the high numbers could have been prevented:
There’s no issue around sensitivity training so the teachers, we are finding, don’t have the resources that they need to address this issue.
I agree completely, although it will be tough to make educators aware of the problem. Religious lobby groups have already successfully pulled optional diversity training guidebooks from teacher’s lounges.
- Two-thirds of LGBTQ students feel unsafe: report [CBC News]
- GAY TEENS SURVEYED FEEL UNSAFE IN SCHOOL [Egale Canada]
iTunes Canada Pulls Homophobic Music
iTunes Canada has removed several songs by Jamaican artists Elephant Man, TOK, and Buju Banton because they call on listeners to murder gay men. Stop Murder Music Canada and Egale called on Apple to remove the songs, which contained lyrics translating to “Join our dance and let’s burn the queer man” and “Boom Boom, queers must be killed.”
Although removing the songs has caused some controversy about freedom of expression and censorship, one thing is clear: they’re not legal. Speech calling for the murder and hatred of an identifiable group violates Canadian hate laws, and Stop Murder Music Canada has called on other music retailers—such as HMV, Amazon.ca, and Archambault Musique—to follow Apple’s suit.
Jamaican dancehall music is notorious for its homophobic lyrics. Homophobia is rampant in Jamaica, with 43 lynch mob attacks on gay men reported in 2007 alone, resulting in the murder of at least 10 gay men.
The Pope Instructs Us All, Again
Pope Benedict, fresh from blaming Canada’s low birth rate on same-sex marriage, has once again instructed lawmakers to strip away gay rights. Because, you know, it just tears families apart to think that one could allow loving gay couples to equally enjoy the legal institution of civil marriage. The paperwork is just far too sacred, I’m told.
Anyway, the pope’s latest effort in his long history of creative phrasing—delivered, of course, from his throne in the resplendent Vatican palace—goes like this: “In the name of tolerance, your country has had to endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse.”
Well, folly is a little unnecessary and… Wait a minute here. Let me check something…
spouse (noun): A marriage partner; a husband or wife.
Nope, nope. Seems about the same to me.
Despite the pope’s ever-so-convincing speech, Gilles Marchildon of EGALE Canada, had to suggest that lawmakers follow the, uh, law:
We don’t have a state religion in Canada. Just as government doesn’t instruct the Catholic Church how to celebrate communion, the church shouldn’t instruct politicians on who can get married.
Very true. Because as unholy as the Charter of Rights must be, it does appear to guarantee citizen equality. Sorry, Pope of Canada.
Government to Gays: Go Fund Yourself!
Goodness knows why, but anti-gay lobbyists and the new conservative government are now trying their hardest to scrap The Court Challenge program. The program, run by the oft-attacked Heritage department, was set up to help fund groups that wish to challenge potentially unconstitutional laws. It has been awarded in the past to several minority representation groups, such as EGALE (Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere), aboriginal groups, groups for persons with disabilities, and LEAF (The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund).
Gwen Landolt, representative for the anti-gay group REAL Women of Canada was practically foaming at the mouth that anyone would dare challenge the fairness of a law:
[The Court Challenge program] is a boondoggle for special-interest groups with a certain ideological perspective. Only one side of the argument gets the money.
Uh, no, Gwen. Any group can get the money, but it has to be used to challenge unconstitutional laws. You know, the kind that you’re always pushing for? Why, even you’d be able to use it, if there were a law against hysterical right-wing social conservative groups using the word “boondoggle.” Which there isn’t.
Gwen, along with (anti) Justice Minister Extraordinare, Vic Toews, also said the program should be reviewed because it’s shrouded in secrecy (ooooo). In reality, the details of how much funding is allocated to which group is not disclosed because of a law protecting solicitor-client confidentiality.
Thankfully, the Canadian Bar Association (who actually studies law for a living) defended the program, saying it plays “a vital role in increasing access to justice for marginalized and vulnerable groups.” Good stuff.
Government to Gays: Don’t Tell Us You’re Married
Well, it’s census time in Canada again. Ah, Cenususeses… Censii? Those dainty twice-a-decade questionnaires where you get to inform the government of all your personal relationships. But, for all the happily married gay couples out there this year, don’t be so quick to check the “husband or wife” bubble when describing your partner’s relationship to you! The government has provided special instructions for your type.
That’s right; someone must’ve missed the point of the whole equal marriage law, because the census form now instructs all same-sex married couples to check “other” instead of “husband or wife” when describing their partners. This would put your beloved spouse in the same category as cousin, niece or nephew, roommate’s spouse or child, and, of course, employee.
Naturally, Egale Canada, a Canadian gay human rights group, is disappointed.
Everyone who completes the 2006 Census will see that our relationships are segregated. We’re already getting phone calls from dismayed members and we’re concerned about the subtle yet widespread impact of millions of Canadians seeing that our marriages are denigrated in this way.
Sad. But, who knows? Maybe this new terminology will catch on—even among straight people! Everyone will dream of that special day when they walk down the isle to profess their undying love—to hear those wonderful words, “I now pronounce you other and other.” (Sniff.)
- Right’s group blasts census for advice to gay couples [Globe and Mail]
- Census error unfair to married same-sex couples [Egale Canada]
