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Send comments to: kovu at lionking point org
Homosexuals, it would appear, have come a long way in Canada. People no longer have to be afraid to come out of the closet, and now with the recent passing of the gay-rights bill, they have even less to fear if they choose to do so. But fortunately or unfortunately, the bill gave huge publicity to the fact that homosexuals are still second-class citizens in Canada.
Liberal MP Roseanne Skoke was very open about her position. "We are asking Canadians to condone and accept homosexuality as natural and moral. My position is that it is unnatural and it is immoral."
Well, it is obviously not unnatural, or we wouldn't have very many homosexuals at all. They're born by the same natural process that straight people are. And immoral? According to who? Just because someone doesn't like something doesn't make it immoral. And please please please don't cite the Bible. Try and find something just a little more relevant.
Now, Justice Minister Alan Rock insisted that the bill (which dealt only with workplace discrimination) did not sanction gay adoptions, gay marriages, or spousal benefits, but I don't think that these can be far behind. It seems a little inconsistent to say that you cannot discriminate against gays in the workplace but anywhere else is fine. True, family law is a provincial matter, but this federal legislation cannot help but pave the way for the overdue changes at the provincial level.
Rock wanted to stress the fact that this bill wasn't related to family law for one reason and one reason only; the voting public is still a little queasy about homosexuality. This was amply demonstrated about a year ago when Lynn McLeod did her famous flip-flop on the issue in the Ontario Parliament. I think this is unfortunate.
Now, I'd be the last person to suggest that politicians stopped listening to the electorate. However, I do think that it is the politician's role to defy the opinion of the unwashed masses when it serves the greater good, and I think that giving homosexuals equivalent benefits does so. Granting these benefits isn't going to hurt anyone, and they have the potential to significantly improve the lives of many gay couples.
The Reform Party has acted reprehensibly in this matter. Reformers voted against the bill on the grounds that they do not favour special rights for anyone. This is garbage. If they truly do not want any groups protected, why haven't they attempted to repeal legislation that protects women or visible minorities?
Though the Liberals allowed a free vote on the issue the Reform Party opted for strict control, ordering their members to vote against it, and I commend MP Jim Silye (Calgary Centre) for defying the party and voting for the bill. The heavy hand of Preston Manning is at work here. I fear his religious beliefs may have finally interfered with his politics and led him into serious error.
All this goes to show that politically, gays are still not very well accepted. Though the bill passed, 33 per cent of MP's voted against it. I think that's 33 per cent too many.
Many churches are also trying to deal with the thorny issue of homosexuality, most recently the Presbyterian church. In Lachine, Quebec, 90 per cent of the congregation of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church supports the ordination of Darryl Macdonald, but whether or not he will be ordained remains to be seen.
The General Assembly of the Church (the highest governing body) commissioned a report on the issue, and the report recommends that Macdonald not be ordained unless he gives up his lover and becomes celibate.
Some of the opponents of Macdonald's ordination wanted these conditions because they consider homosexuality "harmful to self and others." Ok, now find anything to back that up. Some simply want to refuse to ordain any homosexuals on the grounds that to do so would cause a further decline in membership. So basically what they're saying is that cash is more important than doing what is right. After all, what does a larger membership mean except more donations? I'm sure God would be very proud.
Unfortunately, it might be a long time before homosexuals get the equality they deserve. There are still a lot of stupid people who think that with recognizing homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle comes the destruction of the family, morality, and society in general. The gay-rights bill however, was one small step in the right direction.
-James Russell
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Send comments to: kovu at lionking point org