Alberta's Bill 44 unchanged after marathon debate
ALBERTA / Controversial bill threatens lessons on sexuality
Ted Kerr / National / Wednesday, May 27, 2009
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NOT BUDGING. Alberta MLAs debated Bill 44 late into the night, but almost no changes were made to the bill. A proposal by Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman to scrap the parental rights clause was voted down by every single Tory MLA.
(Ted Kerr photo)
As people took to the streets in major US cities to protest yesterday's Prop 8 court ruling, members of the Alberta Legislature debated Bill 44 in preparation for a "free vote" as promised by Premier Ed Stelmach. Using Twitter and blogs, hundreds of Albertans kept up with the debate — which ended shortly before 3:30am.

Bill 44 amends the province's human rights legislation to officially recognize sexual orientation as a prohibited ground of discrimination, but it also contains a controversial clause that would allow parents to pull their children out of school lessons on sexuality, sexual orientation and religion.

During the debate, opposition MLAs put forward amendments to Bill 44 that would have recognized gender identity and aboriginal heritage — both of which were rejected.

As promised, Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett amended some of the bill's language to exempt "indirect or incidental" mentions of sexual orientation, sex and religion from being included in the bill's scope. These changes he said were to "reduce undue fear," but effectively change nothing about Bill 44.

At a press conference earlier in the day, Mike Gray, communications chair for the Alberta chapter of the Centre for Inquiry, shot back at the Progressive Conservative Party. He says the government is pandering to the gay community in an attempt to push through a potentially harmful bill.

"As a gay man, I am prepared to wait for my human rights to be enshrined by the Alberta government," he said. "I am prepared to wait until the government offers equal human rights for homosexuals without the baggage of hurting Alberta's education system. I am offended that the acknowledgement of homosexual rights in our province is only being used to make an otherwise intolerable bill sound more appealing. Mr Premier, do not use the appearance of gay rights as a cover to advance a fundamentalist agenda."

Despite fierce opposition Bill 44 is expected to pass third reading this Thursday at the Alberta Legislature, the final step before it becomes law.

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Reader Comments


 
bill 44
Squirt is a community built by guys who cruise for sex with other guys. Find Cruising listings for glory holes, gay saunas, bathhouses, adult cinemas, adult bookstores and anywhere else guys go to hook up. This was the text of an online ad you have on your website. Alberta children do not need to be drawn into the depraved world of homosexuality. They dont need to hear about men that will feed their sexual addiction to homosexual sex with "glory holes" and BJ's in public parks. That is why I support bill 44 as protection for our children!!! You probably wont publish this, but know this: we are all aware of the depravity of this lifestyle.
Merle, Calgary Alberta
06/02/09 1:42 AM EST
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Some education is better than none.
Merle, I completely disagree with your statement. Yes, Xtra.ca does support a very sex positive point of view. But that doesn't mean it's deprave! There is nothing wrong with sex! Considering you’re worried about protecting children, I assume you have participated in some sort of a sexual experience at least once. I feel education from accredited teachers is a far better option than a young person logging online after hours and only getting the skewed education found in pornography and other such illicit sites. Cause let’s be honest a closed minded bigoted point of view from a parent isn’t going to stop a teen in this day and age! It only damages the child and the relationship between them and the parent. Supporting bill 44 and having our educators teaching from a place of constant fear is far more damaging than good for the education system. The school-act more than covered any of your concerns. If you didn’t want your children learning about something you have always had the right to remove them from class. To be completely honest if you think your sheltering your children to better them, you are not only ignorant, you are extremely naïve. Children are going to get this education somewhere and form their own opinions. Would you rather it be in a controlled environment like a school where you have notice of the topics are able to speak with your children about it after and cultivate a healthy discussion of your beliefs and values? Or would you rather them learn from the kids in the school yard and the internet? Only one of those options you have any control over! I think this bill will really negatively affect the Alberta education system.
Jason Johnson, Ottawa (Former Calgarian) Ontario
06/02/09 10:00 AM EST
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Keep your eye on the ball
@Merle: I do not think Squirt should be in the classroom any more than sexinyourcity (straight hookup site). Your argument presents a false dichotomy: teach nothing of homosexuality, or open up everything including every sexual act. Can your mind not acknowledge homosexuality exists as a significant part of our culture? Do you think every mention of a husband and wife should be accompanied by graphic discussion of their sexual acts? Can we not include acknowledgement that homosexuals happily exist without diving into sexual acts? Do you not recognize the contributions of homosexuals in the past? Are you not aware that homosexuality has exists throughout the animal kingdom? When I grew up as a gay youth, my bible-thumping teacher stood before our class and explained that homosexuality was a sin. He singled out students who he thought were homosexuals and applied public pressure to them. Believing you are that much of an outsider leads to suicide in our youth, and I believe attitudes like yours are contributing to the problem. At some point my rights as a young person became more important than the rights of my parents to censor me from a factually based religious and sexual education. Getting this education opened my eyes, and possibly saved my life.
Mike Gray, Calgary Alberta
06/02/09 5:43 PM EST
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Sexuality is reality, not an opinion
How sad that this law could be passed in Canada, even as our soldiers are apparently fighting in other countries to promote "human rights." Every human being has the right to be acknowledged, regardless of sexual orientation. This law suggests that if you are uncomfortable with someone's sexual orientation or gender, you have the right to deny their existence. Sexual diversity isn't an opinion or a theory - it is the reality of human existence. You don't have to like it or "agree" with it, whatever that means. And why stop at sexuality or religion? Shouldn't I be able to pull my kids out of class for anything I don't approve of? The worst thing about this is that while parents argue it is their right to teach their children about sexuality, most of them simply don't, either because they don't know or are too ashamed to talk openly about it. Are the mothers who supported this bill going to teach their daughters what a clitoris is? Or is it their right to decide that their daughters don't need to know about it? We have do to better by our children.
D, Toronto Ontario
07/02/09 3:15 AM EST
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