[Wōdnes-dæg] A "Rebel" Gay-Straight Alliance in the Waterloo Catholic District School Board

Introduction
Interesting Local Developments
Over-Great Expectations
Closing
References

{A standard board for a Gay-Straight alliance group. Image from search.com.}

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Introduction

The matter of "sexual minority youth" in Catholic schools came to the fore again recently.

This time, removed from the national coverage afforded the matter in Toronto schools, there seems to be at least some hope in the Kitchener region as this article in the Kitchener-Waterloo Record by Liz Monteiro implies.

One of the key players in this situation, Anthony Piscitelli, is undoubtedly right that it's a divisive issue that would do more harm than good for the students as camaraderie amongst teachers would certainly take a hit if they were forced to take a side.²

Nonetheless the presence of students with a variety of sexual orientations within Catholic schools is still an important issue that needs to be addressed.

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Interesting Local Developments

What's most interesting here is the simple fact that Catholic groups around the Kitchener-Waterloo region don't seem to have any problem with it.

A consultant for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board from the Congregation of the Resurrection (an Institute of Consecrated Life for men), Rev. Fred Scinto, said that students shouldn't have to live in fear of being persecuted because of their sexual orientation - he even went so far as to quote St. Augustine, saying "We are a church of saints and sinners but Christ is still within it."³

In fact, this issue is particularly newsworthy because it's already playing out a little bit differently than it did in the province's capital. For the Kitchener-Waterloo region already has a school that has a group that is essentially the same as the oh-so-feared gay-straight-alliances. This school is St. Mary's High School and it sounds like the group there has done nothing but good for all of the students involved.

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Over-Great Expectations

So why are gay-straight alliances still such a big deal elsewhere? It seems like there's very little justification for it outside of some kind of ungrounded fear that these alliances are going to serve as homosexual hook-up groups, at least that can be inferred from the emphasis that these articles put on the Church's message of chastity for adolescents.

I think that Luisa D'Amato hits the nail on the head when she writes:

"The central problem here is the medieval logic of Catholic thought, slammed into modern North American culture with its deep concern for human rights. According to Church teachings, every person must be loved, gay people included, but not their sexual acts, which the Church teaches are sinful and morally disordered, both because they occur outside Church-sanctioned marriage and because children cannot be born from them."⁴

The issue here is a weird paradox in Catholic teaching that allows for all sorts of people to be accepted by the Church but that denies that at least a part of every person's identity - what makes them a complete person - is sexual.

As D'Amato goes on to point out, the denial of this aspect of people as part of accepting them "hasn’t worked out so well for the priesthood and, it is increasingly clear, presents nothing more than a delusional fantasy in the real lives of real people."⁴

Real lives aren't so neatly compartmentalized. Nor can real people easily section themselves off. Trying to do both just makes for a hardened mass of knots that even Alexander the Great couldn't cut through.

Hopefully, the example set by St. Mary's will be seen by other schools and by other boards, and support groups for students of any "sexual minority" will spring up in other Catholic schools.¹

At least then, as a new teacher, there'd be one less thing to disagree on with the majority of Catholic schools.

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Closing

Check back with this blog on Friday for a hunt for the good in Johnny English Reborn.

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References

1. Monteiro, Liz. "Kitchener Catholic high school already has a gay-support group." TheRecord.com 2 May 2012.

2. Simone, Rose. "Fear of ‘divisive’ discussion ends gay-straight alliance group motion." TheRecord.com 29 April 2012.

3. Monteiro, Liz. "Schools have duty to provide safe environment, former student tells board." TheRecord.com 30 April 2012.

4. D'Amato, Luisa. "D’Amato: Piscitelli has it right — the Catholic school board should listen." TheRecord.com 2 May 2012.

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