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| Same-sex parents and other sad tal

NOTHING in my
thumbs-down review of
the Surrey books was
remotely indicative of
“a fear and hatred of
Homosexuals or homo-
sexuality.”

Still F garnered the label
of “homophobe.” [t was my
opinion that the chipper chil-
dren featured in the banks
Were, by and large, a conduit
tor the activists.

The kads were made to
sound and look Hallmark
happy despite the power that
parental “outing” has to
cause chem adversity.

Clearly it’s far easier to
berate me than address the
point [am attempting to
make. Which is nce surprising
when vou consider that this
kind of mud-slinging, so Wpi-
cal of debate these days, is
nothing but a forn: of mental
laziness.

The “homophobic” accu-
sation is now the SCUD mis-
sile in the arsenal of gay
activism. It joins the pile of
evithets with which various
groups and lobbies fitter the
Canadian political landscape.

“Misogynist, racist, chau-
vinist, homophobe,” are all in
a day’s work for those intent
on depicting Canadian soci-
ety as deeply intolerant.

While, what’s been
dubbed “soft discrimination,”
ic. the odd incident resulting
trom ignorance, is an unfor-
tunate reality in society, good
evidence of endemic oppres-
sion in Canada is absent. Suill,
MeCarthyism will be
MeCarthyism and now it is
sufficient for people to
declare they feel put upen for
the fact of oppression to be
established.

The concept of oppression
has been so distorted that
you can, seemingly, oppress
someone by merely denving
him the kind of tailored
recognition he or she
demands. Treating people
with dignity and respect is
not enough,

Psion

Involve
MLAs in
field issue

Dear Editor:

North Vancouver District
Coun, Pat Munroe’s letter in
vour Jan. 27 edition invites
local MLAs to apply their best
efforts. on the joint use of
fields issue (MBA action
needed on NV playing fields),

I would be pleased to do
so when the school district
and North Vancouver District
council bring me up to speed
on the matter.

T have had no formal over-
ture from the school board
on this, and only one infor-
mal conversation with Mayor
Don Bell. As Mr. Munroe’s
MLA, I would love to help,
but it is a two-way street.

Now chat the school dis-
tricry has disposed of the
North Star school site, money
should be available for lonz
overdue maintenance of
schools.

The matter of field main-
tenance could be addressed at
the same time.

Jeremy Dalton, MLA
West Vancouver-Capilano

commncnt

Validating the individual
now falls to society as its
institutions are expected to
be retooled in order to retlect
the demands and needs of so
many self-styled victims.

The kev to the argument
over gay equality is well artic-
ulated by Canadian phitoso-
pher Charles Tavior in The
Malaise of Modernity.

“Mere differences,” says
the leii-ieaning Taylor, “¢
be the ground for equal
valu.”

Picase, vou sensitivity
monitors, hold on to vour
seats. Prof, Tavlor is not sav-
ing that differences should be
the source of discrimination,
Only that ce claim gayness,
tor instance, as the basis for
demanding the same parent:
ing outconies as non-gays, is
silly.

To bring this debare to
life, think of the outrageous
and deliciously irreverent
satire The Life of Brian
(remenvber John Cleese? }.

In one of the fractious
debates among the anti-
Roman rebels, out of the
blue, one member of the
Israclite Resistance pipes up
and demands forthwith co be
called Loretta because of his

jacefac

need to bear achikt.

“You can’: have a baby
because vou don’t have J
bloody uteras.” says Cleese.

Sull Loretta’ is adamant.
A Pabnadie stvle debate
ensues. After following the
lines in the logical proof, the
rebels arrive ata solution. All
they can de tor ‘Loretta’ is to
agree on his right to assers he
has aright to have a baby.

With some qualifications,
biological impediments pose
No serious barriers tor same-
sex couples,

‘Vhey can go our and get a
kid with which to adorn their
relationships. Thus, the
tongue-in-cheek lesson here
from the Monty Python
crowd is that as much as the
gay community might insist
sane sex unions are no differ-
ent to heterosexual unions in
what they offer children, this
is nat realistically truc.

Morcover, the dignity of
gay people and their human
rights are not diminished an
iota if we acknowledge this
difference.

The report For the Sage of
the Children, sued in
December by the Special
Joint Committee on Child
Custody and Access, has
helped to focus attention on
the needs of children,

One myth the conmit-
tee’s investigation challenged
was that of the constructive
diverce,

Another verity under
attack by the coramittee,
wl iprised members of
the Senate and House of
Commons, was the notion

"IN BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN OEEP. COVE WHERE,
ASTRONGMICALLY\LOW PRIGES ARE THE baw

ab A

AGES T

Ki o'w a

ace Clothing

that what makes parcats
happv is automatically good
tor che child.

This insight is a valuable
one,

Vhe child woo is thrust
into a same-sex family is often
a Gsualty of the no-fault
divorce process, in which case
he or she is dealing with a
double dose of adult-adminis-
tered pain.

Tn the event that a child
comes TO a same-sex union
through adoption ar other
means, he or she is then
denied the right to a mother
and father. A right succinetly
termed by a News reader to
be “ordained by the wisdom
of several million vears of
evolution.”

The themes of adult seit:
ishness, divorce and same-sex
union converge in vet anoth-
er children’s storvbook fouad
in vour local tibrary.

Published by Alyson
Wonderland publications, the
publisher responsible for neo
of the Surrey books, Daddy's
Roouumate is a particularly
sad tale. Phe litte narrator
here has no name! isn’t
surprising when vou realiz
the children in these books
exist to affirm their parents.

What is alarming is that
the BCTF educators, who
routinely premote the self
esteem catechism in schocls,
overlooked the sagging sense-
of-self exhibited by the chil-
dren in these books,

The nameless narrator tells
us his parents have just
divorced, With nary a reter-
ence to the sadness of this

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Friday, February 19. 1999 ~ North Shore News - 7

eent. he blurts out “Now
theres somebody new at
Daddv’s house.”

“Daddy and bis roommate
Frank live together, work
together, cat together, steep
together,

From here on its pretty
nuch Brave Dad Blae Dads
all over again, decating the
good times the dwarted child
spends with the two larger-
than-lite men.

Mummy, who like the
child, is a recruit in the ser-
vice of the men’s “outing.”
tells no-name boy that Daddy
and Frank are gay and thar
“being gav is just another
kind of love.”

“Daddy and his roommate

ES

are very happy together.”

“And Dam happy toa!”

So tong as Dad has found
his trac self so will the boy
arrange his teelings accord:
ingly.

It's a cruel farce indeed
that compels a child to be the
Nurrer image (o.a parent.

What would [have con-
sidered an honest narrative?:

“My name is Ben. Tam
very sad.

“My mum and dad ere
divorcing. Frank is my dad's
new friend.

“My mam and dad held
me tight. [told them T want-
ed my old home back again.

“And J cried.”

—amome@atrcauadanet

Vea > >) je CUt!CO

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