FOR parents thinking,
of introducing their
kindergarten-aged chil-
dren to the famous
Surrey three, a book
review might be helpful.

First some background,

Tn 29866 Janes
Chamberhup, a teacher and
member or the Gav and
Losbiin Educators of BC.
HGALE), requested three
books from the GALE list of
resources be approved as edu
cational resource material in
the Surrey school district.

The ministry had already

ed his request and has
vet to approve the books. The
Matter was referred to the
school board, which decided
awainat the books

Mr Chamberlain and a
host of petitioners then took
the matter to court. culminar-
ing in Madam fustice
Saunders’ decision last month
te quash the boards book res
olution.

Now to the books.

alsha’s Manis and One Dad
Tire Dads Brawa Dad Blue
Dads demonstrate the impact
advocacy can have on litera:
ture. Saat wonder the wo
books are turgid: and cumber-
some and canner be pricd
from their pitch Le. that same:
sex families are just groovy,

What is untorgivable about
these two books ts that they
leave children Out in the ¢
Phe upbeat little tikes in the
books are simply parroting the
say Ae of the advocates.

Let's begin with the sillier
of the two: Asha 's Manis tells
a completely contrived tale.
The ewo authors must have
racked their brains to come up
with a plot that would show
the perils, trom a hostile
world, toa child with two
mums.

Since these perils are few,
they concocted a story that
does not gel. Asha is excited
over an impending tip to the
Science Contre. But all that
changes when the “homopho-
bie” teacher calls on the child
to explain why her permission-
ship sports the signatures of
nwo mothers. You can, af
all, only have one mother. ¢
sons the teacher.

Mum Alice gallops to the
rescue, but not betore the
poor child vows she will never

insensitive

Dear Editor:
take grear ¢

the manner in
News presents, to the public,
atfairs that are private, as you
dill in the Jan. 2+ issue (Jilted
iover missing).

In omy) opinion, vou
crossed the line between pro-
viding a serv

one’s privacy, Put yourself in
Mr. Mekillop’s shoes. You've
needless! expased this man's
pavi offering i up to
be taken in and regurgitated
by the masses, And for what
reason? Would a photograph
and simple caption not have
sufficed?

if the News truly sces
itself as providing a valuable
service to this community,
perhaps you could) exhibit
more sensitivity and d
tion.
Patrick Thrift
West Vancouver

and that of
sensationalism /invasion — of

Friday, January 29.

two dads, three bad

fair

CORB
go back to school ifthe
oppressne pedagogue dousn
beve an about face,

In vet another scene,
designed to push burtaas,
Asha’s sunns painting of het
famuly: ovo mums front and
centre, initiates a discusston: in
class

And what would such a
discussion be without they
poster bow bigoted parents,
who pipe up aad sp
through their child?

“My mum and dad said
vou can't have two mothers
living together... it’s bad.”

No sooner do the enhight-
ened kids silence the voices of
the bigots: teacher included.
than mummies Sara and -
come to the rescue.

With teacher on the
straight and narrow all are
primed for one hist lesson
You can have two mumn
“just Hike vou can have owe
aunts and nwo daddies” ere. Er
is never, seemingly, too late to
start teaching the lessons of
moral and intellectual equiva-
lence: evervthing is the same.
No one thing, is better or pre-
ferred, Judgment must be sus-
pended at all times.

Essentially this story is a

mvcatks

Vaio

series ob somsibylins
Nothing at che py
sip dat
hoje says.
inthe homchold sian on tie
dotted ting 7

What is generally: requested

i partners

moa Nit

enbat :
suaiph decnded te use thie per
mussron slip ruse as part of
their coming aut project.

Furthersumless P don’t get
the birds and the bees, Asha
was conceived with the ard ot
aman, Whether Asha a
product of artifical insemin
ton, adoption or shorn,
somewhere aiman cvists with
halfot her DNA,

He might be a deadbeat
dad or just.a sperm donor.
might ever bea poor sod toil
ing to send the mums mainte
nance while they remain mum
about hin.

Ulimarely in this obtus
dating tale, he has been ablit
erated. Asha herself is just a
lithe too good to be true.
Because lugging such bag:
is bound te take its toll,
invariably making this child's
fite not as rosy as the book's
pesky tone SURECSES.

Straining at the seams with
condescension, One Dad Tive
Dads Brown Dad Blue Dads is
dedicated to “Jacob, whe has
only ong mont and one dad”
but doesn’t need vour sympa

scan’ “they're both
pretty ereat parents.”

Phis bit of comedy lays
bare juse how inditterent the
story is to what children want.
Can vou honestly imagine a

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fd qumprag up and dewn
demain an evtra dad “ust
fike Pou fas?
fdidavr chink so
Phe story has been com
pared tat Ds Scuss anaster
pre. Tt sbenadas One Dad
Pwo Dads simply Dr
Seip” deliciagis sense ot the
ssurd, the kind thar tickles
Kids pink. And kids, in the
absence of tndoctrinagen, will
detect this inipaster
The book starts with a lit
ue guy teliing of the domestic
bliss thar comes with having
to blue dads. To say that
Wena broad metaphor for
difference would be incorrect,
Tr is code for gay because the
dads are said fo be the same as
every other non hypothermic
dad excepe tor chieir hue,
How did they get this wav
hey were Blue when I
got them.” And that’s OR
becatise if seems reasonable to
assume that people are born
to their sexual orientanon,
Bat then comes the dineh
er “Phew are blue because.
they are blue. And T think
wonders -- don’t

IPs one thing to suggest
the dads were siuphy born
blue, but quite another to
declire them wonders by
Airtue of their tinge.

People are wondertul
because of their character,
because of what they de, not
because of whom they bed.
No one wants to impart te
children that people are valu
able because of their sexual
orientation, which is inimater-
ial

fowards the ond. the dit

ath bud dads oeian to
mulupa and seme green dads
appearan the wens

Crreen. tke Oscar Wihte’s
SEINATUTE CarNanOn, as
sical mare testing

However Dtbank chat,
more than wavoae, Wide,
Whos often appropriated bs
the gan comununiny, would
have tound the atrempt to
define one’s selfin terms at
sexual preference. insulting.
After all the great wits most
hvourtte organ was still his
brain.

Relinda’s Bonquet is the
most honest of che three
books.

One can sense sone
attempt at adopting a child's

end

img thar the oa
ace the ones whe strat
res Psponse then Bets OF ws
dom

InP wanted tebe ditieult f
mith ask WA mtn tea hes
peor chubby Belinda te chant
say bods belongs tome”
CCCP TING sOmcone Cont
ments about her weight

Wouldn't ‘mind vour own
busines.” or Svou're ne oil
painting” have been more
ettecuve?

Turore can’t hope to
diving every bit ot teminist
shastadon. So for naw, stick
wath Dr. Seuss,

egnome 4 iad ner

Y

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