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Documents Reveal Government Signed Over Control of Education to Homosexual Activists

By John Jalsevac

VANCOUVER, B.C., June 19, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A legal contract obtained by the Vancouver Sun under a freedom of information request has revealed that the province of British Columbia has granted homosexual activists Peter and Murray Corren an unprecedented say in the curriculum review that is set to affect courses from kindergarten to grade 12. The review is being undertaken in order to insert so-called LGBT issues into the curriculum, starting at the kindergarten level.

Wayne Ross, an education professor at the University of B.C. said that he was unaware of any similar contract in any other province that offered such unprecedented clout to a private party, giving them an “explicitly designated seat at the table in terms of curriculum development that’s going to affect an entire province.”

The province signed the settlement contract with the gay couple after the couple launched a human rights complaint in 1999 which alleged “systemic sexual discrimination” in the classroom. 

When the agreement between the Ministry of Education and the gay activists first became public the Ministry mildly indicated that the province would be implementing a new Grade 12 elective course on social-justice and that “The Province will also establish a process and schedule to review the B.C. educational curriculum to ensure that it reflects inclusion and respect for the diverse groups that today make up B.C.’s population.”

The contract obtained by the Vancouver Sun, however, has revealed that the province has agreed to give the Correns themselves an enormous amount of influence and personal involvement, not only in designing the Grade 12 elective course, but over the entire curriculum, from K-12. Although no one knows just what changes are going to be made, it is clear that they are going to be much more sweeping than the mere introduction of the elective course.

Murray Corren has indicated that the new K-12 curriculum should include, “Queer history and historical figures, the presence of positive queer role models -- past and present -- the contributions made by queers to various epochs, societies and civilizations and legal issues relating to (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) people, same-sex marriage and adoption."

Under the terms of the agreement obtained by the Sun the Ministry has agreed to meet with the Correns every six months until Sept. 1, 2007 to discuss the development of the new homosexual friendly curriculum. By August 1 of this year the Ministry has agreed to draft guidelines for the K-12 curriculum which will be handed to the pair of activists for comment. And under the contract the Correns will also play a vital role in designing the entirely new “social-justice” elective course for Grade 12 students.

Murray Corren has also said that stricter regulations preventing parents from removing their children from the classroom when homosexuality or other similar issues are being discussed, will also likely be introduced under the new curriculum. The Correns have long been fighting against the right of parents to discern when and how their children learn about issues pertaining to sexuality.

Speaking at the time of the launch of the human rights action, last July, the activists' legal council, Tim Timberg, said, "The second issue is there's an opting-out provision in the curriculum that where a subject is deemed to be sensitive, the school teachers are under an obligation to in advance advise parents that they'll be raising a sensitive issue in the classroom."

The Correns have since sought to ensure that LGBT issues are removed from the list of "sensitive" issues.

British Columbia’s independent schools, most of which are faith-based, have also expressed some significant discomfort with the changes to be made in the curriculum. Ministry officials have not yet made it clear whether the changes would also apply to the Independent Schools, which are normally required to follow the province’s curriculum. One official offered the hazy assurance that “it’s not anticipated that any change would impact the ability of an independent school to continue teaching courses from a faith-based perspective.”

See the Vancouver Sun’s coverage of the deal:
http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=223d5fea-2e50-4b1d-9678-f37850ca5...

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Gov't Agrees to Mandatory Homosexual Curriculum with No Opt-Out for Students or Parents
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06060101.html

B.C. Gay Couple Seeks Mandatory Homosexual School Curriculum Without Parental Opt-Out
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jul/05071106.html

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