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BURNABY, British Columbia, February 29, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A group of parents in British Columbia were dismayed Wednesday after teachers posted a video on YouTube of students dancing to a Lady Gaga song in support of the “Day of Pink,” a pro-homosexual initiative that organizers say “rais[es] awareness to stop homophobic, transphobic & all forms of bullying.”

Burnaby Parents’ Voice had argued in a letter to Premier Christy Clark and Education Minister George Abbott that Lady Gaga and her song ‘Born This Way’ are not appropriate “learning resource[s] in public schools.”

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The parents pointed out in their letter that the music video that accompanies Gaga’s hit pop song contains scenes of simulated group sex, masturbation, semi-nudity, a birth scene, and many crotch grabbing shots. They also pointed out that the song’s lyrics contain a “worldview which [is] offensive to most religions as well as atheism.”

In one verse Gaga sings about the need to stand firm against the “religion of the insecure.” She also sings in another verse: “rejoice and love yourself today ‘cause baby you were born this way. No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgendered life.”

Despite the concerns raised by the parents, Premier Clark was filmed yesterday on the steps of the legislature dancing along to Gaga’s song with a number of students wearing pink shirts.

In response to a question about the controversy that had brewed over the use of the song in support of the Day of Pink, Clark told reporters that she was “sure there must be people who listen to the words more closely than I do. I just like the beat.”

The Day of Pink video showing 1,500 B.C. elementary and secondary school students dancing to Gaga’s song was posted yesterday on YouTube. All the children were wearing pink shirts with the message “Acceptance” written in black across the front.

The B.C. Parents and Teachers for Life organization has criticized the B.C. Teachers’ Federation for using the “Day of Pink” as a day to “indoctrinate” children into the homosexual worldview.

In a memo the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the Vancouver School Board urged teachers and schools to “focus on gender-role stereotyping and gender-based teasing and homophobia, as this was the origin of the movement.”

They suggest a list of lesson ideas that include “draw[ing] analogies between racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression in discussions with students,” “discuss[ing] the difference between ‘sex’ (biological) and ‘gender’ (societal) in which “nature is diverse and includes many variations — it may be helpful to see gender as a spectrum,” and “read[ing] books which positively portray lesbian, gay, and transgender characters in your classroom.”

“Will this project reduce bullying? Not likely,” said Gordon World, a spokesman for the concerned parents’ group in a news release. “They claim this sends a positive social message of acceptance of self and others. Not for overweight kids, anorexic kids or those who don’t dance well. Not for those who resist their school’s promotion of Lady Gaga’s ‘sex sells’ world view.”

Contact:

British Columbia Teachers’ Federation
E-mail president Susan Lambert: [email protected]
Phone: (800) 663-9163

Vancouver School Board
E-mail: [email protected]
Online E-mail contact form
Phone: (604) 713-5000