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VANCOUVER, July 30, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) is intervening *against* Chris Kempling, the Christian high school teacher in Quesnel, B.C. who is battling a B.C. College of Teachers indictment last year for “conduct unbecoming.” Kempling wrote letters in the local newspaper during summer holidays critical of homosexuality. Among his “crimes” is quoting Scripture to imply that homosexual acts do not meet with the highest standards of morality.  Although the BCCLA exists to defend civil liberties, it says Kempling’s statements “clearly cross the line by indicating an intention to use his role as a public school counsellor to discriminate against homosexual students”—in other words, they are “a violation of Mr. Kempling’s professional duties as a teacher and student counsellor.”“Mr. Kempling can no more use his position to persuade homosexual students of the immorality of their behaviour than he could use his position to persuade students of immorality of inter-racial dating or marriage,” said BCCLA vice president John Russell, apparently equating persons who engage in homosexual sex, with persons who are Black or Chinese.  The BCCLA claims Kempling’s remarks that “cross the line” include: “Sexual orientations can be changed… My hope is that students who are confused over their sexual orientation will come to see me… It could save their lives. …I refuse to be a false teacher saying that promiscuity is acceptable, perversion is normal, and immorality is simply ‘cultural’ diversity of which we should be proud. Section 95(2) of the School Act states that teachers must ‘inculcate the highest moral standards’. To all my critics I say, 2 Peter 2:4-19. Read it and weep.”  Meanwhile, British Columbia Parents and Teachers for Life (BCPTL) says that Christian institutional support for Kempling has been “underwhelming”. In a recent website editorial the organization states “to our knowledge, official church organizations generally have not yet taken a public stand on the issues regarding public education in British Columbia which Chris has raised.”  For the BCCLA’s arguments:  https://www.bccla.org/pressreleases/03kempling.html https://www.bccla.org/othercontent/03kempling.html.  See the BCPTL editorial at https://www.bcptl.org/#editorial (right side of page)  For previous LifeSite coverage:  https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/sep/02092606.html https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/jun/02060702.html