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TORONTO, May 8. 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — An LGBT activist elementary Catholic school teacher is lobbying the Toronto Catholic District School Board to recognize June as “Pride Month” — and half of the board voted Thursday to consider the idea.

“There is no Catholic reason not to recognize the diversity of our LGBTQ students through an event such as Pride Month,” Paulo De Buono claimed in a May 7 three-minute video presentation to the board.

Six of the TCDSB’s twelve trustees then voted to receive his request — but because a tie vote is a defeat, that was as far as the matter went that evening.

The trustees voting to receive De Buono’s delegation were Frank D’Amico, Markus de Dominico, Norman Di Pasquale, Daniel Di Giorgio, Ida Li Preti, and Maria Rizzo.

Voting against were Chair Joseph Martino, Nancy Crawford, Michael Del Grande, Angela Kennedy, Teresa Lubinski, and Garry Tanuan.

De Buono, who teaches at St. James Elementary School in Toronto, is now contending that a tie vote means the board did not disapprove of the idea and that director Rory McGuckin can unilaterally decide that the TCDSB recognizes June as “Pride Month.”

He’s also asking others to lobby McGuckin and has launched a change.org petition.

De Buono can fairly be described as brazen and unrelenting in his LGBT activism — he openly boasted about reading pro-homosexual and pro-transgender books to Grades 5 and 6 students in February, claiming then as justification that the board had recently added “marital and family status, gender expression and gender identity” as prohibited grounds of discrimination to its code of conduct.

LifeSiteNews contacted McGuckin for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.

The TCDSB initially denied De Buono’s request to delegate but inexplicably reversed that decision the day of the meeting, as De Buono duly noted on Twitter.

He backed his request by quoting the TCDSB’s 2018 to 2021 Equity Action Plan, which states that the board must ensure “equity of outcomes” by addressing “with intentionality, persisting learning gaps for racialized students, Indigenous students, students who identify as LGBTQ or Two-Spirited.”

It also states that the board must “must continue to identify and eliminate discriminatory practices, systemic barriers, and bias from our classrooms, our schools, and our offices,” De Buono said.

“Let’s decide therefore, with intentionality, to go beyond our discriminatory practices and systemic barriers to recognize June 2020 as Pride Month in the TCDSB,” he said.

“Pride Month” has no place in Catholic schools

Pro-family groups have decried De Buono’s campaign and urged parents to voice their opposition in the wake of the episode.

“Parents make a choice when they send their children to Catholic schools. Parents expect and understand that Catholic moral teaching will be upheld,” commented Teresa Pierre, president of Parents as First Educators (PAFE).

“This activist Catholic school teacher undermines parental choice and parental rights by asking Catholic children to celebrate things which run counter to Catholic moral teaching,” she told LifeSiteNews in an email, adding that this isn’t the first time De Buono has done so.

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“Ontario parents commend the trustees who voted the right way — in defence of Catholic moral teaching and parental choice,” said Pierre.

“As for the trustees who voted the wrong way, PAFE is appalled that these trustees didn’t carry out their duty — to protect Catholic teachings on sexuality — as they took an oath to do! They must be held to account now, and at election time.” 

That was echoed by Lou Iacobelli, retired Catholic teacher and parental rights advocate.

De Buono “claims to be doing what a ‘Catholic’ teacher should do. But have parents asked for the celebration of pride month, of every possible sexual ‘gay’ expression?” Iacobelli noted on his blog, EverydayForLifeCanada.

“Parents, especially those that have children attending St. James School, need to speak up and let teachers, their trustee, and the principal of the school know where they stand,” said Iacobelli.

“If they don’t, activist teachers like De Buono will promote their agenda to vulnerable children,” he pointed out. “Finally, as parents we need to pray for the safety and souls of the children in schools.”

Pride Month is “a celebration of ‘gay’ sex, of sodomy, and that is totally contrary to Catholic religious teaching, and cannot enter into a Catholic school,” agreed Jack Fonseca, director of political operations of Campaign Life Coalition, who added that he is waiting for Toronto’s archbishop, Cardinal Thomas Collins, to take action on De Buono.

“How long must we suffer heretics attacking the faith and confusing our children and our teachers? When will the local ordinary do something about this?” he asked.

To express your concern, please contact:

TCDSB Director of Education Rory McGuckin
Email: [email protected]

TCDSB trustees:

Joseph Martino, Chair
Ward 1: Etobicoke

Phone: 416-512-3401
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Markus de Domenico
Ward 2: Etobicoke

Phone: 416-512-3402
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Ida Li Preti
Ward 3: North York

Phone: 416-512-3403
Phone: 416-222-8282 Ext.2660
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Teresa Lubinski
Ward 4: Parkdale-High Park, Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Phone: 416-512-3404
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Maria Rizzo
Ward 5: North York

Phone: 416-512-3405
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Frank D'Amico, CD
Ward 6: York

Phone: 416-512-3406
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Michael Del Grande
Ward 7: Scarborough/ North York

Phone: 416-512-3407
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Garry Tanuan
Ward 8: Scarborough

Phone: 416-512-3408
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Norm Di Pasquale
Ward 9: Toronto

Phone: 416-512-3409
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Daniel Di Giorgio
Ward 10: Toronto

Phone: 416-512-3410
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Angela Kennedy
Ward 11: East York/Toronto

Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]

Nancy Crawford
Ward 12: Scarborough

Phone: 416-512-3412
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]