TORONTO, November 25, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — A trustee running for chair of the world’s largest publicly funded Catholic school board misrepresented his views on gender ideology and sex education to his voters, says Campaign Life Coalition.
Markus de Domenico is challenging Mike Del Grande for chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, a contest the 12-member board will decide on Thursday.
Del Grande has been pilloried in the press and social media in the run-up to the vote for chair for his opposition to adding “gender identity” and “gender expression” as well as “family and marital status” to the board’s code of conduct as prohibited grounds of discrimination.
Specifically, Del Grande has been under fire for facetiously proposing an amendment that the board should add other categories of sexual identities, such as pedophilia, to the code in order to be truly inclusive.
But de Domenico is the one who needs to come under scrutiny before Thursday’s vote, says Jack Fonseca of Campaign Life Coalition, Canada’s national pro-life, pro-family political lobbying group and largest pro-life association.
De Domenico’s vocal support of adding gender expression and gender identity to the Catholic board’s code of conduct directly contradicts his response to the Campaign Life questionnaire, submitted a day before the October 22, 2018, municipal elections, Fonseca told LifeSiteNews.
The incumbent for Ward 2, de Domenico checked “yes” to the question: “Do you oppose the teaching of the controversial and anti-scientific theory of gender identity in schools?”
De Domenico also said he would “support the total repeal of Kathleen Wynne’s 2015 sex ed curriculum” and would “personally uphold and work toward the public promotion of total fidelity to the faith and moral teachings of the Catholic Church (current examples include the illicitness of abortion, contraception and homosexual practices).”
It was on the basis of these answers that Campaign Life gave de Domenico a “green light” rating as a supportable candidate.
That rating is now a red light, based on the fact that de Domenico has since voted to undermine Catholic teaching, says Fonseca, most recently to add the four terms to the code of conduct.
“Either de Domenico had a conversion to the LGBTQ cause after answering our questionnaire, or he misrepresented his true beliefs in order to get our endorsement before the election,” surmised Fonseca.
“If the latter, which does appear to appear to be the case, then it speaks to a lack of integrity, a lack of ethics, and a willingness to use outright deception,” he told LifeSiteNews.
“In either case, it makes it clear that this man is totally unfit to serve as chair of the board,” he said.
De Domenico was one of eight trustees led by chair Maria Rizzo who approved the policy change to the code.
They and their allies insisted that the board had to comply with the ministry directive PPM128, which mandated that all school board codes be in accord with the provincial and the Ontario Human Rights Code, and that not to make the change would harm students who identify as homosexual or transgender.
Concerned parents and groups opposed to the change argued that adding the terms would entrench the false gender ideology in Catholic schools and harm and confuse vulnerable students.
Moreover, they pointed out that publicly funded Catholic schools have a constitutionally protected right not to have to comply with government rulings at odds with Catholic teaching.
However, four days after the final trustee vote, the Toronto archdiocese conceded in a November 11 statement that it had accepted that the terms are included in the code, adding: “We do not accept the view of the human person which underlies this terminology, since that view is not compatible with our faith.”
It also said the TCDSB policy ensured that the terms would be “interpreted according to Catholic faith.”
Just how broad that interpretation will be was demonstrated at the November 7 board meeting, when de Domenico suggested that Catholic teaching has changed its former “judgmental” stance on homosexuality.
He contended that homosexual activist Kyle Iannuzzi, the former TCSDB student trustee who appeared before the board at least twice to argue for the policy change, was bullied because of Catholic teaching — not, as a parent pointed out, because of the cruelty of students.
“It was an older version of Catholic teaching that is a judgmental teaching, a version of Catholic teaching which didn’t accept a child or a young adult for who they are,” de Domenico said.
“Our system that we have now does not believe in the issues that gave Kyle and the folks like Kyle that kind of bullying problem. Fundamentally, we don’t believe in it,” he added.
When the parent suggested that de Domenico should “have the integrity to step down” because he was “vehemently opposed to the teachings of the Church,” the trustee retorted: “The reason I won’t step down is I do have integrity. I do believe in the system and I will defend that system against ignorance,” to cheers from LGBT activists waving small rainbow flags.
De Domenico also berated Campaign Life Coalition youth coordinator Josie Luetke at an earlier meeting, telling her several times she was “wrong” to assert that adding the terms is an endorsement of gender ideology, telling her it was intended to prevent bullying.
“I agree bullying is bad; we should try to prevent as much as possible in our schools. But I don’t think this is solely about preventing discrimination because there’s significance in the language that we adopt,” Luetke responded.
“This is about truth, and terms ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ convey a falsehood, so the Toronto District Catholic School Board should not convey a falsehood by adopting these terms in its code of conduct,” she said.
Meanwhile, trustees voted November 21 to dissolve the “Living our Catholic values” subcommittee, which recommended not adding the terms to the code.
LifeSiteNews called and emailed de Domenico for a response but did not receive a reply.
Here is how de Dominico responded to Campaign Life’s Trustee Election Questionnaire:
1. Are there any circumstances under which you believe a woman should have access to abortion? (note: a surgical or medical intervention, designed to prevent the death of the mother but which results in the unintended and undesired death of the pre-born child, is not an abortion. e.g. in case of tubal pregnancy or cervical cancer.)
Yes _____ No ___x__
2. Will you personally uphold and work toward the public promotion of total fidelity to the faith and moral teachings of the Catholic Church? (Current examples include the illicitness of abortion, contraception and homosexual practice)
Yes __x___ No _____
3. Will you actively promote and defend the teaching of Catholic doctrine, the importance of prayer and a regular sacramental life?
Yes ___x__ No _____
4. Do you support the total repeal of Kathleen Wynne’s 2015 sex ed curriculum?
Yes __x___ No _____
5. Do you oppose the teaching of the controversial and anti-scientific theory of gender identity in schools?
Yes __x___ No _____
6. Will you work to ensure that Catholic schools do not invite guest speakers who have publicly expressed positions that contradict the morality and teaching of the church, no matter how great their achievements in politics, business, sports, science or the arts?
Yes __x___ No _____
7. Will you work to ensure that educational materials that enter the premises of Catholic schools (e.g. library resources, curriculum texts, awareness campaigns, flyers) and all approved school activities are consistent with and do not undermine the morality and teachings of the Church?
Yes ___x__ No _____
7. Will you promise as a trustee to implement a policy ensuring that charities supported by the schools do not publicly contradict Catholic moral teaching either directly or indirectly?
Yes __x___ No _____
8. Will you work to ensure that your Catholic school board enacts a policy requiring all agents and employees of the board to uphold the rights of custodial parents to direct and control the education of, and any medical treatment provided to, their dependent children attending its schools?
Yes ___x__ No _____
Candidate's Name:
Markus de Domenico
Name of School Board:
Toronto Catholic District School Board
Electoral District / Area Represented:
Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre
City : Etobicoke
Prov : ONTARIO
Email: [email protected]
Signature: M de Domenico
Date: Oct 21, 2018
To respectfully express your views, contact:
Joseph Martino
Ward 1: Etobicoke
Phone: 416-512-3401
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
Phone: 416-512-3411
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]
Markus de Domenico
Ward 2: Etobicoke
Phone: 416-512-3402
Fax: 416-512-3214
E-Mail: [email protected]
RELATED:
Experts reveal stunning truths about how transgenderism harms children
Pediatricians: Gender ideology is the latest assault on our children
Former ‘trans’ teens raise awareness of dangers of gender ideology
Telling kids they can ‘change’ sex is harmful: US Catholic bishops with other faith leaders
Sociologist: Evidence shows homosexual parenting harms children
‘Born that way’? New study undercuts LGBT movement’s key tenets
‘New Atlantis’ editors push back after gay advocacy group bashes homosexuality study
Lies and Bullying from the Human Rights Campaign
Pediatrician destroys transgender ideology: ‘Puberty is not a disease,’ shouldn’t be prevented
‘Transgender’ conditioning is ‘child abuse’
Pediatrician blasts study claiming that affirming kids’ gender confusion reduces suicide
Brown University nixes link to research showing peer pressure causes gender confusion
‘Cold, calculated, institutionalized child abuse’: Experts comment on gender ‘transitions’ for kids
Polish archbishop compares LGBT advancement to communist oppression
WATCH: Here’s the merciful way the Church deals with transgender people
Gender dysphoria diagnoses are too general, and they’re destroying people
Sex change treatments make me suicidal, but they’re my right, writes transsexual for New York Times
Cardinal Burke: Gender theory is ‘madness,’ transgender bathrooms ‘inhuman’
Indulging ‘transgender’ ideology has deadly consequences
Pediatric expert calls kindergarten transgender lesson ‘psychological abuse’
WATCH: Drag queen admits he’s ‘grooming’ children at story hour events
Twitter has declared war on biology by banning ‘misgendering’
Transgender tyranny is the next terrible step in the sexual revolution
University apologizes after grilling student over ‘transphobic’ thought crimes