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By Hilary White

Margaret SomervilleTORONTO, June 15, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The uproar over Margaret Somerville’s honourary degree at Ryerson has been exacerbated by the Toronto university’s statements to the media supporting the homosexual activists who have opposed to the award.

Somerville dared to step away from the strictly orthodox line of the homosexual political agenda, making a presentation to Parliament opposing changing the definition of marriage. Somerville supports the recognition of homosexual partnerings in a legally equivalent “civil union.”

The CBC reported this morning that the university administration said they would have reconsidered granting Somerville the award had they known of her views. The Toronto Star reports that the committee responsible for the award has said that had they known of Somerville’s stand against same-sex “marriage” it would have resulted in giving them “serious pause before approving the award.”

The awards and ceremonial committee of the university’s academic council announced that it would be going ahead with the award even though some members of the committee disagreed.

“Many of us disagree strongly with some of her opinions and arguments, but this alone does not make them dishonourable,” a Ryerson spokesman said to the media. “The fact we have so many people in our community who are feeling so hurt by this is very, very difficult.”

“If we withdraw the award, then we demonstrate that as a university we show tolerance for some contestable views but not others,” the spokesman said. “Consequently, to rescind the award would raise basic issues of freedom of speech in an academic environment.”

In her presentation to Parliament on the marriage legislation, Somerville argued that marriage needs to retain its traditional definition for the sake of children, who she said, are happiest and most secure with a mother and father.

Somerville said the implications of the Ryerson furor are frightening, implying as it does that citizens are not free to speak their minds in Parliamentary committees. “It is especially scary for young academics and even students – the message is don’t speak what you believe or you too will be punished severely.”

Somerville today told media she was shocked at the uproar considering her record of support for the homosexual political movement. She is reconsidering whether to accept the degree saying that the grudging nature of the university’s decision to grant it sends a dangerous message about freedom of expression.

Somerville told media, “If I were to withdraw because I find this very upsetting, then I’m allowing to occur what I think should not occur, namely that a public harassment campaign can make a university rejudge what it’s doing.”

Read previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

  Gay Activists Target Public Recognition of Prominent Canadians Due to Support for Traditional Marriage
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06060906.html