Collective Rights accepted by Court

The Ontario Court has turned back an attempt by the Social Conservative Religious Right to restrict a union's right to support gay and lesbian rights. Susan Comstock, a senior government employee, describes herself as a devout Catholic and opposes paying union dues on religious grounds.

"This is important because it demonstrates that your right to practise your religion is not impaired by paying dues to a union whose views you do not share," said Andrew Raven, an Ottawa lawyer for the 150,000-member union, PSAC. "This was an attack on the right of the union to have a policy that supported the rights of gays and lesbians."

"I think it’s indicative of a problem Canadians will have in addressing what is becoming a somewhat oppressive environment," said Horgan, president of the Catholic Civil Rights League. "The reach of these decisions is only starting to be felt. We’re seeing greater and greater inclusions in all sorts of areas."

Horgan cited other rulings that have gone against religious groups, including a fine slapped on the Knights of Columbus in British Columbia for refusing to rent out their hall for a same-sex marriage party.

Horgan is comparing apples in oranges when he cites the Knights of Columbus case in BC as proof freedom of religion is at risk. In that case the court said the Knights of Columbus which had rented the hall and upon learning they were Lesbians cancelled their use of the hall for their reception, could refuse to rent to a group they are opposed to, but had in this case rented it and cancelled late, causing the lesbian couple to scramble to get a new location and resend invitations. See CBC report here.


Full news article here. See also report on LifesiteNews Canada

Coming out still hard

ONE month before Zach O’Connor, a seventh grader at Brown Middle School here, came out about being gay, he was in such turmoil that he stood up in homeroom and, in a voice everyone could hear, asked a girl out on a date. It was Valentine’s Day 2003, and Zach was 13.
“I was doing this to survive,” he says. “This is what other guys were doing, getting girlfriends. I should get one, too.”

He feared his parents knew the truth about him. He knew that his father had typed in a Google search starting with “g,” and several other recent “g” searches had popped up, including “gay.”

see Accepting Gay Identity, and Gaining Strength

Blog Against Theocracy

Blog Against Theocracy

This long weekend is one of the biggest celebrated christian events on the calendar. It provide a good opportunity to discuss issues of the theocracy and the oppression it exerts here in Canada and in the USA.

We at queer thoughts will be posting, I hope you can too.

You can find out all about it here and here. An Unrepentantoldhippie led me to this action!

From Brazil to Yogyakarta - Gay rights travel at the UN

Militant secular humanists are now using homosexuals and homosexuality "to demolish Christianity once and for all." - Gwen Landolt, January 18, 2003

Thats a tough one to swallow if you ask me. I was doing some research on recent initriatives before the United Nations on gay rights and I recalled the fabulous Gwen Lanholt being quoted a few years ago. I found the quote without much effort on LifeSiteNews Canada. All the news to scare REAL Christians can be found there. "Forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Kidding aside, the Christian political movement of the right began blaming secular people for forcing those homosexual rights on the world and secondly, the secular world is not doing it because they like homosexuals, they are using homosexuals to bring an end to christianity.

I am feeling betrayed here. I mean I thought these nice straight folks that joined us in our effort to gain equality were doing it because it was the right thing to do. It turns out I'm wrong. I feel so used.

Used but cant stop to go after them right now, there be bigger fish to fry.

Again back to 2003, the United Nations Human Rights Council finally got around to talking about sexual orientation and the idea that maybe they should practice what they preach. A motion from Brazil expressed "deep concern at the occurrence of violations of human rights in the world against persons on the grounds of their sexual orientation."

The motion was withdrawn by Brazil when it was apparent that several muslem countries would not allow it to pass. Brazil tried again in 2004, again, on March 29, 2004, Brazil removed the resolution. It was clear it would not be able to move it forward. Canada and many European States supported the motion at that time.

At the time, Austin Ruse, President of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, worked to rally Americans in a letter to Christian and conservative groups stating, "Don't give the homosexuals another year to weasel this resolution into ominous reality. Let the High Commissioner and the Secretary of State know there is sizeable opposition to this ploy, that there are good reasons why devious sexual behavior and lifestyles should not be protected with additional legislation, let alone promoted."

Yesterday, three years to the day, the United Nation's Human Rights Council passed the Yogyakarta Principles. These principles (Named after the city they were drafted in) provide recomendations on the role of governments in protecting people on the basis of sexual orientations and gender identity. They are far reaching and perhaps worth the three years. In the end what will happen is anyones guess. The report is not binding and there is no requirement that the United Nations do anything with it.

Likely it will remain on a shelf. Your job is to get them to pick it up and do something with it.

"Why would we let them in the first place?"

Look out the Social Conservative Religious (and) Right (SCR&R) are getting up a head of steam in the USA and their efforts are likely to spur on the Canadian branch's of the SCR&R as well. After suffering losses in New Jersey and Arizona over the last three months and in Ontario a few days ago, they have succeeded in using a big fat wallet in Mass. to force the legislature there to move toward a state wide vote to ban gay marriage.

Gay Marriage came into law as the result of a court decision and the SCR&R have been screaming mad since. They are one more legislative vote away from having gay marriage ban on the ballot for November 2008. You can expect a flood of gay marriages in late 2008 in anticipation of loosing the right through the ballot box. All those marriages before a ban would remain legal marriages.

Here in Canada you can expect the SCR&R to go after the provincial liberals in the next election via support for the Provincial Conservatives. They are hoping mad over the Attorney General's failure to fight an Appeals Court case dubbed the Three Parents. The case provided parent status on the birth certificate of a young boy to his biological mother and her female partner and to the father who donated his sperm. The boy lives with his two mommies and his father is actively involved as well.

The case now provides all three with legal status with respect to the young boy and will have effect on more than just gay and lesbian couples with children. it is likely divorced straight couples may take this action to involve a new partner as a legal parent.

The SCR&R believe none of this would happen were it not for gay marriage and that is what we all have to remember. many feel the fight for gay marriage is over and take as proof, Prime Minister Stephen Harper saying the issue has been dealt with and is over.

The reaction from the SCR&R on the three parent case is evident they will stop at nothing to end the access to marriage for gay couples. They will continue to recruit candidates primarily for the Conservative Party and endorse those already supportive in the Liberal and Conservatives.

They have a reasonable chance of succeeding. Canada's electoral system provides rural MP's with more say than urban MP's. The majority of Canadians lives in large urban centres like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Voters in urban centres trend to being more progressive on rights issues than in rural areas. The Conservatives greatest strength is in rural communities and in smaller urban areas. They require fewer voters to elect members. The result is rural voters count more than urban voters. In some cases a rural vote is worth two or more urban votes.

Now I am not saying they will succeed as the public outcry will be huge if they try. I am asking, "Why would we let them in the first place?" Why let the fox into the chicken coop to start with?

The next election will see Stephen Harper trying to brand himself as a middle of the road guy. Just like Mike Harris did in Ontario years ago. Once elected they decimated social services in health, education and Childrens' Aid Socities across the province. Ontario is still trying to clean up the mess. Imagine what Harper could do from Ottawa with a majority government.

Want an example, just look south of the border and the USA after six years of George W Bush. Which Canadian leader supported the war in Iraq? Who extended the mission in Afghanistan? Who presented an Environment bill that would not have any effect until 2040? Who cancelled a national Child Care plan, and who is currently reviewing government programming in health care with an eye to cut spending? You can bet just as funding for women's programs funding that address the GLBTQ communities will be slashed as well.

Tagged - I want and don't want ...

I was "Christmas tagged" by Chimera living in some dark soggy cave in BC and I made a New years resolution to answer it!

here goes...

Three things i want in 2007 ...

1. since i have to wear these diapers, someone to change them (Nudge nudge, wink wink)
2. a good original coffee place in Ottawa, why can't the Libra Room on Commercial Drive open here too.
3. to make maple syrup again or Ottawa or Montreal or Vancouver to win the Stanley Cup!

honourable mention: an openly gay conservative Minister of Defense?

Three things I don't want in 2007...

1. Another joke about, "Im a big kid now" Yes Huggies pull ups fit
2. Another parking ticket - Ottawa is better at this than Victoria for crying out loud
3. Another Closeted Gay Conservative Cabinet Minister - You know who you are, speak up!

Honourable mention: A typical Ontario winter or a Conservative majority

three names on a paper

It really did, happened just this way...

Two women got together as a lovable couple and at some point decided they were ready to have a child. They went to the man they wished to contribute sperm to complete the needed conception of a child. A child was born and the names of the Father, and the Mother, were put on the birth certificate and that is where the Women's Right's group, Real Women, felt it should end.

The Ontario Court of Appeal recently ruled that these two mothers could be on the birth certificate of a child along with the father's name. That ruling went uncontested by the Attorney General of Ontario thus making it the law today in Canada's most middle of the road province, Ontario. The effect of the unchallenged judgment is that two women or two men can be listed as parents of a child and or at least one more person may be added.

Social Conservative rights groups like the Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) and REAL Women have often warned that the traditional family was under attack or at least threatened by law changes that recognize gay’s access to "family" rights.

Jim Hughes, National President of the CLC said in a release yesterday,
“This ruling clearly shows the extent to which the homosexual activists will pursue their agenda regardless of the welfare of children.”

In its press release of August 23, 2006, The Alliance for Marriage and Family (AMF) ... "argues that there is no authority under Ontario law to declare a third parent for a child without one of the biological parents giving up parental rights. There are many other situations in which more than two adults may wish to have parental rights over a child, for example, if a child’s parents have divorced and remarried. Therefore AMF contends it is not a violation of the Charter to deny the declaration of parenthood for the same-sex partner in this situation."

Simply put the AMF, made up of these enlightened folks, the Catholic Civil Rights League, Christian Legal Fellowship, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), Focus on the Family and REAL Women sought and obtained intervener status to say, "It’s always been this way so leave it alone." They go onto add that if such a change was to be made it should be made by the provincial legislature. You may give them credit for wanting the democratic process to work and then again you may consider this to be a shell game on their part.

The game plan for the Social Conservative Religious (and) Right (SCR&R) sect has always been there to deny access to freedoms, enjoyed by a majority of Canadians, to other Canadians. They did it with the first nations, immigrants, divorced and or single moms to name a few.

I wouldn't be surprised if the SCR&R have its agenda stationary pre-printed with the following action items.

Agenda of Local, Provincial and National monthly SCR&R meetings

1. Support for Traditional Families, (Status of anti-gay efforts)
2. Protection of our Children, (repeat lies about gay and single parent families leading children to temptation)
3. God's Army (Report from the Federal Conservative MP’s Caucus meetings and Election Planning Committee)
4. Greetings from America/Financial Report (Discuss access to funding and resources from wealthy American Evangelical groups)
5. What would Jesus do? (make it up or choose selected pieces out of context to support our position)
6. Good and Welfare (Thank you card to James Dobson, Jerry Falwel for ongoing support)

7. A-Men - In the name of the Father, the Mother and the Holy Ghost (Women can say Amen too but can't vote)

Wait a minute, I never saw the Holy Ghost on any birth Certificate! Whats really going on here...

Amway Rutz - the Soy made me gay

Now I know why I am Gay. It has taken so long to figure out but now its clear to me thanks to Jim Rutz in an exclusive commentary on WorldNetNews. Rutz in a shocking new report says "Soy is making kids 'gay'. Its no wonder you don't see those big strong good ole country beer swiggin an spittin boys eating soy. They must have an inate sense as to the value of a big steak over a few cubes of tofu. Its making sense to me now. If I were PETA, I would be very worried right now.

Now not everyone gets to write for WorldNetNews as they are the moral equivalent of that other trusted news source the world turns too on matters like this, the Weekly World News. Jim Rutz was an Amway Distributer for 12 years giving him a seal burping allbeit unusual insight on matters related to sexuality and what makes us the way we are. Jim's other credentials include being spokesMAN for the worldwide church house church community. I am impressed with such impeccible credentials and so you should be too ...

Here is the essence, the meat of his titillating report... (if you're gay you won't understand titillating, like straight boys do, ask a straight friend ok)...

"...Soy is feminizing, and commonly leads to a decrease in the size of the penis, sexual confusion and homosexuality. That's why most of the medical (not socio-spiritual) blame for today's rise in homosexuality must fall upon the rise in soy formula and other soy products. (Most babies are bottle-fed during some part of their infancy, and one-fourth of them are getting soy milk!)

Homosexuals often argue that their homosexuality is inborn because "I can't remember a time when I wasn't homosexual." No, homosexuality is always deviant. But now many of them can truthfully say that they can't remember a time when excess estrogen wasn't influencing them...." - James Rutz is chairman of Megashift Ministries and founder-chairman of Open Church Ministries.

I had to call my Mother when the news broke. She would be able to confirm the report's findings. It would be a simple test, I would ask, "Mom when I was a baby did you feed me soy?" Mom's response sent shivers throughout my body, I may have even swished... "Yes Rick you use to love it, I mixed it in your formula. What else could I do, you were a sick baby and all you would eat were bananas." "Oh no, thats where the penis fixation came in," I said out loud."What?" Mom asked. "Nothing, just a little envy. Oh my god, the report is true, Mom you made me gay!"

I remember after that I was playing with dolls while my brothers smashed things, I would play cars but instead of racing or bashing them I built perfect little villages with mowed grass and stuff. Then later I arranged flowers at my grandmothers house.

Its true, I wasn't suppose to be gay, its the soy Mom force fed me. I never knew, all I can say is thank you to AMWAY Rutz. Maybe now I can go to church and they will understand that its the SOY, not me that made me this way. And maybe the Church will accept my boyfriend too, what do you think?

This story was also published on peace earth and justice today.