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Mr. Mullan, Honourable Chairperson of the Ottawa Catholic School Board, and Honourable Trustees,
I am appearing tonight to express my concern about the motion before you to have a Gay Pride flag fly for the month of June in front of the School Board Education Centre and all our schools in perpetuity every June.
I know the Catholic School Board has done wonderful work in supporting young people who are bullied or discriminated against for any reason, not only their sexual orientation or gender identity struggles. We are all made in God's image and likeness and therefore deserve to be treated with respect.
The motion to fly the Gay Pride flag in front of our schools is causing division in our community. I have received many messages this past weekend from concerned parents, grandparents, staff and Catholic school rate payers about this motion.
We know that flags can have many meanings. The Gay Pride flag is not just about inclusion. It is a political statement that endorses behaviours and lifestyles contradicting the Catholic Church’s teaching on the dignity of the human person. Our Catholic schools, and those who represent the participants in our Catholic schools, have a duty to uphold and promote what the Catholic Church teaches. Everyone in the Catholic school system has made a conscious choice to be part of it knowing what our values are and what they entail. We contradict our values and undermine the distinct identity of the Catholic school system if we pretend to endorse political ideologies at odds with our Catholic faith. This causes division. I am really concerned about the spiritual well-being of our community.
We have two symbols already in our schools and on our buildings: the Cross of Jesus Christ and the Canadian flag. The Cross is the symbol of God’s love for each and every one of us, a love that saw Jesus Christ give his life for our salvation. The Cross is the most inclusive symbol of our identity. As Canadians, and those living in our great country, we recognize the privilege we have to participate in a multicultural society. This is why we fly the Canadian flag. These two symbols include us all. The Gay Pride flag, on the contrary, endorses one political agenda over others and divides, not unites us.
I urge you to reconsider this well-meaning but divisive motion that will only divide our school communities and not work towards fostering unity, peace and respect. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to express my concern.