Discriminatory hiring practices in educational facilities

Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression is against the law in Canada. Is it that simple? Apparently not, and the proof is in the actions taken by some courts recently regarding some universities that continue to deny employment to gays and lesbians who are open about their sexual orientation. A number of universities and private schools have this policy in place across Canada. These are evangelical Christian places of learning where prospective applicants are denied employment because of their sexuality and married gay couples need not apply, nor should single gays who are open about their sexual orientation. The most famous of these places is Trinity Western University in British Columbia. At that particular university students who wish to study there must sign a document that forbids sexual relations outside a marriage between a man and a woman. Trinity has been chastised by many legal organizations across the country and thus far a few courts have sided with the university. The discrimination is blatant, yet some courts seem to feel it normal to refuse entry. A law department is in the works for this university and most feel that future lawyers who graduate will infuse their ideas and ideology learned here, thereby promoting homophobia. The Canadian Association of University Teachers filed a motion to intervene in two appeals involving Trinity. The case will be heard in the fall by the Federal Court in Ottawa. Other schools are also refusing to comply with human rights, which is the core of our existence. The Baptist-based Crandall University in Moncton, N.B., whose policy is anti-gay hiring policies, also has been in the news again lately. A father of a bisexual teen is criticizing the Anglophone School District South following its proposal to set up a partnership and promotion to send its teachers to Crandall to upgrade and enter a Masters of Education program. This is a university with an employment policy that doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage and, like Trinity, discriminates against the gay community. The teen’s father, Matthew West, said, “I am not criticizing Crandall here. I am criticizing the school board for promoting Crandall.” The district’s subject co-ordinator for literacy, Greg Patterson, said the partnership has been put in place. Crandall has been in the news for some time and has been criticized for its anti-LGBTQ stance, following strict Christian beliefs. At one point Dr. Bruce Fawcett, Crandall’s president, offered an apology to the LGBTQ community for excluding them. Such an apology rings empty as no changes followed. Where do we find any kind of conciliatory dialogue and do we really expect changes to these anti-gay policies? Perhaps the evangelical type of Christian denomination does not feel the need for accepting and respecting those not thought of as noteworthy. In other words, these universities, schools and their organizers will not budge. So, here we have it, blatant discrimination with total protection under Canadian law. If the law protects discrimination, as is evident by some rulings recently in our provincial courts, then the light at the end of the tunnel is dim at best. Comments and information: lgbtconnectionsgv@gmail.com