DEMOCRACY CAN BE MESSY

It’s one thing to love humanity. It’s another to share a room with a guy who repeatedly blows his nose. That withering observation, made more than a century ago by Fyodor Dostoevsky, illustrates how grand ideals inevitably falter. It’s also a perfect image for the Edmonton Catholic School Board, which has repeatedly coughed, snorted and sneezed while formulating a sexual orientation and gender identity policy.

After a long, contentious meeting on Tuesday night, the ECSD passed the policy’s first of three readings of its new policy to satisfy provincial law. The next morning, Education Minister David Eggen appointed an independent facilitator to “improve governance.” Eggen already had the power to dissolve the board. The move raises the question: will he eventually wield an even bigger stick? Let’s hope he gives the ECSD a sneeze guard instead. They’ve been combative and contentious, but haven’t come to blows. Nobody is accused of financial malfeasance. They could, however, use some coaching around procedures and conduct, obvious distractions during an already tricky debate.

You may be less hopeful if you’ve watched social media, where interested observers have demanded the province step in and impose an Alberta-wide policy. A religious institution ruling on washroom etiquette is akin to counting angels on a pin head, they suggest, and this same fight could stymie school boards across the province. Perhaps. But Eggen would be wise in closing Twitter and allowing the conversation to continue, at least for now.

Why? Because democracy isn’t always about enforcing unanimity. We’ve already spent months immersed in election messaging, where parties have brushed off difficult questions in favour of spectacle, religious caricature and canned lines. Genuine conversations about human sexuality are usually messy, like last fall’s discussion of gay-straight alliances in the Alberta Legislature, but we avoid them at our peril. The conversation underway at the ECSD — where trustees ostensibly share a single faith, and must also abide by the laws of the land — mirrors the difficult discussions that need to take place in our homes, social circles and communities.

There will always be a diversity of opinions, loud jockeying for recognition and attention. Expect fumbling over terminology. But any consensus the ECSD reaches isn’t likely to resemble Larry Kowalczyk, the trustee embracing the part of crotchety old uncle at Thanksgiving dinner.

Despite the presence of strong egos — board and otherwise — the ECSD has already sidestepped Kowalczyk. They agree that sexual orientation and gender identity of students are to be respected in a safe, inclusive and equitable environment. The next weeks will test that consensus with a period of community consultation, proposed amendments and the writing of regulations to implement the policy at the school level. But there’s hope.

The ground between church and state is certainly fault-ridden, but like it or not, it’s where many of our schools have been built. Catholic education was enshrined by parliament in the Alberta Act, passed at Alberta’s 1905 founding. We might have another conversation about that some day, perhaps sooner than later.

For now, we would do well to allow this board to muddle through the ambiguities of gender, sexuality and identity. Alberta’s social history hasn’t been dominated by religious extremism, but by ordinary people who overcame differences to find ways to welcome refugees, feed the destitute and visit the imprisoned. The ECSD’s struggle, if successful, could lead to help for other groups of overlooked individual.

The image of God has often been mentioned during this hostile, divisive debate. It’s bold to believe there’s something innately divine and worthy in every person. The real challenge is to look across the boardroom and find it in that flawed, sneezing human.