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    Catholic schools in Ontario ban rainbows

    While most people may see rainbows as a good sign because the rain is ending, some Catholic schools in Ontario have banned visual references to the iconic colourful arch.

    Leanne Iskander, 16, tells Xtra that the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board prevented her group from displaying any rainbows at their information booth during an anti-homophobia event last week.

    Iskander is the founder of the unofficial gay-straight alliance at St. Joseph Catholic School in Mississauga.

    "We brought signs and posters with rainbows, and we were told we can't put them up," says Iskander to Xtra. "They said rainbows are associated with Pride. There's so many other things that a rainbow could be. It's ridiculous."

    But this did not stop the group from showing a rainbow. They baked cupcakes with different colour icing and displayed them on the table so it resembled a rainbow. Better yet, when people bit into the cupcake, there was a rainbow of colours inside.

    By selling the cupcakes at 50 cents each, the group raised $200 for charity. However the school would not allow the group to donate the money to the charity of their choice, which was the LGBT Youth Line.

    "We were told to donate to Covenant House, a Catholic homeless shelter," says Iskander to Xtra.

    Over the years, rainbows have been associated with many different things. The symbol was God's promise to Noah in the Torah, what Nelson Mandela used to describe South Africa and if there are two of them, it can be an insanely popular Internet meme.

    Iskander's gay-straight alliance group is unofficial because such groups are not allowed in Catholic schools, even though they exist in public schools. The Board recently began allowing anti-bullying clubs, but Iskander says this is not enough.

    She is planning to bring her fight to this summer's Pride parade in Toronto as part of the newly-formed Catholic Students for GSAs (gay-straight alliances). She says her principal doesn't mind the students marching in Pride, they just can't say what school they represent.

    "Some people think by now allowing anti-bullying clubs, the issue is over," Iskander says to Xtra. "But it's not."

    In the future if the Board listens to the students and allows GSAs, maybe they will also lift the ban on rainbows.

    (Reuters photo)

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    687 comments

    • S.C.  •  11 months ago
      The Catholic School board, it started as a private school system, for catholic people.
      Why should the rest of the people bother them. Go to your choice of other school.
      Go to a Muslim school and start talk against their belief. We do abuse much of our
      freedom in this country.
      • Trainer 11 months ago
        Yes, but when the Catholic school system receives PUBLIC dollars, it's everybody's business. The day they go back to being private schools is the day they can start doing whatever they want.
      • Robyn Hood 11 months ago
        Sorry Guys I can't agree. I went to a Roman Catholic Convent School taught by nuns who asked us to embrace who we are. There were muslims, b'hai, hindi and lesbians as well as every one else in our school. Those nuns taught me to be open minded, to question everything, to analyze and draw my own conclusions and most of all to be non-judgmental. Religion was taught every day and people of other faiths participated in the exercises of reading the bible and christian history which was not centered on the Catholics, but they were never forced to pray. The nuns believed in the "build it and they will come" and force was not the way tp someones heart. It taught us all to respect one another's differences and that we were more alike than different.
      • rich1299 11 months ago
        I went through the Catholic system just after they got full funding, I often heard some say they should reject full funding since it'll mean they'd have to abide by the authority of the province instead of the bishops, looks like things didn't work out that way, the bishops still are the only authority Catholic school boards will follow regardless, who elected them anyways? Since they are acting as agents of the state I don't see how they can get away with not following the Charter of Rights. Anyways I've known many Catholics growing up who were very socially progressive and I'm sure would have no problem with GSAs or embracing gays and lesbians in the church. However I've also known some who seem to have ignored all the parts of the bible having to do with love.
    • mike S  •  2 months ago
      BIGOTS I am so sick of hypocrits and right wing christian bigots...Grow up..Most of the priests are closet cases..Ontario is no place for this type of bigotry...Take it to the US...they like bigots and KKK and tea partyers and republican trash..
    • Sheri  •  Saskatoon, Saskatchewan  •  2 months ago
      This is going way too far!!! banning rainbows SO STUPID, they are part of nature nothing more. I love them, This is why I will NEVER EVER send my children to a Catholic school.
    • JohnM  •  Rochester, United States  •  1 month 20 days ago
      And here I thought God Almighty put the (rain)bow in the sky! Well, at least God's not worried.
    • Medora  •  1 month 28 days ago
      I was raised Catholic and always will be Catholic, but I was taught to love others no matter what. I honestly don't understand where this hate, especially from those who claim to be Christian, came from. Certainly not from God. God is love and that's all he ever will be. He doesn't tell us to hate one another; I personally know plenty of respectful and caring people who have nothing to do with religion, and plenty more who claim to be Christian but are nothing but rude. I despise the fact that people use religion as an excuse to hurt others. "Oh, well, I have God on my side..." Yea, that really makes your argument so much more valid... not! Please think about how you act may affect others lives, because the way you act does affect others lives. Thank you, and have a nice day.
      • Magarac... 1 month 28 days ago
        You are mixing up hatred of someone with simply not sharing another person's personal values. Catholics disagree with the gay lifestyle and agenda. But then again gays also disagree with Catholic's lifestyle and agenda. Does that mean that the gays hate? If so, is that somehow okay in your books because it's gays hating Christians as opposed to Chistians hating gays? Catholicism teaches respect and tolerance of all people, including those with whom the church disagrees. I'm not sure who these "rude" people are that you're talking about Medora. The Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, etc. that I know are respectful of other's views and expect the same respect for theirs in return.
    • v  •  Grafton, United States  •  1 month 28 days ago
      Cool, the Catholic church itself is banning God, because lets face it, God makes rainbows everytime it rains
    • Magarac...  •  Ottawa, Ontario  •  1 month 28 days ago
      Good for Catholic schools for standing up to bullying from the Gay & Lesbian lobby groups! School is for learning the 3 Rs, not for flaunting one's sexuality on other children. As for those people calling the schools "bigotted", I find it ironic that they themselves are completely intolerant about other people's right to their own religious and moral views! I myself am not at all religious, but I definitely support the rights of others to believe in whatever god, saviour, demon or spirit they want to believe in.
    • just me  •  11 months ago
      SAD, SAD, SAD. I was brought up catholic and with all that has gone on over the years, I do not practice nor wish to. Sent my children to catholic schools, what a mistake. They certainly do not practice what they preach. Worst bunch of hypocrites if there ever were any.Can't help but wonder what my 5 year old granddaughter that attends a catholic school and does nothing but draw rainbows will do. I can only imagine that she'll be reprimanded for this. This is the same child that when asked to paint a self portrait, yep, you guessed it, drew a rainbow. How sad the system is making it for everyone. Think I'll change the designation on my property taxes to public system.
      • :) 11 months ago
        I know what you mean, Just Me..... I went to a catholic school for a year, and I have ( in my own personal experience) never met a group of people more mean spirited and judgmental in my life. I think they would act horribly towards me because every Sunday they get to go and be absolved of all their 'sins' only to re commit them the next week! Dont ppl understand that 'sorry' only counts if you DONT plan to doo it again?
      • mael XD 11 months ago
        I was also brought up as a Catholic and attended Catholic schools. I do disagree with some things the Catholic church preach, but not all Catholic schools are I guess,"bad." I have met Catholics at school who do practice what they preach and those who don't. Most people I have encountered in my Catholic school experience seemed really nice, friendly and respectful. I've always been curious to attend public school, but the stories I have heard make public school seem scary. Too bad I didn't get to experience going to public school. Ooh well.
      • A Yahoo! User 11 months ago
        Just me... do you consider yourself a good person? Probably. Do you ever screw up, do mean things? Guess it takes a hypocrite to know one. TALK about judgmental. Catholics are better off without you so don't let the door hit your a$$.
    • A Yahoo User  •  11 months ago
      Alan Turing was a gay man who helped decode Nazi Secrets for the British. You know how he was treated? Because he was a "sodomite" he was told that he would be chemically castrated OR thrown in jail (gee wonder what happens to gays in prison?)

      This Patriot was an obvious contrast to the Catholic Church who ENDORSED the Fascist Dictatorships of Franco, Mussolini and (drumroll) HITLER!

      If your homophobic, then your an unpatriotic traitor who WANTS the Nazis to win, you are disgraceful INSULT to our freedom, our veterans and you must be dealt with like any other who commits TREASON!
      • neurotic ape 11 months ago
        Actually There was a blind eye turned towards Turings homosexuality. After he cracked the Enigma machine he was put to work on other problems. It was then that his attraction to small boys was discovered, for this he was ostracized. His homosexuality was tolerated, it was his pedophilia that got him into trouble.
        I am cool with gays, I just think that you should get your facts straight.
      • Alehandro 11 months ago
        SOOOOOO Wut WRONG TOPIC.
      • A Yahoo! User 11 months ago
        Sargon, honestly, dude, pull yourself out of the gene pool. You are EXACTLY what is wrong with society. Not that I have a graduate degree from one of the best schools in the world about this, but please, please PROVE how to Church endorsed Hitler. You WILL rewrite every history book in existence and make a million dollars in the process. So for the sake of humanity, please show me this. Otherwise, get back to the DEEPFRYER. I can't believe people "agree" with you. Society is doomed.
    • Mortis...  •  11 months ago
      Of public money is used by any Catholic School, then they cannot infringe the students freedom of speech. And that means Rainbows. Its funny to me that if Homosexuality was so important an issue, why did Jesus not address it directly? The word "homosexual" in English translations of the Bible:
      Outside of the conservative wings of religions, the word "homosexual" generally refers to sexual orientation. People have one of three orientations:

      Most are heterosexual: they are sexually attracted only to members of the opposite sex.
      A minority are homosexual: they are sexually attracted only to members of the same sex.
      A smaller minority are bisexual: they are attracted to both men and women, but not necessarily to the same degree.

      The term "homosexual" dates from the late 19th century, when human sexuality first began to be studied as a science.

      There is no term that means homosexual orientation in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible. The authors of the Bible did not understand sexual orientation and thus did not write about it. Thus, when you see one of these words in an English translation of the Bible, it is important to dig deeper and find what the original Hebrew or Greek text really means.
      • Anonymous 11 months ago
        I say love is love man;) People have it in their heads that homosexual also means alot of other things. Alot have the ideal that because a person is homosexual that they are also pedophiles which could not be further from the truth. People still go at them in the work-place ect. the world has a long way to go before they understand without malice.
      • cK 11 months ago
        The Bible/Jesus does speak on sexuality. Let me school you. First of all, according to the Bible, sex is only acceptable in a marriage. Marriage in the Bible has ALWAYS been defined as one man and one woman. Based on my last two sentences, homosexuality has no purpose or place in the Bible's version of God's plan. Heterosexuals also have the ability to multiply, therefore, bringing a new generation into the world. Gays don't even have the ability to procreate.

        Even from a natural point of view, homosexaulity is abnormal. According to science, nature is always evolving and multiplying. Once again, gays do not have the ability to multiply, which makes it impossible for them to add to the next generation.
      • How Are Ya 11 months ago
        @CK - are you goign to explain that man and dinosaurs co-existed as well? And that the planet is actually only 5,000 years old? And that 'creation science' is 'real' and evolution is a 'fraud?' Homosexuality is entirely 'normal' in the sense that it in fact EXISTS. If God's 'plan' does not include homosexuals and homosexuality, and neither has any 'place or purpose' explain why both exist; did 'God' screw up? Or is the Bible just full of crap? All your speech really is is an excuse to hide your homophobia behind a thin veil of archaic religious fanatical dogma that is, in this century and modern world, a complete joke. Misogyny and homophobia are no joke. Homophobia is a frighteningly common disease that infects millions all over the world, and organized religion is the primary pusher of this virus.
    • just me  •  11 months ago
      Sounds like a human rights violation to me. They should be able to donate to any charity of their choice. I'd fight that one...
    • Susan  •  11 months ago
      If God makes rainbows, how can it be wrong? Being gay is not a choice, but how one is born. They say God doesn't make mistakes.
    • Beef Curtains  •  11 months ago
      Kinda hypocritical of the catholic church to ban rainbows when they allow gay priests to diddle young boys. Just saying.
    • AlManiac  •  11 months ago
      Remove the tax exemptions from all religions. Remove all public funding for all religious schools.
    • hoo phlung poo  •  11 months ago
      i suppose all of the priests ,bishops, catholic hockey coaches etc. who rape young boys are not homosexual otherwise the "infallible" pope would have to kick them out of their homophobic " church"
    • BK  •  11 months ago
      A rainbow? BLASPHEMY! Take it down!
      Put up this cross with a dying dude nailed to it instead.
      Much better.
      Lol. So ridiculous.
    • Yup Uh Huh  •  11 months ago
      Hangs his head in shame.... oh wait a minute, that's exactly what the RC church wants me to do.
    • Larry King  •  11 months ago
      I am not Gay and if people choose that,that is their perrogative.If choice is the avenue of the individual in our "free" world,why do we feel it is necessary to use info-neutral influences like schools to bandwagon gays or straights.We got too many other important things to be doing than this petty posturing.It won't matter if you are gay or straight or a eunich if you have no job,no safe environment,lousy dangerous food, no safe housing,genderless criminality,Diseases, Pollution,RadioActivity,Taxation of the people to the point of death and other things of vital importance.Cut the bandwagon crap from all sides.There are decent straights and gays as well as wretched ones.Take it out of all institutions and leave it to free people. .Lets rise above this to common ground of excellent dominion over this world we are responsible to maintain!
    • Joan  •  11 months ago
      I am so tired of the hypocrisy of religion. Whats that commandment?, love thy neighbor, only if they're straight. No, that's not it.
    • v.I.  •  11 months ago
      wonder what would happen if some religious freak will got to a pride event and try to promote his ideas?
      probably will be ridiculed, spit upon and chased off.
      Catholic schools follow religious doctrine, if one does not agree with that, go to non-religious school.
      nobody is forced to go to a Catholic school.

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