As for my thoughts, I believe that the only flag that should be flown is theSchool Canadian flag (the Ontario and Ottawa flags would be fine as well). None of those raise any contentious, social or political issues that people have such strong opinions about (for and against) and I think everyone will agree that it is good to be proud of our country, our province and our city. That way, all students and staff would feel included. The problem with the Pride flag is that it celebrates behaviours that are against the Catholic faith, also against the Islamic faith as I understand it. Especially concerning to me and many people (not just religious people but also some atheists and women's rights activists) is the promotion of transgenderism, which has been shown to be so harmful for so many young people.
As a practicing Catholic, I adhere to the Christian teaching that we are all created in God's image. Therefore, we all have inherent dignity, no matter whether we identify as gay, straight, trans, black, white, or whatever. No one should be discriminated against, and to me, we treat everyone respectfully when we don't single out one particular aspect (e.g. gender/sexuality) and make it the basis of a flag. A Pride flag inherently excludes anyone who adheres to Catholic/Christian teachings on sexuality and I think Islamic teaching as well. We have been called bigots, anti-gay, anti-woman, etc. I'm an adult, and I find it difficult to face this discrimination... I can only imagine how a Catholic /Christian (or Muslim) child must feel when they see that their school is celebrating behaviours that go against their strongly held religious convictions. Children should not be made to feel ashamed of their religious beliefs, and that is what ends up happening when "Pride" is celebrated.As we are discussing Catholic schools here, if any other flag were to be flown, it would make sense to fly one that sends the message that we are all children of God (no matter our sex, gender, race, ethnicity, etc.) That is where our identity comes from. That is where our dignity lies. As far as I know, all major religions have some form of the "golden rule" about doing unto others as we would like to have others do unto us. Or as we heard in today's Gospel reading, to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Were we to adhere to this simple teaching, our families, communities, and the world, would no doubt be better off.Thank you for listening.
Wishing you the very best,
Barbara M
