Hearing about the Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association's convention in Weyburn over the weekend caused a lot of frustration, confusion and only a little bit of outrage.
I'm no Superman, but I do consider myself somewhat of a mild-mannered reporter, so the outrage was particularly vexing for me to accept. The idea of the convention was silly enough, but the inclusion of an American speaker known for his homophobic teachings was both irritating and saddening.
Peter LaBarbera, who is the president of what has been identified as a hate group, was held at customs in the Regina airport upon his arrival last week, as CBSA officers had concerns about this man spreading vitriol and violating laws that prevent hate propaganda against an identifiable group.
We've come to a point where there is no way to describe anyone with such an anti-gay mindset but as someone filled with hate and fear of people the rest of us wish to welcome and embrace.
LaBarbera's claim of opposing homosexuality on "moral" grounds is unquestionably baseless. This is no longer a matter of opinion to be debated. It is no longer a moral issue in which we need to listen to each side to hear their arguments for disagreement. There is a clear right and wrong in this instance with no room for conjecture or supposition. There is nothing wrong with homosexuality, and any suggestion of immorality is a simple claim of ignorance and hatred that we no longer have to tolerate the same way we no longer have the patience to tolerate racists.
We cannot be accepting of this behaviour in our communities.
Sure, Estevan and Weyburn, like neighbouring cities all over the world, have a sibling's rivalry. I would hope our councillors at City Hall wouldn't be supportive of a pro-life convention that seriously looks to "dig deeper" into some supposed conspiratorial connection between homosexuality and abortion, as the president of the Sask. Pro-Life Association said they are doing. She said they are "studying it," as though it wasn't even a question that there was something to actually study.
It's mindless and our public servants know better than to legitimize these outdated ideas with a curious and sympathetic ear.
Despite the Weyburn City's faux pas in doling out a grant to the group, I will have to give it up for the people of Intolerance Free Weyburn. People like to joke around the Energy City about our neighbours in Weyburn, but when there is a group that seeks to unite a community rather than divide it, we should give them the proverbial key to our city, even if they're from Weyburn.
LaBarbera promised to address the intolerant group who had requested he be denied entry to the country and not permitted to speak in Weyburn during his presentation on Saturday. Surely they were concerned about his attack on members of their city. Well, Lebarbara referred to them as a "Canadian Homo-Marxist" group (whatever that is), intolerant of his views and suggested they were "anti-Christian," themselves spreading hate toward the religion as a whole, which has so notoriously been a prosecuted minority group in our society.
Of course, his religious persecution claims are laughable, as he hides behind a religion that is supposed to be loving of all and accepting of the most vulnerable minorities in our society, a practise most of his fellow Christians exercise regularly.
This individual's thoughts are tiring, as are the motives of the Sask. Pro-Lifers. The only positive that can be gleaned from this, is that I'm sure the people in our communities exposed to these messages of hate are unconvinced.
Our cities and towns and Canadians across the country prize acceptance and love more than we idolize mouthpieces looking to make a buck.
