A Catholic high school is being criticized for administering an exam about homosexuality that required students to address "myths and stereotypes" statements, such as: "One can become a homosexual by associating with homosexual people."
The exam, first discovered by a Canadian blogger, was given to ninth grade students in a religion class at Resurrection Catholic Secondary School in Kitchener, Ontario.
The test consisted of three parts and required students to define such terms as "coming out," "bi-sexual," and "homophobia."
The part of the exam addressing "myths and stereotypes" directed students to mark certain statements as either true or false. Examples of some of the 16 statements are:
· Homosexual people hate and fear the opposite sex
· Gay males and lesbian females are overly sexual
· All male hairdressers and decorators are gay
· The Church is against homosexual people
· The Church is against ALL sexual behavior between single people
· The Church teaches that all sexual activity belongs in the loving relationship of marriage.
One student was "wrong" for deciding that it was "true" that "Gay males and lesbian females are overly sexual" and that "Gay people are very different from straight people," reported LifeSiteNews.
The test, reportedly administered by teacher Cathy Sousa, was apparently meant to satisfy Ontario's policy of inclusive education.
According to the Ontario government's education website, the "Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy" is meant to address racism, religious discrimination, cyber-bullying and homosexuality in schools.
Homosexuality was one issue that "has risen to the forefront of discussion," according to documents discussing the inclusive and equity education strategy.
However, parents are concerned that attempts to adhere to the equity and inclusive strategy will only result in school officials and educators overstepping their bounds.
Pointing to the exam like the one given to Resurrection Catholic Secondary School students, Catholic parents argue that attempts to comply with the education policy will continue to run afoul of religious doctrine.
“Quite clearly this is a poor attempt to communicate the Church’s teaching on homosexuality,” said Camilla Gunnarson, the RightSideUp blogger who first learned about the exam.
Gunnarson continued, “More accurately, this is a form of indoctrination whereby students come away with the belief that homosexual relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships. Have our teachers become social engineers?”
The Roman Catholic Church's catechism on chastity and homosexuality teaches that homosexual acts are of "grave depravity," "contrary to the natural law" and "under no circumstances can they be approved."
The catechism teaches, however, that "homosexual persons are called to chastity" and "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity."
Catholics in Ontario have been pressing local religious leaders to reject the inclusive and equity education standards as promoting "a radical gay agenda that aims to subvert Catholic moral teaching on homosexual acts," according to one petition started by concerned parents.
