CLC Blog

I have some amazing news to share with you about a huge win in the fight to keep the LGBT “Pride” flag from flying at one of the largest Catholic school boards in Canada.

The victory was truly remarkable and nothing short of God answering our many, many prayers.

The backdrop for this story, though, couldn’t have been more uninspiring: a By-Law/Policies Review Committee meeting at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) on one of the coldest nights of the year.

Well, let me tell you something …

The temperature might have been frigid outside, but inside, our supporters were on fire for the Faith.

As my colleague Josie Luetke has been reporting for the past week, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) was pressuring the DPCDSB to fly the LGBT “Pride” flag outside its schools and office buildings.

I was surprised when we heard about this because the board voted against doing so last June, which was a major victory for Catholic education and parental rights. The pro-LGBT brass at OECTA didn’t like that outcome, and they were pulling out all the stops to try and reverse the decision.

Some of our supporters tipped us off. OECTA was stacking the committee meeting with activists to try to force the board to bend its knee to the homosexual “Pride” flag. They did everything from launching a petition to recruiting delegates back in December...

They even told all the teachers in the union to email the trustees about this and asked them to show up at the meeting!

At one point, it looked like Kathleen Wynne, proud lesbian and former Ontario Premier, would delegate, but at the last minute she was dropped from the agenda.

As soon as we found out about OECTA’s plans, we got the word out to our own supporters, asking them to be there on short notice.

The room started filling up early with the pro-LGBT and union activists, and they were easy to spot. One guy had an LGBT sticker in the middle of his forehead, for example, and there was a woman who was wearing “Pride” pants and rainbow earrings.

You could spot our people here and there, too...

They were the ones holding onto their Rosaries.

It was hard not to notice the tension, because it looked at first like we were going to be outnumbered, but we had faith that God would see us through.

And we grew in the hope that a humble, prayerful approach would be our best strategy, which it was.

As the pro-LGBT side began addressing the trustees, you could see our supporters holding up their Rosaries and praying.

Some of our people were able to register as delegates, including yours truly.

Here’s a short quotation from my speech, in which I talked about our constant call to conversion and chastity, whereas the LGBT “Pride” flag represents the complete opposite message:

“It says you’re fine as you are—you don’t need to strive for conversion of heart and you can establish an identity outside of Christ and take pride in this rebellion. You can reject your sexual nature as male or female.”

I don’t think it was a coincidence that yesterday just happened to be the Feast of St. Agnes, a martyr and Patron Saint of Chastity.

To watch my full speech, go here.

Click on the image to watch my speech at the DPCDSB Committee Meeting and the intense interrogation that followed.

I also reminded the trustees that the “Pride” flag and what it means is incompatible with the Catholic Church and its Teachings, and I quoted His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo, who recently wrote about this issue:

“Symbols carry meaning and are powerful in conveying truths and inspiring to action. For Catholic Christians the Crucifix and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are the authentic and unsurpassed symbols of love, welcoming and compassion.”

In my mind, Cardinal Leo’s statement struck a nerve, which is where the plot thickens.

Trustee Paula Dametto-Giovannozzi reached out to Cardinal Leo for his guidance ahead of Tuesday night’s committee meeting and shared the response she received from the Archdiocese with her colleagues.

During her statement, she highlighted the Cardinal’s full support for the position outlined in an official statement on “Pride” flags. Here’s a brief quotation from the May 2021 document:

“Parents make a clear choice when they decide that their children will attend a Catholic school. They rightly expect that trustees, principals, teachers – all partners in education – will ensure that Catholic teaching is presented, lived and infused in all that we do. In that regard, the appropriate symbol that represents our faith, and the inclusion and acceptance of others, is the cross, which is visible at the entrance of every Catholic school . . . There is a belief among some that unless one embraces secular symbols, one cannot be inclusive or accepting. This is simply not true.”

The meeting was running late into the night, but the mood on our side was notably brighter by the end of the 20-or-so delegations...

And then came the vote and the return of the tension.

In the crowd, you had the pro-LGBTers clenching their Rainbow flags on one side, and on the other were those of us with our Rosaries.

The process was a bit confusing to follow from the hall where everyone was gathered, but in the end, we came out on top and the final vote wasn’t even close.

The motion to fly “Pride” flags was defeated 10-1. Only Trustee Brea Corbet (and the student trustees, whose votes are merely symbolic) voted in favour.

A different motion to fly the DPCDSB flag on any third flagpoles was passed instead.

Praise be to God!

What a night! But the fight isn’t over.

This was a huge loss for OECTA when you think about how much time and effort they put into pressuring the DPCDSB, and they won’t be satisfied until they get their way, so you can bet they’ll be looking for another opening, but here’s the thing ...

We aren’t done fighting either.

A big “thank you” is in order here to Cardinal Leo and the Archdiocese of Toronto for weighing in like they did, and I don’t want to forget the courageous Trustee Paula Dametto-Giovannozzi and all the trustees who voted in line with the Cardinal’s wishes.

I also want to thank all our prayer warriors who answered the call-to-action and showed up, and to those who contacted their trustees.

And I need to ask you to show up again at next week’s meeting. Because Tuesday night’s meeting was only a committee meeting, the changes to the flag protocol will need to be approved at the board meeting on Tuesday, January 28 at 7 pm at the same place, the Catholic Education Centre (40 Matheson Blvd W, Mississauga).

We need to be there to hold our trustees accountable and ensure there aren’t any shenanigans. We do expect there to be more delegations.

We're holding the line, but flags and other LGBT-related materials continue to show up inside our classrooms. So, we have our work cut out for us.

If you or your child notice any "Pride" flags in your school, please report them to the DPCDSB—they aren’t supposed to be displayed outside of "Pride" month.

And that’s our next goal—to ensure that no "Pride" flags are permitted to be displayed inside schools either, no matter the time of year.

Keep an eye on your inbox for developments.