We’ve been following the story of Canadian teen Josh Alexander who attended St. Joseph’s Catholic High School of the Renfrew County Catholic District, in the the Diocese of Pembroke, Ontario; i.e., before he was thrown out for supporting the rights of his female classmates by defending female-only bathrooms. See the following links for background:
- Canada: Catholic male teen suspended for defending female-only bathrooms
- UPDATE: Canadian Catholic diocese responds to inquiry about male teen suspended for defending female-only bathrooms
- Canada: Catholic student who was suspended for ‘opposing gender ideology’ is now arrested by police
Some highlights:
- When I contacted the Diocese of Pembroke, I got little more than polite bureaucratic red tape.
- Josh’s circumstance got progressively worse in a school system that boasts on its website about a “Catholic Christian environment” that “fosters the whole child.”
- The teen was suspended for the rest of the year because the school states that Josh’s beliefs constitute “bullying of trans students,” according to his lawyer. And that’s from a Catholic school that receives government tax money as part of the separate school board, since it’s Catholic. Ethically, therefore, why is it even being funded by taxpayers as a separate school system, categorized as religious?
- Josh turned up at school anyway, in keeping with his constitutional rights and the self-proclaimed mission of the Catholic school, but the school called the police and had him arrested and taken away like a criminal.
- Josh’s case is one of religious freedom in the face of bullying by an irresponsible school administration. His lawyer, James Kitchen, chief litigator for Liberty Coalition Canada (LCC), “told LifeSiteNews that Alexander’s decision to go back to school today was ‘an intelligent choice of a young man who knows what he is doing.’”
Josh has now initiated a human rights complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, “alleging discrimination in services based on his Roman Catholic creed.”
“The commission’s own policy is clear the school board is required to accommodate the applicant in a way that integrates rather than segregates,” said Liberty Coalition Canada (LCC) chief counsel James Kitchen in a court filing.
Furthermore:
The filing went on to say Alexander holds many sincere beliefs informed by the Bible about gender, sexuality, and modesty. It said he believes he’s called by God to proclaim the truth, which includes telling those around him about his design for gender and opposing the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board (RCCDSB) policy to allow biological males into women’s washrooms.
The case is unprecedented, and it should pave the way for other such cases in which Christians in Canada no longer feel safe to express their faith perspectives openly, now that it is clear that such perspectives upset the trans community. The principle of equality of rights for all people is not being practiced in Canada (and in many other countries) in the face of an aggressive trans agenda, bent also on trampling the rights of parents and innocent children, in addition to women.
In a recent example from France, who could possibly have imagined that a symposium to support the rights of Afghan and Iranian women had to be postponed due to threats from “transgender activists for inviting a feminist who says sex is determined by biology”? Yet the unthinkable did happen in France, and encroachments on women’s rights and religious freedom are happening everywhere.
Mark Searson, Director of Education of the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board, argued that religious freedom “is fundamental to our values as a Catholic school board,” and that “as a guiding principle…student safety and well-being” are prioritized. Despite what Searson tries to convey, one does not see religious freedom as “a guiding principle” at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School, where the privacy and respect for girls in the school, and for Josh who for stood up for them, is sorely lacking. The school in essence has become a harmful environment that is dedicated not to Catholic doctrine but to an aggressive trans agenda that mocks Catholic teachings. Its leaders have become the proverbial “blind guides.”
“Ontario student files lawsuit against Catholic school board for religious discrimination,” by Jonathan Bradley, Western Standard, April 13, 2023:
Grade 11 St. Joseph’s Catholic High School student Josh Alexander initiated a human rights complaint against his school board, alleging discrimination in services based on his Roman Catholic creed.
“The commission’s own policy is clear the school board is required to accommodate the applicant in a way that integrates rather than segregates,” said Liberty Coalition Canada (LCC) chief counsel James Kitchen in a court filing.
Alexander — who served a long suspension for opposing gender ideology — was barred from school in January.
He led a student walkout and protest in November over biological males entering female washrooms.
LCC said he was suspended “because he has expressed his belief, during class debates and on social media, there are only two genders, students cannot switch between genders, and male students should not be permitted into the girls’ bathroom.”
Alexander was arrested for attending St. Joseph’s while barred from classes in February.
“I have just been arrested and charged at my Catholic high school for attending class after being excluded for indicating my intent to adhere to my religious beliefs,” he said.
LCC said the timing of the suspension “suggests retaliation for Josh organizing a student walk-out regarding the refusal of St. Joseph’s principal, Derek Lennox, to address the concerns of a female student regarding male students accessing the girls’ washrooms.”
The filing went on to say Alexander holds many sincere beliefs informed by the Bible about gender, sexuality, and modesty. It said he believes he’s called by God to proclaim the truth, which includes telling those around him about his design for gender and opposing the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board (RCCDSB) policy to allow biological males into women’s washrooms.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) findings in its policy on preventing discrimination based on creed align with his experiences at the school.
Kitchen said his client “suffered denigration because he follows beliefs and ways of life that differ from what is considered ‘normal’ or ‘acceptable.’” He added the RCCDSB went well beyond criticizing Alexander by distorting his beliefs and stereotyping, attempting to segregate, and severely punishing him….
Mark Spahn says
==QUOTE== [The school’s] leaders have become the proverbial “blind guides.”==UNQUOTE==
I have never heard a proverb that refers to “blind guides”; please recite this proverb. Actually, I have never before seen the term “blind guides”. What does it mean, and where does it come from?
Keith O says
The “blind leading the blind”?
I’m no Christian, but that’s the closest I can thin of, don’t even now if it comes from their book.
somehistory says
Jesus was talking about the Pharisees. Matthew records His words. The disciples had asked Jesus if He knew that the Pharisees were “offended” by what Christ had said about the things that “defile a man” not being what he eats, but what comes out of his mouth; and Jesus replied, ” Disregard them. Blind glides is what they are. If the blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into the pit.”
In the Book of Proverbs, there are similar writings. 26 is about the fact that if a man “digs a pit, he will fall into it.”
somehistory says
Btw, the “blind leading the blind and both falling into the pit” is meant as a spiritual “leading” by someone who is “blind” to the Truth.
The Pharisees…those who were the teachers of the Law, “gagged at the gnat and swallowed the camel,” as they didn’t see the important things about the Law…which was Love of God and love of their fellow men.
They were the enemies of Jesus Christ because He taught the Truth and exposed their hypocrisy Thy tried every trick they could think up in order to catch Him out, and put Him to death for going against the Law.
And, they were offended when He pointed out that they were “defiled” by what was in their hearts..
Peacelover says
+
somehistory says
thank you, Peacelover
James Lincoln says
Yes, somehistory.
✝️
somehistory says
thank you, James.
Mark Spahn says
==QUOTE== [The school’s] leaders have become the proverbial “blind guides.”==UNQUOTE==
I have never heard a proverb that refers to “blind guides”; please recite this proverb. Actually, I have never before seen the term “blind guides”. What does it mean, and where does it come from?
Spanza says
The term ‘blind guides’ must be an adaptation or modification of the idiomatic phrase ‘the blind leading the blind’. The phrase is self-explanatory: when an ignorant person professes to guide other ignorant people it is a case of the b. leading the b.
James Lincoln says
According to the feature article:
LCC said he was suspended “because he has expressed his belief, during class debates and on social media, there are only two genders, students cannot switch between genders, and male students should not be permitted into the girls’ bathroom.”
Question: would Josh Alexander have been suspended from St. Joseph’s Catholic High School a few decades ago for saying the same thing?
Did Catholicism itself change during this time period?
GreekEmpress says
Catholicism hasn’t changed—just a lot of Catholics, e.g, Biden, Pelosi, the Pope, and others.
James Lincoln says
Yes, GreekEmpress.
It was a rhetorical question – but thank you.
Joe1 says
Catholicism is the Divine Revelation which is wrapped into what is known as the Magisterium. The Revelation can not change, and the teachers or the Church are obligated to teach the Magisterium (hence the name). In the revelation, a person’s spirit is immutable, and the sexual gender is a part of that spirit. It is an insult to God and the person’s relationship with God for the soul (primary attribute is appetites) to oppose the identity that the person has with God.
TLDR: The high school opposes Catholicism, and the local bishop is supposed to correct them.
Walter Sieruk says
This information ,somewhat , leads to the statement from the book entitled THE ASSAULT ON AMERICA by Alex McFarland on page 14 in which the author did have a good valid point when he wrote “Described favorably or dismissively depending who your’e listening to ‘traditional values’ are at the core of the battle for our nation’s future.”
John Allan says
So, do the TEACHERS ‘mix-and-match’ their toilet habits!?
Or does THAT apply only to the pupils/students?
I think, perhaps, the PARENTS need to get involved!
And there’s MORE than a hint of irony, in the writing on the cap that he’s wearing. I wonder whether it says ‘from itself’, on the other side!?