CANADIAN court agrees that BIBLE is HATE LITERATURE

In a ruling given virtually no media coverage, the Court of Queen's Bench in Saskatchewan, ruled that a man who placed references to Bible verses on homosexuality into a newspaper ad was guilty of inciting hatred. The December 11, 2002 decision was in response to an appeal of a 2001 Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (HRC) ruling which ordered both the Saskatoon StarPhoenix newspaper and Hugh Owens of Regina to pay CAN$1,500 to three homosexual activists for publishing an ad in the Saskatoon newspaper quoting Bible verses regarding homosexuality.

The purpose of the ad was to indicate that the Bible says no to homosexual behavior. The advertisement displayed references to four Bible passages: Romans 1, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, on the left side. An equal sign (=) was situated in the middle, with a symbol on the right side. The symbol was comprised of two males holding hands with the universal symbol of a red circle with a diagonal bar superimposed over top.

Justice J. Barclay rejected the appeal ruling: "In my view, the Board was correct in concluding that the advertisement can objectively be seen as exposing homosexuals to hatred or ridicule. When the use of the circle and slash is combined with the passages of the Bible, it exposes homosexuals to detestation, vilification and disgrace. In other words, the Biblical passage which suggests that if a man lies with a man they must be put to death exposes homosexuals to hatred."

Janet Epp Buckingham, Legal Counsel for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, told LifeSite: "The ruling that a verse from the Bible can be considered to expose homosexuals to hatred shows the danger for Scripture if Bill C-250 passes." Bill C-250, proposed by homosexual activist MP Svend Robinson, would see "sexual orientation" added to hate crime law as a prohibited ground of discrimination.

MP Svend Robinson

email = robinson.s@parl.gc.ca

First elected to the House of Commons in May 1979, Svend Robinson represents the federal constituency of Burnaby-Douglas, in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia, with a population of over 100,000. He was one of two New Democratic Party MPs elected from BC in the 2000 election, along with Vancouver East MP Libby Davies. When first elected, Svend was the youngest member of the federal New Democrat caucus, having been nominated at the age of 25. He is now the senior MP from British Columbia, one of the most senior MPs in the House, and has been elected and re-elected seven times.

Robinson grew up and attended school in Burnaby, graduating from Burnaby North. He went on to study science and law at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and did post-graduate studies in England at the London School of Economics. Svend was called to the BC Bar in September 1978. He was the first student elected to the UBC Board of Governors and the recipient of UBC's highest academic honour, the Sherwood Lett Memorial Scholarship. In 1970, Svend worked as a labourer-teacher with Frontier College, gold mining in northern Ontario. Robinson speaks English, French and Danish, and in 1990 was awarded the Ordre de la Pléiade in recognition of his support for la francophonie.

Robinson has been an active MP, in his riding, across the country and internationally. A strong advocate of human rights, he has served on many Parliamentary Committees including the historic Special Joint Committee on the Constitution in 1980-81, the 1985 Special Committee on Equality Rights, the Justice Committee, the Human Rights Committee, and the Foreign Affairs Committee. Svend was a member of the Canadian Committee for the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations in 1995, and is vice-chair of the Canada-Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group. Svend is also an honourary member of Burnaby Scouts. He was named an honourary director of both the BC and Ottawa Civil Liberties Associations, and of Lawyers Against Apartheid. Svend was the first recipient of the Edith Adamson Award for Leadership in Issues of Conscience in 1995. In 2001 he was elected as Rapporteur of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Human Rights and Democracy, and in 2002, was elected vice-chair. In 2002, he received the first National Kurdish Human Rights Award and became a Director of the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Group. He was the first openly gay MP, having come out publicly in the spring of 1988, and has received many honours for his work for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. Svend believes in taking political leadership beyond Parliament, and has engaged in peaceful civil disobedience in support of aboriginal rights and environmental protection in Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) in 1985 and in Clayoquot Sound in 1993, which led in 1994 to a brief term of imprisonment. He was adopted into the Haida Nation in 1985. Svend worked with Sue Rodriguez in the dying with dignity movement, and continues to seek changes in these laws.

Robinson has been a New Democrat since the age of 14, and has held many posts in the BC and national party. In 1992 he was named an Honourary Life Member of the BC Young New Democrats. In 1995, Svend was a candidate for the national leadership of the New Democratic Party.

Currently, Robinson is federal NDP spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, International Human Rights and Trade and Globalisation. He is the longest serving member of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, and sub-committees on human rights and on international trade. Svend enjoys sea kayaking, hiking, cycling, travelling, and sharing his life with his partner Max Riveron when not immersed in politics.

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