Toronto Archbishop Silent on Catholic Teacher’s LGBT Activism

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TORONTO (ChurchMilitant.com) - A Catholic school teacher in the archdiocese of Toronto has been teaching his fifth- and sixth-grade students LGBT ideology in the classroom, and Cdl. Thomas Collins has done nothing to stop him.

Paolo De Buono, an elementary teacher at St. James Catholic School in Toronto, proudly tweeted last week that the books he has been reading to 10- and 11-year-old students include pro-homosexual and "transgender" books Sparkle Boy, The Boy who Cried Fabulous, A Tale of Two Mommies, and A Tale of Two Daddies.

"These are examples of books I'll share with my grade 5–6 class to help teach respecting differences," he tweeted, showing the cover pictures of the books. "This morning we read Fabulous, a fabulous story by @lesleanewman about accepting ourselves for who we are and accepting others for who they are. @LubinskiTeresa, you're welcome to join us if you'd like to read any of the other books with my class."

De Buono was a leading advocate for the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) adding to its code of conduct "marital and family status, gender expression and gender identity" as prohibited grounds of discrimination. Teresa Lubinski, whom De Buono mentions in his tweet, is one of four trustees who voted against the change.

The TCDSB is the governing body for students and staff. The question of adding this terminology to the code began a long and bitter battle. De Buono uses this added language to the code as his justification for promoting LGBT concepts in the classroom.

De Buono's brazen tweets continued in his public outing of homosexual teachers: "We understand the importance of students seeing & identifying with teachers like them, whether it is color, gender, place of origin, etc."

"Similarly," he continued, "it is important for our Catholic LGBTQ+ students to see and identify with Catholic LGBTQ+ teachers." He then proceeded to name a couple.

De Buono has also lobbied the board to allow "Diversity Klubs" for grades 7 and 8, which he alleges are essential to combat "homophobia" in the schools and society.

He wrote, "To support our Equity Action Plan at the school level, I proposed the Diversity Klub. I submitted a proposal in September, it wasn't set up by January, and so I submitted an updated proposal in January. A majority of grades 7–8 indicated an interest in participating."

The long-running battle to change the code of conduct ended on Nov. 7, when the trustees voted 8–4 for the change. Those who voted for it argued the TCDSB was obliged to follow a ministry of education directive that ordered all boards to align their codes of conduct with the provincial and the Ontario Human Rights Code, both of which include the terminology. Those who voted against the change argued that gender ideology contradicts Catholic teaching and is harmful to children, and that Catholics have a constitutional right to teach the Catholic faith in their schools.

On Nov. 11, the archdiocese released a statement conceding that it recognized that such terms had been added to the code, but added: "While the archdiocese recognizes that terms such as gender identity are included in the code, we do not accept the view of the human person which underlies this terminology since that view is not compatible with our faith."

Toronto-based Catholic media outlet LifeSiteNews contacted TCDSB Director of Education Rory McGuckin for a response to De Buono's statements but was told the director would not comment.

Faithful Catholics have slammed Collins for caving to LGBT activists.

The Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), Canada's national pro-life and pro-family political lobbying group, has pleaded with Cdl. Collins to take a stand against the code of conduct change before the vote took place, but he did not respond.

In a Nov. 12 article denouncing the cardinal's surrender to the TCDSB, CLC Political Operations Director Jack Fonseca lamented: "His Eminence has seen fit to bless as appropriate for Catholic schools the very same theory of gender identity that Pope Benedict, Pope Francis, Catholic doctrine, the Holy Bible and natural law have condemned as a sin and an 'error of the human mind.'"

"He has approved adding the insidious, anti-Christian ideologies of 'gender identity' and 'gender expression' to the Toronto Catholic School Board's code of conduct, which will now treat the mental illness of gender dysphoria as a 'human right,'" he added.

"Cardinal Collins has betrayed parents," Fonseca warned. "He has betrayed children. And most importantly, he has betrayed the truth of Christ."

Speaking to Church Militant about the cardinal's silence in the face of De Buono's blatant LGBT activism, Fonseca observed that Collins "is betraying faithful Catholics once again, by refusing to do his apostolic duty and either calling for the firing of this teacher by the TCDSB and/or forcing the board's hand by publicly excommunicating the pro-gay activist teacher."

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