Barrhead is richly blessed.
So much goes on through the year, from sporting activities to arts and cultural events, from rodeos to fairs. How can a town so small offer so much?
The answer lies with its people. Or, to be more accurate, with a small number of people who go far beyond what can be reasonably expected of them.
Who are these individuals? They are volunteers, men and women who devote themselves to running the town’s myriad clubs and organizations. They have been doing it so long that we take them for granted.
Well, guess what? These people have become tired. And if they go, so could the organizations.
If you don’t think it will happen, then sit back, do nothing and watch Barrhead’s soul begin to shrivel.
The time for action is now. We need a new generation of volunteers.
Dale Schaffrick comes across as a good, honest, practical and community-minded man.
As a trustee with Pembina Hills school division his contributions at meetings are often thoughtful and aim to get straight to the heart of the matter.
He is not one for fluffy comments, pretty words and airy rhetoric. As with all of us, he occasionally offers half-formed thoughts to stimulate discussion and obtain a better handle on a subject. At the recent Alberta School Boards Association fall meeting, Schaffrick suggested during a debate that gay students should be less open about their sexual identity.
Later he told CBC News, “If children with a gay tendency appear a certain way, we know that we have to be vigilant to make sure they are not discriminated against.”
So far, so good.
Asked, however, if those students should try to be less identifiable, he said: “I think for their own benefit … it would be helpful.”
Predictably these comments have created controversy, leading to embarrassing headlines and a public apology. Correctly, Schaffrick conceded his remarks were inappropriate and offensive.
Yet let us look at what he said dispassionately.
Was Schaffrick being homophobic and suggesting certain students should be ashamed of who they are? Or was he offering what he deemed practical advice to a vulnerable minority? We prefer to believe it is the latter.
The fact is we live in a world that often discriminates against those who do not fit a perception of normality. For this reason, there is a narrow, cold and brutal logic to what Schaffrick said. Gays would undoubtedly have an easier time at school, and elsewhere, if they conformed to other people’s idea of normal behaviour; this is a sad commentary on all of us, but it is a reality.
Unfortunately, Schaffrick failed to add a vital qualification: people should not be expected to live a lie and deny their own identity, their own humanity.
Society should not pander to the prejudices of its members. By its own definition society should be all-inclusive and have far nobler aspirations.
As a trustee, Schaffrick should be setting an example and encouraging all of us to be the best we can be to ensure schools are welcoming places for every student.
That said, we believe Schaffrick’s apology is sincere and his comments should be valued by their intent.
Ill-considered and insensitive? Yes. Discriminatory and homophobic? No.
We hope this incident can be laid to rest quickly, so that Schaffrick can continue undistracted with his valuable work with PHRD.
