Ontario Progressive Conservatives Release Homophobic Flyers Attacking Liberal Party Attempts To Combat Homophobia In Schools

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak is deflecting questions about flyers issued by his party labelled by critics as anti-gay. The CBC reports that the flyer, a copy of which is shown at the bottom of the page of the link, casts a critical eye at a Toronto District School Board document aimed at helping educators fight homophobia in schools. It singles out quotes purportedly lifted from the document titled "Challenging Homophobia and Heterosexism: A K-12 Curriculum Resource Guide,” quoting the guide as saying "Read some traditional folk tales and fairy tales with the class. Have students write/illustrate their own 'gender-bending' versions." The flyer then says "Don't want this for your kids? Parents don't have a say," adding: "Parents: Have your say. On October 6, vote against the McGuinty agenda." The flyers, which say they were authorized by the CFO for the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, were handed out over the weekend in some ridings in the Greater Toronto Area. The flyer includes one quote from the document —"cross-dressing for six-year olds"— that can't be found anywhere in the TDSB document. The flyer also says the quotes are taken from the K-12 curriculum. But the quotes are not included in the curriculum, only in the anti-homophobia resource guide. Hudak did not directly answer questions about the flyer — which the Liberals are already condemning as homophobic — at a media event in Windsor on Monday morning. Rather, he spoke about a controversial sex-education curriculum the Liberals considered but decided against implementing over a year ago. "I think they reflect Dalton McGuinty's out-of-the-mainstream policy ideas to have a sex-ed curriculum that would begin with Grade ones," said Hudak when asked about the flyers. "And the notion that Dalton McGuinty thinks a priority in our education system is a sex-ed curriculum starting at Grade 1 when they should be learning their ABCs, or math skills, tying their shoes — I just think this just shows another example of how Dalton McGuinty's lost touch with mainstream Ontario." Hudak did not address accusations by the Liberals that the flyer in intentionally homophobic.