This article is from page 10 of the 2006-05-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
PARENTS and leaders of the gay community in County Clare have expressed concerns at the actions of Catholic youth group ‘Pure in Heart’ which they feel is promoting homophobia in national schools in Clare and Galway.
The Dublin-based organisation conducts talks in schools around the country where they lecture on traditional Catholic values towards sexual behaviour.
Gay Clare, a group which promotes the rights of homosexuals in the county, has hit out at Pure in Heart for delivering a message which they feel encourages bullying and even suicide among young Clare men.
“We agree with people’s right to free speech but it is not appropriate for a group like Pure in Heart to go into schools and say that homosexuality is wrong,” said a spokesperson from Gay Clare.
“It is irresponsible when you consider all the homophobic bullying that is already gong on.
“There are large numbers of young males in Clare committing suicide and some of this is because of the fear of being gay.
“A group like this can only spread fear to people who are unsure about their sexuality.”
Spokesperson for Pure in Heart, Damian Polly, told The Clare People that while his organisation does not condone homosexuality, they do not teach children to look down on people because of their sexuality.
“We preach chastity and the Catholic Church’s teachings about sexuality. We teach them about sexually transmitted disease and that there is no need to be pressured into sex,” said Mr Polly.
“We don’t tell kids what to do. We teach them that the Church believes that homosexual sex is wrong because it is not open to creating life.”
While Pure in Heart condemn the homosexual act, they stop short at condemning gays and lesbians.
“We would never say that a homosexual person themselves is wrong,” continued Mr Polly.
“We tell the children that no one should be labeled just because of their sexuality. I don’t treat people any different but I just don’t condone their behaviour.”
Meanwhile, a major report released last week indicates that homophobic bullying is rampant in Ireland’s secondary schools. ‘Straight Talk’ is the result of two years of research conducted in DCU’s School of Education Studies.
More than 700 teachers and students were interviewed as part of the survey which concluded that homophobic bullying is a common experience in secondary schools and that schools are not providing adequate policies and procedures to protect young people from discrimination and homophobic bulling.