In a bill, passed by the Alberta legislature, intended to enshrine gay rights in the Alberta Human Rights Code (Bill 44), a buried clause is causing controversy (and rightly so). Bill 44 was passed on Monday June 1, 2009 after a 7 hour debate that ended in the early morning. CBC reports:

A clause in the bill, which is an amendment to the province's human rights legislation, requires that school boards give parents written notice when controversial topics [sex, religion, or sexual orientation] are going to be covered in the curriculum. Parents can then ask for their child to be excluded from the discussion.

There will be no restrictions placed on casual classroom discussions that might arise about the topics....

But the buried clause had drawn objections from teachers, schools boards and human rights groups, who argued Bill 44 makes it possible for parents to file human rights complaints against teachers and school districts, creating a chill with regard to what is taught in the classroom.

Another direct Conservative attack on LGBTQ youth and their allies. What will this law do? Put up another barrier to discussing LGBTQ issues (as well as other topics) in the classroom and further marginalize Alberta's queer youth. This is a really embarassing move by the governing party in Alberta. It just goes to show you how off-base they really are.