An openly gay Vancouver park board commissioner is trying to force the provincial government to revoke the accreditation for the 芒鈧搒egregated芒鈧� law school planned for 91原创芒鈧劉s Trinity Western University.
Trevor Loke filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court on Monday after Minister of Advanced Education Amrik Virk approved the private Christian university芒鈧劉s new school, which bans homosexual activity among students and faculty.
Loke, who identifies himself as a Christian, claims the minister芒鈧劉s decision fosters a discriminatory policy, denies him access to one of the four law schools in the province, and violates his rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 芒鈧揑t芒鈧劉s akin to creating a segregated environment where some people are welcomed and some people are not,芒鈧� Loke said.
When the government accredited the program last December, Virk had said he was aware of public opposition, but because concerns were not about the quality of the degree or the academic programming, found them outside the government芒鈧劉s purview.
Karey Brooks, one of the lawyers representing Loke in the challenge, said Virk failed to consider the equality provisions of the Charter in authorizing the degree program, something she called 芒鈧搒hocking and deeply troubling.芒鈧� 芒鈧揟he members of Trinity Western have the right to their religious beliefs. They have a right if they want to芒鈧� try to persuade students that something芒鈧劉s wrong with homosexuality. They芒鈧劉re entitled to do that,芒鈧� said Brooks, a Vancouver-based lawyer with Janes Freedman Kyle. 芒鈧揃ut this is a government decision, and the government is not entitled, we say, to approve that view.芒鈧�
She said the law school included a discriminatory admissions policy that sends a clear message to prospective gay students that 芒鈧搕hey either have to give up their relationship and their sexual expression or they have to go back in the closet and lie about who they are, or they can芒鈧劉t access the school.芒鈧�
The minister芒鈧劉s decision, said Brooks, effectively excludes gay and lesbian people from accessing the resource that he is responsible for allocating.
Virk said in a written statement that the government had until April 29 to respond to the petition, but he did not address the substance of the challenge.
Trinity Western University president Bob Kuhn told The Sun he was disappointed because the challenge represented even more money being thrown at an issue he said has already been resolved.
Kuhn said that if Loke were a student, he, like all common law partners, would need to abstain from sex under the school芒鈧劉s community covenant.
芒鈧揑 don芒鈧劉t think it芒鈧劉s a question of excluding anybody, necessarily, but there will inevitably be some people who will choose, for any number of reasons ... not to go to Trinity Western law school,芒鈧� he said.
Last year, Loke spearheaded a push to make parks and pools more inclusive of the LGBTQ community by creating unisex washrooms.
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