Supreme Court: Trinity Western

Trinity Western: Not surprisingly, there has been vociferous comment on both sides of the issue. On one hand, some have argued that allowing Trinity Western to have a law school would sanction discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and would, in effect, put a quota on the number of gay lawyers. On the other side of the debate, many have cited freedom of religion and the fact that the Supreme Court of Canada has already settled this issue from a legal perspective, according to The Star. The Supreme Court of Canada ultimately acknowledged the potential conflict between religious freedoms and equality rights, confirming that neither right is absolute. Without compelling evidence that training teachers or in this case, lawyers through a Christian world view fosters discrimination in the larger public environment, the freedom of individuals at Trinity Western to adhere to certain religious beliefs should be respected and Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C., which wants to create an accredited law school, is not your run-of-the-mill university. It is a private, non-publically-funded, Christian evangelical institution. The universitys community standards require all students to agree to refrain from sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman. The upshot: homosexuals need not apply. In 2001, the Supreme Court rendered a decision in connection with Trinity Westerns application to the B.C. College of Teachers for a teachers education program. Similar to the universitys current requirements, students, faculty and staff were compelled to sign a document in which they agreed to refrain from sexual sins including . . . homosexual behaviour. The College of Teachers found that this requirement discriminated against homosexual students and, therefore, refused to approve the universitys application. The university took the college to court. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.