Shame on YOU ‘Little Flower Academy Catholic School’
I had another post ready for today but while listening to the radio I caught wind of a story that I felt so strongly about I had to take a break to get my thoughts down. Private Catholic Girls High School Little Flower Academy’s music teacher Lisa Reimer was asked to finish up her year from home through electronic means so that she wasn’t in contact with her female students in person. Seriously? We are in 2010, are we not?
Apparently it was made clear by the Principal (Marcelle DeFreitas) and Vice Principal (Diane Little) not to tell any one of her partners pregnancy and if the word got out the school may be forced to dismiss her! I am embarrassed and ashamed of all parties involved in this! Some parents are worried that their daughters will be lead ‘astray’! Really? Are people that ignorant! I understand this is NOT the opinion of ALL the parents at Little Flower Academy but enough to have influence for this measure to be taken.
Lisa Reimer is founding artistic director of Zing! Children’s Choir, whose honorary patrons include Maestro Bramwell Tovey of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra! Check out Lisa’s credentials and background, she is obviously passionate about music and a GREAT teacher, and that is all that should matter. This behaviour just blows my mind! Parents are concerned about their daughters becoming Lesbians at a Private Catholic Girls High School?, that strikes me as humorous because you know what they say about Catholic School Girls! (not all Catholic School Girls) Sorry but seriously? Is this really happening?
Mr DeFreitas and Mrs Little, do the right thing! Do parents really think they can shelter their daughters from all the lesbians of the world? Lisa Reimer is just one you know about! Ooooooo doesn’t that scare you, what about the millions of others you don’t know about because it’s NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS what their sexual orientation is! There is always the Scarlet Letter idea but instead of an ‘A’ for Adultery we could make them all wear a ‘L’ for Lesbian! ~ Wait a minute (insert ignorant pause here) is that what the ‘L’ means on the back of all those cars driving around, that you’re a Lesbian? Sheesh! I thought it meant ‘Loser’, who knew!
Lisa Reimer is in a committed relationship with a beautiful newborn recently added! These parents need to go back to school themselves for a little education! Somehow they missed something or didn’t get the update! It’s no longer through persuasive subliminal music lessons that you take on Lesbian traits, a Lesbian has to actually sneeze right in your face to have Lesbianism passed onto you! Or was it through air molecules? I can’t remember, either a sneeze in the face or through the air, one of the two. To be safe just stay away from a Lesbian with a cold if you don’t want to be one.
Did the parents even consider why a teacher would want their daughter to become a Lesbian? What benefit would the teacher get? More Lesbians in the world, which gives them what? Power! There are ALREADY lots of Lesbians in the world! I am horrified that any of them have to hide that fact in order to keep a job? This is another human being we are talking about who is just living their life the way they want to, embracing who they are, loving each other, and now a beautiful baby! How is that bad? These parents just might learn a few things about love and acceptance if they tuned in to the world a little more often!
Good news, while researching Lisa Reimer, I found a great site called homorazzi.com ~Where Homos Judge Everything~
Homorazzi.com is a glimpse into the lives of a gaggle of gays and how we view the world – one day at a time. We’ve all been friends for several years, and now we’ve come out of the closet and are sharing our reality with you. As the paparazzi of our own lives, we’re capturing the good times and bad and we’re not holding back”.
Patrick one of the bloggers had a great point at the end of his take on this story…“Another great example set for Catholic children to be fearful that God doesn’t love everyone, and if you’re gay, God doesn’t love you. Hatred and discrimination by this religion towards gays by the Catholic religion are what drove me away from it. I’m glad that Lisa Reimer is standing up for herself and letting her music be heard”. Makes you wonder doesn’t it? Change should not be feared!
What do you think Tara reader? Give it to me straight up! Or gay up which ever you prefer! We’re not fussy here!
Click here to listen to Zing! The Children’s Choir ~ 05 Inch by Inch
Tracy Westerholm
"Exploring the never-ending desires that fuel all life, while finding lyrical beauty in everyday happenings."
24 Comments
me
Very well said Tracy. Could not agree more.
Tracy Westerholm
Thank you!
Lawrence
🙂 and YOU GO GIRL! Love this post. It’s so hard to believe that there are people like this in the world and even more surprising that government doesn’t step up and say “hey, I don’t care what your religion is, you can’t fire someone for being gay.”
Grrr to “Little Flower”. 🙁
Christina
I’m sure you’re mistaken Lawrence. But Lisa Is still going to work as a teacher there. She was not fired.
Rick
Good On You Tracy !
This is the kind of example that puts a bad name on people who believe in God ( For Real ! ) Not just on Sunday but everyday of their lives.
I personally don’t believe that some behaviors are the correct choice. BUT, I am not to ( judge ) anyone ! Who the heck are we to pass judgement on others. We are to live buy example ! And Example Only !
Who I ask ….. dose not have skeletons in their closet ? Who I ask ….. is living a perfect life ? No one is the answer ! Jesus came to save sinner’s …. not the self richous snob’s of this earth.
I am to stand up for what I believe in …. and pray for those who need understanding …. BUT, I am ( Never ) to pass judgement on someone, even if I don’t agree with what they are doing with their lives.
Christians are stereotyped because of this kind of behavior. No different than those who fight over and go to war because of their differences in what they believe !
In my opinion there is but one God and he is Universal …. He Is Love …. And He Is Peace …. Full Of Care For All !
Love Everyone Today, And Everyday !
Just My Opinion.
Tracy Westerholm
Well put Rick, thanks for adding your passionate voice!
Cheryl
It’s just disgraceful that this could go on in 2010!
Christina
YOU TARA CLEARLY DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS EVENT. THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY AND I AM VERY PROUD TO SAY THAT MRS LITTLE AND MS DEFREITAS (YES SHE IS A FEMALE.) AND IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT THAN YOU SHOULD NOT POST THIS ON A PUBLIC WEBSITE.
Tracy Westerholm
Christina,
First of all, you don’t need to yell. I’m right here! You Tara? My name is Tracy one of the co-creators of Tara Cronica, just to make that clear.
‘You are very proud to say that Mrs Little and Ms Defreitas’…? You never finished that sentence so I am not sure what point you were going to make.
You’re right I wasn’t there, were you? I did however research the story after hearing it briefly on the radio, and then added my opinion to it. My sources were CBC News online and The Vancouver Sun’s story by Jeff Lee. I was pretty confident in repeating information I gathered from both these media sources. If you would like to add pertinent information I would love to hear back from you.
My mistake I thought Ms Derfreitas was a man. I stand corrected. 🙂
P.S. THEN, not THAN you should not post this on a public website.
P.P.S. If you don’t know what YOU’RE talking about not YOUR talking about.
Last but not least, Tara Cronica is not a public website, it is our website so we can write about whatever we like. If you would like to create your own website CLICK HERE! lol
Christina
yes, Tracy. I do happen to know them. Lisa was not fired. Maybe their statment was not clear. And I happened to be there. Lisa was offered to stay. Lisa came to the school with the baby. And they were completely fine with it.
They are not letting Lisa go, she is working for Little Flower. It is very unfair for Little Flower to be mistaken. Before you wrote this, have you thought about the Girls going to little flower? Ladies from LFA were not allowed on the public bus because of this matter that was not even true.
Did you think about they’re life ahead of them? Beacause of what you’re saying now. Girls from little flower may not be able to attend university.
Is that what your point was?
I am sorry about my misunderstanding on the previous post.
But this is not correct.
Tracy Westerholm
Christina,
What you have to keep in mind when you read my post is that it is my ‘opinion’ on a News story which I researched from News sources, and watched the News broadcast on CBC as well which included an interview with Lisa herself. Here’s the link: CBC NEWS
Why would anyone set out with the intention of hurting the reputation of Little Flower in the first place is my question, unless there was a problem to begin with. Perhaps this problem has been rectified since the media caught wind of the it, and the Education Minister got involved, which in the end is a good thing.
Exactly what role do you play in this story if you don’t mind me asking? Do you work for Little Flower? It makes a difference to me knowing, my opinion is completely neutral with not knowing either party!
Yes, of course I thought of the little girls, that was my point of using my voice, to stand up for those who don’t have a choice to use theirs out of fear of being judged. These girls will learn a huge lesson from this story, not to judge anyone because of their sexual orientation. It will be a very valuable lesson for their future in a world that is moving slowly but at least it’s moving towards equality.
What ladies were not even allowed on the bus because of this? I find that hard to believe and ridiculous! And please enlighten me on why these girls won’t be able to attend University?
Judging someone for their sexual orientation is just wrong, I hope those who did judge see that.
We all know there are still human beings out there who don’t want same sex marriages and they need to realize that our world is changing and we are becoming more accepting of others no matter how they choose to live their lives. It’s the right thing to do regardless of what some religions preach.
Hopefully these girls lives will have been changed for the better because of this story, enlightened perhaps that they too don’t have to fear coming out if they are lesbians, there are people out there who will help protect their rights as human beings and support them in what ever they decide to do, even if their parents or faculty don’t!
Bonnie Johnson
Hear! Hear! Well put Tracy!
Sharon
Well if you want to live a life of religious conviction and attend a catholic school then you should be prepared for busses to not pick you up when your institution does something like this. Wanna play in the fire? Take the consequences. I went to LFA for 4 years and I know the garbage that is taught there. I left because of how judgmental and closed minded everyone i was surrounded by in that shit hole. They definitely teach homosexuality is not natural. I was there. Standing in that god aweful Canadian autumn plaid skirt makes you a mark. If I was a bus driver I wouldn’t have picked them up either. It’s a political statement and you politicized yourself when you wore the uniform. Poor baby girls weren’t picked up on the bus because of their beliefs, cry me a river. A teacher was asked to work from home and her contract not being renewed not because of her beliefs but because of who she IS. Hey Catholics your hypocrisy is showing.
Janet
Your reply cracked me up…I know I read it initially, but again today…I’m smiling. Very well said.
Tracy Westerholm
Haha, I just re-read the entire comments on this post and I love when people have the courage to use their voice no matter if we agree or disagree with their view and opinion. It creates dialog that is pertinent to make change! Love it! I’m smiling too Janet, and thanks for stopping in for a visit! 🙂
Kristin
I agree (for the most part) with Christina. There are two sides to every story and in this we really only really see Mrs. Riemers side because she deceided to go public with it. We must ask ourselves three questions. One were mistakes made? Yes. Did this create a negative view? Yes. Was this blown out of preportion? YES. It is true that LFA girls were denied rides on the bus and were harassed by news reporters. It is also true that none of the students knew Mrs.Reimer was lesbian until the story was publicized. As well most of the girls didn’t like her as a Chior teacher. She had a unproductive method of teaching and wan’t very approchable. How do I know this? I am a student there. And for your information, we aren’t taught to fear lesbian’s. In fact I have never heard a teacher a my school say such a thing. All that is asked is that lesbians don’t push thier way of life on others, just like Chatholics shouldn’t push thier beliefs on any other religion. You are entitled to your own opinion, but both sides of the story should be told.
Tracy Westerholm
Kristin,
I think you need to understand that Tara Cronica is a blog, not a news source, there is a huge difference. None of us are reporters! I am here to add my voice to what I find inspiring or feel passionate about, whether it’s something that is happening in the world, my community or my personal writing I want to share with our readers.
I felt inspired to add my opinion to a story I heard on the new, that’s it. I am not here to give both sides of the story and rehash what happened.
I am happy to hear that none of your teachers have ever taught you to fear lesbians, because that would be unethical for a teacher to push her personal belief onto a young girl.
Just to be clear I didn’t think your teachers taught you to fear lesbians, I said “hopefully these girls lives will have been changed for the better because of this story, enlightened perhaps that they too don’t have to fear ‘coming out’(which means going public as a lesbian to your family and friends) if they are lesbians, there are people out there who will help protect their rights as human beings and support them in what ever they decide to do, even if their parents or faculty don’t!”
I didn’t like some of my teachers as a young girl either but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t excellent teachers. Teachers are unique individuals who spend their day educating others. Education is the key to success so although you may not personally ‘like’ a particular teacher, they are ultimately there to pass on information that will make you grow as an individual.
If what you say is true that no one even knew that Lisa Reimer was a lesbian until the story was publicized then I have to assume that Lisa Reimer never once pushed her way of life on others which is ‘all that is asked’ as you put it.
Of course there were mistakes made, that is why this story went public in the first place. Were the mistakes rectified, I certainly hope so. Will they happen again, at Little Flower Academy, probably not. So as long as everyone involved learnt something from the mistakes made, it’s a positive outcome.
Thank you for taking the time to add your voice to this story Kristin I wish you nothing but success in your future and hope this coming year is a wonderful experience for you at Little Flower Academy!
Svaha 🙂
Sharon
Kristin, i went to this school and they absolutely teach that homosexuality is not natural. They teach the opposite of acceptance however they are very careful to not come right out and say being gay is unacceptable but it is in the subtext.
Kaitlyn
“Accept the orientation, not the action.” That is what Catholics are called to do. Ms. Reimer chose to teach at a Catholic girls high school. It was her decision to apply for the job, just like it was her decision for all this to go public. She brought this on herself.
Tracy Westerholm
“Accept the orientation, not the action” does that mean you’re okay with Ms Reimer living her life authentically, but if she just wouldn’t mind doing it in the closet to suit the Catholic faith, that’d be great! She can be gay, Catholics just don’t want to see or hear about it? Doesn’t sound like acceptance at all to me.
Music is a universal energy that I didn’t know you had to be straight to teach. What if Elton John offered his musical talent to the school? Would the school turn down this opportunity because he was gay?
I am glad Ms Reimer brought this on herself as you say, it has brought awareness to those who don’t judge that there is still a lot of work to be done in creating a peaceful world.
I have so much more to say but I believe those who don’t accept Ms Reimer for who she is and what she is capable of teaching wouldn’t get it anyway because they can’t think for themselves and it wouldn’t be worth the effort.
Here is a great site you might like to take a look at. Cyndi Lauper is the founder. We Give A Damn!
It’s what can happen when people don’t accept those who are different!
Svaha
Kaitlyn
It is not that Catholics don’t want to see or hear about it. Since their bodies cannot express the vows of a married couple, they cannot be married. Because of this, some argue that the Church is “discriminating against gays.” But realize that the Church also does not allow impotent couples to marry. Not to be confused with sterility, impotency is where a person is incapable of having intercourse.
And I quite like your Elton John analogy, however many students have complained that her teaching method was ineffective. She even left the choir a couple days before they had to attend an event in New Orleans, so the school ended up calling the old choir teacher who was on maternity leave.
As well, i do accept her for who she is. I’m not discriminating against homosexuals, but merely sticking up for my school.
Tracy Westerholm
Thanks for continuing to leave your voice and opinion here on Tara Cronica Kaitlyn, we appreciate you taking the time to do so!
It feels good to stick up for something you feel so strongly about doesn’t it!
Svaha 🙂
Kaitlyn
No problem, it definitely feels good! Thanks for the feedback :]
Tracy Westerholm
You’re most Welcome! It’s just one persons opinion and it being different is what makes our world so beautiful and interesting to live in!
You opinion and comments are always appreciated here! 🙂