TORONTO - Funding Catholic schools and not those of other faiths equates to giving them a privilege others don't enjoy, Ontario government lawyers agr...

Those who oppose rights for gays will claim religious freedom and they are, in fact, entitled to it. Ultimately the question of gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools is not about religion or sexuality. It is about the right to feel safe in publicly-funded schools and in their own skin.

Administrative efficiency, human rights, respect for minorities and the integration of immigrants are all good reasons to put an end to religious segregation. Yet for politicians, the question remains taboo. We're in the early days of the provincial election campaign, and leaders are avoiding the subject like the plague.

The Catholic school boards take our taxpayer money and use that to create environments that disregard the rights and values that bind us together as a province and nation. As long as we're the ones footing the bill for your little 'God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve' sideshow, there is no debate.