God Hates Olivia's Two Mommies

. . . That's the implied message Jill and Tracy Harrison got when their daughter was denied admission to St. Vincent's Cathedral School down here in Bedford, a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  The school is run by the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, which along with a handful of other dioceses and parishes across the country, seceded from The Episcopal Church in 2008 specifically over the consecration of gay bishops and the growing acceptance of gays and lesbians in the national church.  The diocese is now a leading member of the breakaway Anglican Church in North America, but has not changed its name.

The Anglican Church in North America is not part of the Anglican Communion, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.  But it is in full communion with, among others, the Anglican Churches of Nigeria and of Uganda - which as you all know, have been promoting imprisonment and even execution of gays in those countries. 



The school has refunded the $100 application fee, and the Harrisons have placed Olivia in another private school which has no problem with Olivia's moms, who were married in Canada in 2006.

This being Texas, the comments on the local NBC affiliate's website run overwhelmingly like this:

• Hah - I think they did do the right thing (the church school)- it's the two "mothers" who forced the issue - you want to get in everyone's face -
• This being the 21st century, and all, why can't Jill get it through her head that the Episcopal church is based on theology that contradicts her lifestyle choices? This smells like another attempt by the gay community to play the victim
• The tolerance that they enjoy in this and other western societies is a direct product of Christian culture. Don't believe me? Let them vacation openly in most Islamic or other non-Christian cultures, then get back to me on that.
• Private school, private values, don't agree go somewhere else.
• If they wanted their child to be offered an education then they could have taken her to a public school system. How in the world can this combo of church/school begin to tell their students that same sex marriage is wrong if you have a child in the school who currently lives in it? Regardless whether we as a society think its right or wrong, the bible and God says its wrong.
• Poor, mistreated gays. Wah, Wah, Wah. Play the "victim" card. There are PLENTY of other places their child can get an education. To expect a Christian school with Christian beliefs to compromise their teachings so this couple can flaunt their lifestyle is nonsense.
• I homeschool, and belong to a homeschool academic co-op. Our group publishes a "statement of faith" and anyone that wishes to join has to believe in that statement. We wouldn't let a lesbian "family" join.

You see the kind of world I'm living in down here, fellas?  But this one takes the cake:

• Equal rights will be the downfall of this once great nation. Just because you are equal under the law doesn't mean you are right.

What I Say:  Much as I sympathize with the Harrisons' frustration, and the little girl's disappointment, the parents do seem to have been, um, pretty clueless about what they were doing.  Obviously, they are not Episcopalians or they would have known gayness is the big, hairy hot-button issue for that diocese.

But it's too damn easy nowadays to do a little background research on things:  look before you leap, ya know?  If it had served a worthwhile purpose as some form of protest or whatever, that would be one thing.  But by all accounts, the parents were totally surprised that the school barred their little girl.

But I'm sure Olivia will be truly much happier at her new school, instead of lumped in with the homophobes at St. Vincent's.