CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Gay Catholic activists are upset over a column that ran in the Boston Catholic archdiocese's newspaper, The Pilot, listing reasons children of same-sex couples should not attend parochial schools -- among them, the danger that these children would bring pornography to school.
Michael Pakaluk (pictured), a philosophy professor, wrote in the June 4 column that when his son was in first grade in a Catholic school with the son of a gay male couple, he saw "a real danger" that the latter boy "would bring to school something obscene or pornographic, or refer to such things in conversation, as they go along with the same-sex lifestyle, which -- as not being related to procreation -- is inherently eroticized and pornographic."
Pakaluk also wrote that he feared that a gay parent participating in school activities would "be an advocate for his lifestyle, implicitly if not explicitly." He referred to children of gays as being "in the custody" of same-sex couples, remarking, "one cannot say, 'children of.'" He noted that his concerns apply primarily to very young children, "who should be innocent of sexual matters," and likely would not be the same for middle school or high school students.
Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of the gay Catholic group DignityUSA, told The Boston Globe she found the column "absolutely appalling," adding, "I think it's incredibly irresponsible for a Catholic newspaper to allow such hateful and insupportable claims to be made in their paper." Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and a former Massachusetts state senator, also spoke to the Globe, calling the column "void of the love, compassion, and inclusiveness that so many proud practicing Catholics, myself included, have grown up with."
Pilot editor Antonio M. Enrique issued a statement Wednesday saying, "The tone of the piece was strong, and we apologize if anyone felt offended by it." He said the column reflected Pakaluk's personal opinion and not necessarily that of the archdiocese, and that readers were accustomed to being exposed to a variety of opinions.
Pakaluk told the Globe he stood by the column in general, although he probably would not make the argument about pornography again.
Controversies over admission of gay couples' children to Catholic schools have made news recently in the Boston area and elsewhere. In Hingham, Mass., which is covered by the Boston archdiocese, a Catholic school last month rescinded its admission of the child of a lesbian couple. In response, the archdiocese has begun formulating a policy on acceptance of same-sex couples' children.
trudestress
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Prince William's aversion to spectacle created one — and might spawn a King Harry
March 22 2024 6:24 PM
Outrage after Oklahoma prosecutor declines charges in Nex Benedict bullying death
March 22 2024 5:21 PM
George Santos leaves Republican Party, will run for House seat as independent
March 22 2024 4:07 PM
Catherine, Princess of Wales, announces she has cancer
March 22 2024 2:57 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedProhibition Wellness & revolutionizing self-care for all
March 22 2024 1:19 PM
Biden sacrifices LGBTQ+ Pride flags at U.S. embassies to pass 'critical' spending bill
March 22 2024 12:37 PM
Tennessee bill would permit anti-LGBTQ+ foster and adoptee parents
March 22 2024 11:54 AM
Plus
Yahoo Feed8 dating tips for gay men from a gay psychotherapist
March 22 2024 11:51 AM
Trans woman assailed during Kanye West's Rolling Loud set beats back 'bullies' (exclusive)
March 22 2024 11:34 AM
Out Congress members outraged as anti-LGBTQ+ bills advance
March 21 2024 6:59 PM
RuPaul shades 'masculine white gay men' who project 'internalized homophobia'
March 21 2024 5:43 PM
Alabama forces universities to implement trans bathroom ban while outlawing DEI
March 21 2024 3:55 PM
'Cruel' Nebraska senator investigated after using colleague's name in a rape scene
March 21 2024 3:51 PM
Police arrest Russian nightclub employees over drag show
March 21 2024 2:24 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedUnleash your fiery spirit with The Pride Store’s Aries gift guide
March 21 2024 2:08 PM
Cable news coverage of 2023 anti-trans bills lacked trans voices: Media Matters
March 21 2024 12:45 PM
Trending stories
Most Recent
Recommended Stories for You
Trudy Ring
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.