Children's book promotes same-sex marriage

By DEBORAH GYAPONG
Canadian Catholic News
Montreal

Second Story Press, a Toronto publishing company, sent copies of Mom and Mum are Getting Married! by Ken Setterington to all members of Parliament.

Conservative MP Jason Kenney discovered the book in his mail March 21. "When I first saw it I mistakenly thought it was sent by a pro-marriage group because it perfectly makes the argument against the government bill," Kenney told Canadian Catholic News.

"It demonstrates that this is not about equal rights as much as it's about fundamentally changing the meaning of marriage and the family for children," he said.

In a Feb. 17 letter to MPs accompanying the book, Corina Eberle wrote: "Second Story Press, a Canadian publisher, would like to offer its full support in passing Bill C-38, which would extend the right to civil marriage to all Canadians, regardless of sex."

Eberle describes the book as "a gentle story for young children that celebrates the joyous planning of a wedding where the happy couple happens to be two women."

"This story highlights the common goal of all weddings - an outward manifestation of the participants' inner commitment and affection for each other and their children," she wrote.

"It's wrong to confuse children about some of the most basic elements about biology and human nature," Kenney said, noting the father of the two children in the story is never mentioned, and the book refers to the possibility of another baby as if children just appear by magic.

"This is only the beginning of what's in store if same-sex marriage is passed into law," warns Gwen Landolt of Real Women of Canada. "This is not education, this is indoctrination."

Landolt criticized the book for making marriage into nothing more than a "big party" with no mention of marriage's obligations and sacrifices.

"They are misrepresenting genuine marriage," she said. "The father had to be in there somewhere."

In the book, Second Story Press acknowledged the support of the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, the federal governments Book Publishing Industry Development Program and the Ontario government's Ontario Book Initiative through the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

A spokeswoman for Canada Council said that in 2004-05, Second Story Press received $47,100 from that agency as part of a block grant. Heritage Canada granted $73,903 during the 2003-04 fiscal year.

Spokesmen for both funding sources said they provide funding to publishers in general and not for particular books.

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