Discriminating education

The letter from John Hein of ScotsGay magazine makes a lot of sense:

When an intrinsic part of the role of teacher or priest involves telling the vulnerable and the gullible that homosexuality is "intrinsically disordered", what self-respecting homosexual would want to work for the Roman Catholic Church in the first place?

Not everyone sees it that way:

Politicians, local government and parent groups all warned against discrimination when a senior bishop insisted that the church's new charter for schools would prevent gay teachers from securing jobs in Catholic schools or gaining promotion if already employed.

Bishop Joseph Devine, president of the Catholic Education Commission, said the church's blueprint for its schools - A Charter for Catholic Schools - made it clear that homosexuality was incompatible with Catholic education.

What's wrong with that? A school should be free to hire gays or not to hire gays. Schools should be free to hire men or not to hire men. Schools should be free to hire Catholics, or Protestants, or Muslims or not to hire Catholics, or Protestants, or Muslims.

Oh, but that:

could easily be seen as blatantly discriminatory.

So what? Life is all about making choices, about discriminating. Choices made by adults should be of no concern whatsoever to governments as long as there is no initiation of force or fraud.

When I read this:

A spokesman said: "The Executive would expect authorities, in pursuit of their statutory obligations, to employ the best staff available."

and this:

Peter Duncan, the shadow Scottish secretary, said: "I do not see any reason for discrimination on race or sexual orientation or gender."

and this:

Fiona Hyslop, SNP MSP and shadow minister for education, said: "The SNP would expect a non-discrimination element to be part of the revised schools code."

and this:

Judith Gillespie, from the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, described Bishop Devine's views as "very sad"

I suggest that Executive members, Peter Duncan, Fiona Hyslop and Judith Gillespie get together and invest their own money in a school. The Catholic Church should do the same. In a free market there's plenty of room for a variety of schools, each discriminating in its own way.