So much for all those liberal laws changing the way a society works . . .
[h3]Camp shut down because he is gay, Loney charges[/h3]Former Iraq hostage James Loney charged Tuesday that his homosexuality was behind the decision of a Catholic men's organization to shut down a youth leadership camp where he once worked.[/p] Loney held a press conference in Toronto on Tuesday during which he accused the Knights of Columbus of discrimination targeting gays and lesbians.[/p] "I feel very sad that this act of discrimination against me as a gay person is really impacting the whole Catholic community of Ontario," Loney said.[/p] Loney said he and his supporters agonized over whether or not to go public with his allegations. [/p] "It was a decision we made after a great deal of thought and prayer, and some agony,'' he said.[/p] "We are doing this because we care about the church, we care about young people and we care about the kind of church they are coming into.'' [/p] Loney, who spent four months in captivity in Iraq, kept his sexual orientation secret from his captors for fear it would further imperil his life.[/p] Upon his return, Loney appeared on national television with his partner Dan Hunt.[/p] Days later, the chairman of the Knights of Columbus Ontario State Council -- which funds the camp -- expressed concerns to the camp's director that the event was promoting a homosexual lifestyle, Loney told The Canadian Press. [/p] The Ontario Catholic Youth Leadership Camp, near Orillia Ont., was to operate this year between Aug. 21 and Aug. 26. [/p] Loney said he had been a staff member at the camp for a number of years before coming out to the public.[/p] A spokesman for the Knights of Columbus Ontario State Council told the Toronto Star the camp's closure had nothing to do with Loney's homosexuality.[/p] "That statement is totally out of left field," said state deputy John Clancey. "We closed down that leadership camp because we needed to review the way we were going and the curriculum that we were teaching." [/p] The website for the Knights of Columbus says the decision to close the camp was made in April "as part of its routine policy review."[/p] The Catholic men's organization has made headlines in the past with their position against same-sex marriage.[/p] In British Columbia, a chapter of the organization decided to cancel a wedding reception in its hall after discovering a lesbian couple had rented out the hall for their 2003 nuptials.[/p] The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal last year awarded damages to the couple, saying in its judgment that the Knights cancelled the booking in a way that affronted the same-sex couple's dignity, feelings and self-respect and should pay them $1,000 each, as well as reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses to compensate for their injuries.[/p] The organization has said it wants Ottawa to re-introduce legislation to "recognize, protect and re-affirm the definition of marriage as a voluntary union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others." [/p] Loney will hold his news conference on the same day he and his partner are to be honoured in Toronto for their perseverance through the hostage ordeal.[/p] The couple are to receive the "Fearless'' award at a fundraising gala and awards dinner Tuesday night as part of the festivities for Toronto's Pride Week 2006.[/p] In 2001, Amnesty International reported that Iraq's constitution was amended to make homosexuality a crime punishable by death.[/p] Although the constitution reverted back to the original 1969 document when Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled in 2003, the status of gay and lesbian rights remains murky in the Middle Eastern country.[/p]
