Coming from an atheist, York school board has a point

York’s Catholic school trustees are abusing their power by refusing to raise the Pride flag. Their day of reckoning is coming, June 6

Martin Regg Cohn is missing a critical point. Specifically, how the school board is free to not have to actively promote values and practices its teachings fundamentally disagree with, by flying the Pride flag. If we are actually going to be a nation that respects and promotes religious and personal freedoms, then the right of the board to be consistent with its beliefs and teachings needs to be not only respected, but supported.

To be clear, I come with this view as a total atheist, whose views on religion are that they cannot possibly have any basis in reality. I just believe we cannot claim to protect and support religious and personal freedoms if we arbitrarily get to tell others what aspects of their beliefs they are allowed to have.

This isn’t the same as expecting the board to provide a safe and welcoming environment to all levels of sexual, cultural, and racial diversity. Of course it must. But that doesn’t mean it must actively promote practices that run counter to religious beliefs. Not promoting the Pride flag is NOT in itself an act of “discrimination against LGBTQ students,” but rather an example of them exercising their essential freedom to practice their religious beliefs. There clearly is a difference.

Their rights to hold such beliefs are as valid as your right to disagree.