Marc Hall v. Durham Catholic School Board

Marc Hall v. Durham Catholic School Board

Marc Hall v. Durham Catholic School Board was a 2002 court case in which Marc Hall, a Canadian teenager, fought a successful legal battle against the Durham Catholic District School Board to bring a same-sex date to his high school prom. The case made Canadian and international headlines.

Contents

Court Case

Marc Hall v. Durham Catholic School Board began when Oshawa, Ontario's Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic Secondary School asked students attending the prom to submit the names of the guests they intended to bring. Hall, who is gay, submitted the name of his 21-year-old boyfriend, Jean-Paul Dumond, and was denied on the grounds that homosexuality is incompatible with Roman Catholic teaching.[1]

Supported by his family and a wide variety of community organizations, Hall thus took the school board to court in a two-day hearing that began on May 6, 2002. Hall's lawyer, David Corbett, argued that the denial of his request violated the Ontario Education Act, which requires school boards in the province not to discriminate. The school board, on the other hand, argued that court interference in its decision would amount to denying its religious freedom.

Corbett argued that an organization that accepts public funding (Catholic school boards in Ontario are fully funded in the same manner as public schools) has to be accountable to the same laws (including anti-discrimination laws) as other public institutions. The school board's lawyer countered that Section 93 of the Canadian constitution protects the Catholic board's rights to conduct its affairs in accordance with Catholic teaching.

In addition, Corbett noted that while extramarital sex is also contrary to Catholic teaching, the school board had previously allowed pregnant, unmarried students to attend the prom.

On May 10, Justice Robert McKinnon granted an interlocutory injunction ordering that Hall be allowed to attend the prom with Dumond. The justice also ordered that the school would not cancel the prom. He did not decide on the larger issues raised by the case, leaving those to be heard at a later trial. Hall attended the Prom with Dumond that evening.

The Hall case in film

Director Larry Peloso created a one-hour documentary on the case entitled Prom Fight: The Marc Hall Story. An unrelated television movie, Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story, aired on CTV in 2004 with Aaron Ashmore starring as Hall.

Hall also appeared in the Queer as Folk season 2 finale as a party guest during the Rage party at Babylon.

See also

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Durham Catholic District School Board — Board office location Oshawa, Ontario Communities served Pickering, Whitby, Ajax, Oshawa, Brock, Uxbridge, Scugog Number of schools 39 Elementary, 7 Secondary Number of students …   Wikipedia

  • David Corbett — is a Canadian lawyer who gained international acclaim when, in 2002, he argued Marc Hall v. Durham Catholic School Board, a case that pitted the rights of a homosexual couple against the rights of a religious institution. Prior to the case Mr.… …   Wikipedia

  • Timeline of LGBT history in Canada — This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Canada.19th century* 1810: Alexander Wood, a merchant and magistrate in Toronto, is embroiled in a sex scandal when he investigates a… …   Wikipedia

  • List of films based on actual events — This is a list of feature films that are based on actual events. Contents 1 1920s 2 1930s 3 1940s 4 1950s 5 1960s …   Wikipedia

  • Aaron Fricke — Infobox Person name = Aaron Fricke image size = caption = birth date = birth date and age|1962|1|25|mf=y birth place = Providence, Rhode Island death date = death place = occupation = spouse = parents = children =Aaron Fricke is a gay rights… …   Wikipedia

  • Oshawa —   City   Oshawa City Logo Oshawa City Logo …   Wikipedia

  • Ottawa — This article is about the capital city of Canada. For other uses, see Ottawa (disambiguation). Ottawa   City   City of Ottawa Ville d Ottawa …   Wikipedia

  • performing arts — arts or skills that require public performance, as acting, singing, or dancing. [1945 50] * * * ▪ 2009 Introduction Music Classical.       The last vestiges of the Cold War seemed to thaw for a moment on Feb. 26, 2008, when the unfamiliar strains …   Universalium

  • cañada — /keuhn yah deuh, yad euh/, n. Chiefly Western U.S. 1. a dry riverbed. 2. a small, deep canyon. [1840 50; < Sp, equiv. to cañ(a) CANE + ada n. suffix] * * * Canada Introduction Canada Background: A land of vast distances and rich natural resources …   Universalium

  • Canada — /kan euh deuh/, n. a nation in N North America: a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 29,123,194; 3,690,410 sq. mi. (9,558,160 sq. km). Cap.: Ottawa. * * * Canada Introduction Canada Background: A land of vast distances and rich natural… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”