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Policy opponents off base

Dear Editor: What amazes me the most about the current fracas over the Burnaby school district's policy 5.45 is a lack of historical knowledge or appreciation exhibited by those opposed. If we review the history of B.C.

Dear Editor:

What amazes me the most about the current fracas over the Burnaby school district's policy 5.45 is a lack of historical knowledge or appreciation exhibited by those opposed.

If we review the history of B.C. since westerners first exerted political control over the area, we can easily find times when those of the "wrong" religious orientation were actively discriminated against; those of the "wrong" ethno-cultural background were actively discriminated against; those of the "wrong" gender were actively discriminated against; and those of the "wrong" lifestyle, mental ability, or political views were discriminated against.

Fortunately, progressive citizens and politicians fought back against discrimination and introduced policies and practices that helped the marginalized gain more security.

Turn the clock back a generation, and many of the anti-5.45 advocates would find themselves in the role of the oppressed and marginalized.

We have some way to go before we live in a truly just society, but if Harvard professor Steven Pinker is correct, we have already made some progress.

Eric Damer, Burnaby