February 28, 2013 | Sex & Society

Canada's Supreme Court rules anti-gay flyers hate speech

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the country's hate speech ban was "a reasonable limit on freedom of religion and is demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society."

The judges were ruling on a case involving Bill Whatcott (pictured), a Christian 'ex-gay' anti-gay activist who handed out leaflets criticising the "homosexual agenda." He claimed that allowing homosexuality to be taught in schools would spread "filth and propaganda" amounting to a celebration of buggery, that gays should be barred from becoming teachers, and that gay men were actively seeking children through same-sex want ads.

Whatcott was brought before the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission and fined $17,500 for spreading hate. The case was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court found that the $17,500 fine was a reasonable penalty in this case because Whatcott portrayed gays and lesbians "as a menace that threatens the safety and well-being of others, makes reference to respected sources in an effort to lend credibility to the negative generalizations, and uses vilifying and derogatory representations to create a tone of hatred."

As the Court pointed out: "The benefits of the suppression of hate speech and its harmful effects outweigh the detrimental effect of restricting expression which, by its nature, does little to promote the values underlying freedom of expression."

Wow, could Canada be more different than Russia?

Anti-gay flyers violated hate law, Supreme Court rules [CTV News]

Canada high court rules anti-gay pamphlets were hate speech [Reuters]