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FOR some years, Chris Kempling has been dealing with
the repercussions of expressing his beliefs. Specifically, he went public
with his concern about the perceived promotion of homosexuality in the
public school system.
Beginning in 2003, Kempling has been censured several
times by the B.C. College of Teachers (BCCT), and has fought in the courts
for his right to express his views. Subsequent to his resignation from the
BCCT in December, all citations against him have now been dropped.
An outspoken Christian, Kempling first gained notoriety
in the late 1990s. He was a public school teacher in Quesnel, and expressed
his concerns about homosexuality in letters to a local newspaper.
“A lady complained to the BCCT,” he said.
The college held hearings, and suspended him for one month. Kempling
appealed the decision, believing his freedom of speech had been violated.
He contended he had expressed his views as a private citizen, on his own
time – not in his capacity as a teacher.
He eventually appealed his case to the Supreme Court of
B.C., and lost – after which the Supreme Court of Canada
refused to hear the case.
In 2005, he ran for parliament with the Christian
Heritage Party. During the campaign, faced with the issue of same-sex
marriage, he expressed his opposition. This contravened a school board
directive.
“The board informed the [BCCT], and I was
suspended. I felt persecuted. All manner of issues were brought up,”
he said. He was invited to appear before a parliamentary hearing on
same-sex marriage. “I was surprised to receive a letter of support
for my right to express my views – from openly gay NDP MP Bill
Siksay.”
Kempling, suspended without pay, worked as a dump truck
driver. However, throughout the ordeal, he said he received support from
“hundreds of people, giving tens of thousands of dollars to support
my legal case.” He estimated that the case had cost in excess of
$120,000.
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The controversy, he said, “revolved around me
being accused of being anti-homosexual. I have colleagues and acquaintances
that are gay. I have encouraged my own kids to intervene when they
encounter prejudice.”
He now works in an independent school in Kamloops; he
attends church in town, sings in the choir – and is happy to remain
out of the spotlight.
Asked to describe a particularly memorable instance of
support during tougher times, he said: “In July 2003, I received a
message from a group of Roman Catholic nuns in a cloistered convent in
Alabama. They promised to pray for me for one month.” He said he had
experienced an “amazing feeling of being supported, at many levels,
during that time.”
Asked how the whole experience affected him, he was
reflective. “God has met my every need – financial and
emotional.”
A surplus of money in his trust fund will be donated
– either to similar cases, or to other causes.
– Peter Biggs
March 2009
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