Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 24/02) - Gay and lesbian rights activists are calling last week's amendments to the Adoption and Family Law Acts a bitter-sweet victory.

Sweet, because after two years of debate, Bill 5 was finally passed into law, avoiding a costly legal challenge to the territorial government.

But bitter, because some MLAs in the legislative assembly still challenge the fitness of same-sex couples and their abilities as parents.

During debate over the bill last week, some MLAs -- such as Inuvik Boot Lake's Floyd Roland and North Slave's Leon Lafferty -- suggested gay men would make unfit parents because they run the risk of contracting AIDS and dying early.

Others said the new legislation is an affront to aboriginal cultural and religious values. They were also leery that because most children in the North put up for adoption are aboriginal, a situation may arise similar to when children were taken away from their families and communities and placed into residential schools.

"I don't think comments made by some members of the legislative assembly represent the viewpoints or feelings of the majority of the residents of the Northwest Territories," said Zoe Raemer of Out North, a gay advocacy group.

"It's not the role of governments to rank families. It's the role of governments to provide program services and legislation that serves and protects all members of our society equally," Zoe said.

Raemer said she can only wonder what sort of debate will arise when the legislative assembly resumes in October and begins deliberating on amendments to the Human Rights Act.

"From what I gather, it's going to be an interesting debate in the fall on human rights legislation," said Raemer. "Regrettably, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are the two jurisdictions left in this country that do not protect gays and lesbians with human rights legislation."