‘Truth about homosexuality’ pamphleteer sues CBC over ‘kill the homosexual’ flyer
WEYBURN, Saskatchewan July 3, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pamphleteer who is seeking to expose what he says is the truth about homosexuality has launched a libel suit against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Bill Whatcott claims the national broadcaster misrepresented him in an October news report about the Supreme Court hearings into his battle with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.
The statement of claim filed on June 22 by Mr. Whatcott’s lawyer, Tom Schuck, states that in the news segment the CBC showed a pamphlet that had nothing to do with the case which was before the Supreme Court, but contained the words “Kill the Homosexual,” thereby suggesting that Whatcott advocated murder of homosexual people.
“The flyer with the words ‘Kill the homosexual’ was not one of the three flyers in question in the Supreme Court of Canada,” the statement of claim explains.
Bill Whatcott
Instead, it was a flyer that Whatcott had handed out two years previously, and, more importantly, the words ‘kill the homosexual’ “were quoted as a parody on an Alberta Human Rights Tribunal Decision that found that a popular song with the lyrics ‘Kill the Christians’ did not constitute hate towards Christians.”
“The flyer itself clearly indicated that the Plaintiff did not want homosexuals killed and that the flyer should not be interpreted as an incitement to violence,” Whatcott’s complaint continues. “The flyer referred readers to a website run by the Plaintiff for further explanation.”
The 2003 case the flyer referred to was brought forward by Quintin Johnson, who said he was browsing for CDs at a Music World shop in Red Deer, Alberta, when he found an album from the group “Deicide” containing a track called “Kill the Christian.”
“Kill The Christian/You are the one we despise/Day in day out your words compromise lies/I will love watching you die,” the lyrics read.
Johnson brought a complaint against the store saying he had been discriminated against, but Alberta Human Rights Commissioner Lori Andreachuk dismissed the case saying that Christians are not “vulnerable” enough and the group in question not a “credible” threat.
However, Andreachuck subsequently ordered a Christian pastor who published a letter to the editor in a local newspaper expressing his disagreement with promoting homosexuality in schools to publish a retraction of his views.
In his lawsuit, Whatcott claims that by deliberately omitting the exculpatory statement regarding the use of the words ”Kill the homosexual” which immediately followed, the CBC intended to expose Whatcott to hatred, contempt and ridicule.
“Anyone viewing the [CBC] broadcast would have reached the conclusion that Mr. Whatcott advocated the killing of homosexual people. That impression was false,” stated Tom Schuck, adding, “If it had been true that Mr. Whatcott advocated killing homosexuals, it would have been a criminal offence for him to say so. The meaning Mr. Whatcott conveyed in the whole flyer was the opposite to the impression created by panning the first line of the song. That is, he conveyed that neither homosexuals nor Christians should be killed.”
According to the statement of claim, Mr. Whatcott asked the CBC to publicly retract the offensive and misleading broadcast in a notice of libel delivered to them on November 8th, 2011. No retraction was subsequently broadcast, Schuck stated.
Bill Whatcott has had successful outcomes in all litigation that has been leveled against him. Most recently he won against a Crown appeal of a decision from a lower court that acquitted him of trespassing charges for distributing “Truth about homosexuality” pamphlets at the University of Calgary.
Whatcott asked for prayers of support for the lawsuit against the CBC.
“Please pray for this lawsuit being launched against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,” Whatcott said. “We need to hold the tax funded far left pseudo news agency accountable when they deliberately try to deceive the public and maliciously hurt pro-family activists.”
