Time Immortal

This is a decision for the commission to make?

April 9, 2008

One would think (mistakenly, apparently) that the decision as to whether the BDSM* lifestyle falls under the protection of “sexual orientation”-related legislation would be a decision for Parliament to settle. Failing that, one would expect the issue to be settled in Canada’s judicial courts. But apparently, human rights commissions have (or are claiming) the power to render binding decisions on the issue…in spite of the fact that the commission investigators attached to the particular case (involving one Peter Hayes, a self-described pagan and BDSM afficionado, and whose particular issue seems to be that the police denied him a permit he required in order to get a job as a chauffer**) are not entirely familiar with the concept thereof.

You know, as unfair as it might have been to ostracize or incarcerate people who immersed themselves in all manner of sexual…oddities…yes, oddities, there was a certain virtue of simplicity that went along with such times.

* if the Reader doesn’t know what this particular acronym means, I strongly advise against attempting to Google it. If the Reader insists on Googling it, may I at least strongly advise that said Reader edit his or her Google “Safe Search” settings to the most conservative level possible?

** I can’t tell if the issue of his being unable to get said permit is in any way related to said BDSM lifestyle, or if that’s just the smokescreen that Hayes is blowing in the hope that someone won’t notice that he doesn’t have a case otherwise. Either that or he showed up to apply for the permit in full bondage gear and the officer(s) behind the desk laughed him out of the building (and if so: rightly so).