Monday, December 21, 2009

Even in Canada....

Even in Canada, where same-sex marriage in law of the land and where, at least in the metropolitan areas, LGBT life is seemingly accepted, hatred is simmering.  It's hard to believe when you walk down the streets of Toronto, where all couples -- gay and straight -- feel comfortable holding hands.  Of course, Canada is a huge country.

Here's the story.  The Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, ran a story on a photograph/holiday card sent from a Canadian politician, Scott Brison, who is a member of parliament from Nova Scotia.  Scott is with his husband of two years, Maxime St. Pierre, and their golden retriever, Simba.  Although Mr. Brison has stated that there is no "Brokeback Mountain" homage intended, as has been claimed by some.  (One has to wonder: So what if it was?)

In any case, The Globe and Mail ran a story on the Christmas card.  The result?  The newspaper posted this statement not long after the story ran on-line, with room for comments:

Comments have been disabled

Editor's Note: Comments have been closed due to an overwhelming number of hateful and homophobic remarks. We appreciate that readers want to discuss this issue, but we can't allow our site to become a platform for intolerance.
 Here's one more example why some of us call some of the opposition hateful. 


4 comments:

  1. I have to disagree with you on this one. Not on the post-card bit, but on the "in Canada" bit. As an international student who's been in Canada for more than a year now, I do NOT think that gay couples in Toronto feel comfortable holding hands (let's not even get to kissing in public, it's taboo!) I have a feeling that gayness in Canada (I should say Toronto here, not Canada) is limited to the bedroom, the apartment, one's LEGAL private space as a married couple, or certain spaces in the village.

    Try spending half a day walking in Toronto and see how many same-sex couples you see holding hands. I'm serious and I conducted the experiment on three consecutive Sundays in Toronto and I saw ONE couple holding hands, once. And I still haven't seen a same-sex couple kissing in public. It's scary actually.
    I'm almost freaked at the idea of holding a man's hand in public now...

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  2. Thanks for writing. You're right, I think. I probably overstated my argument. And we live in a very gay neighborhood, so my view is a little slanted. Thanks for pointing it out.

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  3. :)

    Oh and I didn't say thank YOU for your blog! I love it!

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  4. I really enjoy "Queer behind the mirror" as well. I love how personal it is -- it always draws me in!

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