It may be time to give up on the mayor, say some leaders in the queer community, after news that Rob Ford has refused yet another invitation to an LGBTQ event.
Ford didn’t march in last year’s Pride Parade and has already ruled out doing so this year. Those still hoping that he would attend at least some part of the Pride festival in June were dealt a blow Tuesday, when it was reported that he has rejected an invitation to another event, this time to a May 17 ceremony hosted by Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) to mark the International Day Against Homophobia.
Doug Kerr, a prominent gay activist who last year led the Proud of Toronto campaign, says he’s disappointed in the mayor’s latest decision and is starting to think it’s no longer worth extending an olive branch to Ford.
“This is getting frustrating,” Kerr says. “How long do we keep putting out an invitation?”
Asked if he interprets Ford’s actions as homophobic, Kerr says it’s becoming impossible to avoid that conclusion.
“He’s purposefully avoiding every event that the gay community is inviting him to, right?” Kerr says, exasperated. “Call it for what it is.”
Ford and his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, faced allegations of harbouring anti-gay sentiments earlier this week when they refused to challenge comments made by a guest on their radio show that appeared to link homosexuality with AIDS.
While he’s no longer sure the LGBTQ community should spend its energy on trying to bring Ford onside, Kerr is adamant that the mayor’s refusal to show support for the queer community will have a negative impact on the city’s LGBTQ residents.
“People who support him can look and say, hey, the mayor of our city doesn’t care about the gay community, why should I? It justifies and encourages people’s homophobia.”
PFLAG Toronto president Irene Miller isn’t ready to give up hope on the mayor however. She says she’ll keep sending him invitations.
“I can see where people in the community may be getting frustrated,” she says. “I can tell you that I have a lot of patience and persistence, and that I and Toronto PFLAG will continue to invite him, in the hope that one day his calendar will be free.”
She says she accepts the mayor’s excuse that his schedule is full the day of the PFLAG event, even though she has been sending him invitations since February and the ceremony is taking place just outside City Hall.
Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, who had been urging Ford to attend the PFLAG gathering, says it’s important the queer community continue to reach out.
“How we behave and respond as the LGBT community is just as important as how the mayor behaves and responds,” she says. “While Rob Ford is the mayor of this city, I will continue to hold that door open for him. I will continue to extend that invitation.”
As he did in 2011, Ford is again facing pressure from not only his critics but also his allies to rethink his unofficial boycott of Pride events. Tuesday morning, Doug Ford suggested there was still a possibility his brother would show up at the Pride flag raising.
“He hasn’t made that decision yet,” the concillor told reporters.
As they did last year, even members of the mayor’s own staff are trying to convince him to attend at least one event on the 10-day Pride Week calendar.
“The mayor’s staff has reached out to me and said, ‘councillor we are all working really hard at the mayor’s office to convince the mayor to go to Pride,'” Wong-Tam says. “‘As soon as we have an answer for you, we’ll provide it.'”
