Rob Ford will not be attending this year’s Pride – just as he didn’t go to any of its events, scattered over 10 days, last year.
He also turned down the invitation to mark International Day Against Homophobia, PFLAG’s annual ceremony. Both events have been attended and embraced by past city mayors. (Not to mention, his radio show has contained some objectionable rants against queers.)
So, is the mayor a homophobic?
“[Ford] is suggesting that the gay community is demographic he doesn’t care about. It’s a loud message he’s sending what he’s doing is completely irresponsible.” – Sara-Marnie Hubbard, Program Coordinator, Sex and Gender Diversity Office at the University of Toronto
“Not going to the PFLAG ceremony is a great big fuck you to the gay community.The remarks made on his radio show, the fact that he’s chosen the cottage over Pride, and this whole PFLAG controversy shows how homophobic the mayor is.” – Christopher Smith, supervisor at Hair of the Dog Pub
“The whole going to the cottage thing is not an excuse we buy anymore.” – Andrea Houston, XTRA Reporter
“We’re a pretty fabulous bunch as queers, we dont need Ford to validate our presence in the city. His repeated refusal sends a loud message to constituents from across the city. I’m reluctant to use the term homophobe, but his track record speaks for itself.” – Laura Krahn, volunteer team member-organizers with the DYKE March
“There’s something wrong here. He knows what he’s doing and he knows that are repercussions. With the bullying issues we’re seeing surface, brushing off PRIDE and PFLAG events speaks volumes. It downplays the importance of fighting against that sort of ignorance. But right now if you were to Google ‘Pride Toronto’, most of what shows up is about Rob Ford. He shouldn’t be the main focus, he overshadows all the positive things that are being done right now.” – Amber Moyle, Team Lead of Dyke Rally and After Party with Dyke March Parade
