When I woke up last Sunday morning I knew I was going to have a challenging day.
It was Pride Parade Day in Toronto, and as I prepared to head downtown with a small group of friends, at times I wondered whether I was going to survive.
For starters, weather forecasters were predicting that the temperature along the parade route was going to hover around the 34 to 35 degree mark. Which since the parade usually goes on for at least four hours, sounded to someone like me like a potentially fatal combination.
And then if that wasn't bad enough, like many of the others planning to go to the parade, I had to consider that I could be hurt or even killed.
For anti-gay terrorists are on a rampage all over North America. They are trying to terrorize trans kids and their parents. They are threatening harmless old drag queens, and accusing other gay people of being "groomers."
Which they most definitely are not.
But the anti-gay terrorists are backed by powerful far right groups and religious fanatics, so they are able to fool a lot of people.
And the desperate Pierre Poilievre couldn't resist jumping on the homophobia train, to pleasure his bigot base.
Even though hate crimes aimed at LGBT people are soaring in this country, with figures from Statistics Canada showing police-reported hate crimes based on sexual orientation increased almost 64 per cent in Canada between 2020 and 2021.
But that didn't stop Poilievre from using homophobia to attack the grubby far right extremist Maxime Bernier.
Accusing him of being pro-gay, even though he is now one of the ugliest homophobes in Canada.
Poilievre also threw in his lot with the ugly Con premier of New Brunwick Blaine Higgs, who is bashing trans kids for crass political purposes, by making it sound like all parents support him.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Tuesday the prime minister has no business weighing in on New Brunswick's Policy 713 on LGBTQ students and called on Justin Trudeau to "let parents raise kids."
Even though as Seamus O'Reagan points out, not all parents are supporting and not all homes are safe.
And if that wasn't enough, then there was this anti-gay freak who was so angry at one of those trans kid defenders, that he drove two hours to the palliative care unit where her father is dying.What shut down Leduc’s city council meeting last night?
— The Breakdown (@TheBreakdownAB) June 27, 2023
It started with a rambling commentary about chemtrails that literally change gender, the “gay agenda”, police using computers and the male speaker claiming he works with Smith and the freedom convoy…
And then this… pic.twitter.com/zhE78UmeaP
And had a selfie taken that he sent to her in an obvious attempt to intimidate her.
As only a Con could.
So with all this madness who can be surprised that all that hate can lead to something as ugly as this senseless act of violence
A 24-year-old former international student has been charged in the stabbings Wednesday in a University of Waterloo, Ont., classroom in what police believe was a hate-motivated incident targeting a gender-studies class.
Mark Crowell, chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service, told a media briefing Thursday the "planned and targeted attack" was a "senseless act of hate."
It's all so depressing, but there is light in the darkness.
We have a decent Prime Minister who stands up for the rights of LGBT Canadians, at home and abroad.
And at last Sunday's Pride Parade, despite the threats of violence, and the brutal heat, more than two million people turned out to march in and watch the parade.
And send a message to the Con bigots:
WE ARE NOT AFRAID!!!
A message the bigot Poilievre would be wise to heed, lest he keep stirring up hatred, provoking his ugly followers to commit more violent acts.
And end up being called an anti-gay terrorist himself.
For he will NEVER defeat the LGBT people of Canada…
And they will join with others to help make sure that he is NEVER Prime Minister.
The present is still struggle, but the future belongs to us…
12 comments:
Never have I loathed a man more than PP for what he's doing to this country. He loves to stoke the fires of hate and the results of that are what you so succinctly point out, Simon. I haven't commented as of late because frankly, PP makes me want to vomit. I wont say what I think his fate should be but I will say I hope it ends up with him burning in hell.
JD
I wish I could be so hopeful, Simon.
I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dead Wild Roses on their big win at SCOTUS yesterday... Where it's now ok to deny service to gay people. DWR, you're dream of a Third Reich in Canada stands a chance.
2,000,000 for TO Pride? That's a lot of Queer + Ally crowd, nice.
And you are right, all those people and their friends/family will vastly, vastly outnumber the hate-mongering parasites festering in our institutions and neighbourhoods.
And hopefully, hopefully, Skippy gets shown the door as he richly deserves. No need to worry about the glasses, he doesn't need them anymore. Best to be blind to events around you, I suppose.
Hi JD....I feel the same way. Poilievre disgusts me with his lies, his bigotry, and his complete indifference to climate change. He has poisoned the political scene in this country, but that's exactly what he wants to do in order to try to suppress the vote, as he has done before. So as hard as it can sometimes be, we must never give up. He must not succeed and he won't. Our reward will be the vanquishing of his ugly un-Canadian Trump North party, and it will be a glorious day and will make up for everything....
Hi anon@4:56 PM....Sometimes in the world we live in it's not easy to hold on to hope, but as I told JD we must never let the fascist enemies of humanity demoralize us, because that's what they want, so hope is our mightiest weapon. I share your feelings about Dead Wild Roses. I can't understand how such a disgusting blog is allowed to post their reactionary crap on Progressive Bloggers. But take heart, their ugly world view will go down with the Cons. The good women of Canada and their male allies will make sure of that. That's what I meant with the last line in this post. The present is struggle, and sometimes a nightmare. But the good and decent people of Canada will refuse to surrender, and we WILL be victorious. Happy Canada Day!!!
Hi Pierre...Yes, it was quite a crowd. I was sure the numbers would be down because of the brutal heat, but I was wrong. I believe a lot of people who might not have turned out did turn out to make a statement in these trying times. I'm not comfortable in big crowds, but I was impressed by the diversity of those in the parade, and the diversity of those cheering them on. There were people of all ages, and all cultural backgrounds, and their energy was inspiring. The nurses, paramedics, and firefighters were the ones I cheered for the loudest, but they were all marvellous, and if I was a filthy Con I would be worried...
Live the dream but I can't see the "good women of Canada and their male allies" approving of "her" penis being in the competition, lavatory, shower or changing room ever.
2SGLB, DragQ,Transvestites etc. have never hated themselves to the point of avoidance of maturity by drugs and body surgery. Nor did they ever think that threatening womens spaces was anything less than misogyny by totally disregarding what XX means.
There will be consequences when those who have been encouraged rather than corrected and guided through these confusing times realize it was a little more serious than a piercing or a tattoo and the irreversible damage from preventing adulthood sinks in.
Pro mental health is not anti trans but does have empathy for it. Very few things have the factual reality of a penis or a vagina but your mind can and will believe anything. Your mind can range from fascism to anarchy, from atheist to satanist to one god to thousands of gods to nature but biology is biology XY is XY and a penis is a penis. Seriously which do you think is wrong in a dispute between the two?
"Statistics Canada showing police-reported hate crimes based on sexual orientation increased almost 64 per cent in Canada between 2020 and 2021." In 2021, people were hunkered down during the first year of Covid and kids weren't at school to bully each other, yet sexual orientation hate reports go up year over year?! Sounds to me like people on Twitter getting their panties in a knot over a "genocide" of misgendering. How many people were actually charged?
The cons have been bible terrorists for years. They're just doubling down with trump style hate politics to gain power. I wish people would finally see through the b.s. of both the libs and cons and finally vote in the NDP. A party with a proven people oriented track record.
Hi Lungta...I have to admit your comment disappointed and disgusted me. You really are a rotten old homophobe, and you should be ashamed of yourself. I shouldn't really be wasting any time trying to straighten you out, pardon the expression. But you're a lowlife hatemonger so I can't let you get away with spreading your poison all over the place.
So let me make some things clear.
(1) Trans people make up a very small percentage of the LGBT community, who themselves are a small minority. So the idea of hordes of trans people invading women's dressing rooms is completely ridiculous.
(2) Trans kids are not "mutilated" as your low life fellow fanatics are always going on about. Surgery for children just doesn't happen, and the treatment they received is aimed at dealing with their feelings, and designed to make sure that they understand what transitioning will mean to them, and the discrimination they will have to endure.
(3) The assault on trans people and drag queens is just a way the religious right came up with in the U.S. in order to target all gay people in a campaign that verges on the genocidal.
I could go on, but I suspect that it wouldn't do any good. So all I will say is that if you insist on continuing your hate mongering ways, please don't visit this blog ever again. Thanks...
Hi anon@4:42...I find your comment as vile as as the stuff Lungta is trying to peddle. The hate crimes LGBT people are victimized by, are always near the top of the list, are if anything under reported, and are always the most violent. So trying to deny that they actually happen is as as low as anyone can go. You should be ashamed of yourself....
HI anon@6:42PM....Comparing the Liberals to the Cons is both absurd and deeply disturbing It's also entirely futile since the NDP may have some positive aspects, but has as much chance of forming a government as a snowball in hell. It's just not going to happen with the leader and people they have now, so you're left with a choice between the Liberals and the Cons. And the only way to hold off the fascist threat is at least at this present time, is to vote for the Liberals, and make sure that NDP support doesn't split the vote. I'm sorry about that, but reality bites, and living in a fantasy isn't going to help anyone...
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