SOURCE: Medium.com, 2019-06-05
When Ontario Premier Doug Ford's office confirmed that he would not attend Toronto's Pride Parade this year, it came as no surprise to those familiar with his track record on LGBTQ+ issues. Ford's Press Secretary Ivana Yelich stated on Monday, June 3, 2019, that the decision stems from Pride Toronto's 2017 resolution banning uniformed officers from participating in the annual parade.
Yelich said:
"Premier Ford has always said he will attend Pride Toronto's parade when our front-line police officers are allowed to participate in uniform."
Police in uniform were banned from participating in the parade following a protest during the 2016 parade by Black Lives Matter over racial profiling.
Relations between Toronto's LGBTQ+ community and the police have historically been fraught with tension. They were further strained following the arrest of serial killer Bruce McArthur -- now convicted of killing eight men.
For several years prior to McArthur's arrest, police frequently ignored concerns by the community that there was a serial killer targeting gay men. Despite an investigation into the disappearance of multiple men from Toronto's village spanning from 2010 to 2017, police continually downplayed these concerns asserting that some of the men likely wanted to disappear.
Additionally, the police have faced accusations of bias against the LGBTQ+ community over their handling of missing persons and murder cases. The 2017 murders of Alloura Wells and Tess Richey reignited concerns over how police deal with cases focusing on Toronto's LGBTQ+ community. It's important to note that police officers are not excluded from attending the parade. They free to participate in civilian clothes or as private citizens.
This begs the question if Doug Ford is not attending over the policy on uniformed police officers, why didn't he attend the parade in the years when uniformed police did take part? There appears to be no suitable answer other than Ford is using the tensions between Toronto Police and the LGBTQ+ community as a shield for his homophobia.
Ford's political record displays a clear ambivalence -- if not outright contempt -- for the LGBTQ+ community. While a Toronto City Councillor, Ford perpetually declined to take part in Pride festivities. The only exception was in 2013 when he stood in for his brother -- Mayor Rob Ford -- at the flag raising ceremony in front of City Hall.
In 2014, he described the Pride parade as
"Middle-aged men in pot bellies, running down the street buck naked ... Do I condone men running down the middle of Yonge St. buck naked? Absolutely not."
Earlier that same year, Ford defended his brother's campaign to remove the rainbow flag from being flown at City Hall as a protest against Russia's anti-gay laws during the Winter Olympic Games. Ford claimed that neither he nor his brother were acting in a homophobic manner because "they have gay friends." When pressed for names, he was unable to answer.
After being elected Premier last June, one of Ford's first official acts was to replace the province's updated sex education curriculum to one from the '90s that contained no references to the LGBTQ+ community. Ford's government also created a 'snitch-line' where parents could anonymously file a complaint against any teacher who continued to teach from the modern sex education curriculum. The line was later closed after it was flooded with calls supporting inclusive sex education.
In March 2019, Ford bowed to growing pressure after opinion polls showed overwhelming public disapproval over the repeal of inclusive sex education. The government restored consent, sexting, same-sex relationships and gender identity to the curriculum.
Despite this, Doug Ford's track record continues to show a habitual pattern of homophobia and LGBTQ+ exclusion. It has become something of a tradition that heads of government attend the Pride Parade. In 2013, Premier Kathleen Wynne -- who was Canada's first openly lesbian head of government -- became the first Ontario premier to march in the parade, though her predecessor Dalton McGuinty typically attended numerous Pride events.
In 2016, Justin Trudeau became the first Prime Minister to march in the parade. A year earlier former Ontario Conservative leader Patrick Brown -- Ford's predecessor -- became the first conservative party leader to march in Pride.
If Ford is truly concerned about the tensions between police and the LGBTQ+ community, why not attend in an effort to get both sides working towards a solution?
As NDP Leader Andrea Horwath told reporters in a press conference following Ford's announcement,
While Pride organizers stated they are disappointed with Ford's decision, one has to question what sort of reception he would receive if he did attend. Ford is highly unpopular in Toronto, particularly among the LGBTQ+ community, and his polling numbers across the province are in a state of free fall.
It's likely Ford would receive a very chilly reception -- if not outright protests -- and Ford is known to have a fragile ego. In May, Ford was taken aback after he was heavily booed at the opening of a Special Olympics event in Toronto. A few days later he was booed again at a Tech Summit. Each time, Ford seemed genuinely surprised by the response.
It's a safe bet that his reception at Toronto Pride would be far less hospitable than a few boos.
Ford's secretary claimed that:
"He wishes all the organizers of Pride Toronto all the best for a successful month and festival weekend."
The truth is that his actions over the years speak louder then platitudes expressed through a third-party. It's highly doubtful that Ford will be missed at the parade, however, his absence is a reminder of the continued threats the LGBTQ+ community faces from the political right.
As Canada -- along with the United States, Great Britain and other Western countries -- flirts with far-right sentiments, vigilance is required. Pride is not merely a celebration of all that has been accomplished since the Stonewall Riots fifty years ago, it is first and foremost a political protest. It is a time to come together and continue to demand the equality that is our right.
Don't hide behind the police, Mr. Ford. It's clear you don't like us, and the feeling is mutual.
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