Reflections, Observations, and Analyses Pertaining to the Canadian Political Scene
Monday, February 10, 2014
To Be Young, Gifted, And Gay
I am in awe of this kind of courage, and it is one of the reasons I am never quite wiling to give up on humanity. Despite the progress that society has made, I can't think that this could have been an easy decision.
hi Lorne...Nice. It shouldn't take any courage to simply state who you are, but unfortunately it still does, especially in the sporting world. I will never understand why so much hate is directed at such a small minority who aren't hurting anyone. But I have had to live with that insanity all my adult life. As a teenager I had to fight to survive. As a blogger I receive more veiled and not so veiled death threats than you can count. And a few years ago a crazy guy with a knife came after me and was intercepted less than a block from my house. But I firmly believe that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I'm extremely proud to be gay, and proud of my brother Michael...
Hi Simon. Beautifully expressed. I'm sorry that you have had such a hard time of things over the years, but I guess it is just a sad reminder of the terrible contradictions that are part of human nature. I am only somewhat buoyed by the fact that even though it is still very much a reality of our broken world, prejudice is at the very least increasingly recognized for the odious thing it is, no matter what form it takes. As well, I know you live in Toronto, so you have my sympathies in having such a retrograde mayor whose homophobia, as noted in The Star this morning, is likely to backfire on him. Says Robyn Doolittle, quoting the CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs,
“If you’re somebody in this country who is anti-Semitic or racist or homophobic, if you have hate in your heart in any way, you’re going to be speaking to a smaller audience.”
hi Lorne...Nice. It shouldn't take any courage to simply state who you are, but unfortunately it still does, especially in the sporting world. I will never understand why so much hate is directed at such a small minority who aren't hurting anyone. But I have had to live with that insanity all my adult life. As a teenager I had to fight to survive. As a blogger I receive more veiled and not so veiled death threats than you can count. And a few years ago a crazy guy with a knife came after me and was intercepted less than a block from my house. But I firmly believe that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I'm extremely proud to be gay, and proud of my brother Michael...
ReplyDeleteHi Simon. Beautifully expressed. I'm sorry that you have had such a hard time of things over the years, but I guess it is just a sad reminder of the terrible contradictions that are part of human nature. I am only somewhat buoyed by the fact that even though it is still very much a reality of our broken world, prejudice is at the very least increasingly recognized for the odious thing it is, no matter what form it takes. As well, I know you live in Toronto, so you have my sympathies in having such a retrograde mayor whose homophobia, as noted in The Star this morning, is likely to backfire on him. Says Robyn Doolittle, quoting the CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs,
Delete“If you’re somebody in this country who is anti-Semitic or racist or homophobic, if you have hate in your heart in any way, you’re going to be speaking to a smaller audience.”
Keep up your excellent work, Simon.