The NotABlog

Toronto Star: Pride Toronto Revokes Marching Permit for Canadian Association for Equality in Contravention of Own Policy

Well, this is some pretty impressive bullshit.  In response to some quasi-anonymous complaints, Pride Toronto has banned the Canadian Association for Equality from marching without even giving them a chance to respond to the allegations against them.  Not only is CAFE a charity (certified by the government of Canada, which means a significant level of scrutiny), they're a clearly egalitarian group with a track record to back the claim.  They marched in Pride Toronto events last year without incident, and were previously approved to march this year.

Pride Toronto's actions also appear to fly directly in the face of their own complaint resolution policy, which requires that organizations be given copies of allegations made against them and that a full arbitration/mediation process (in which they can refute those allegations) be completed before any action is taken regarding their participation.  The policy also requires that complaints be submitted before June 4th (that'd be several weeks ago), and that all hearings be resolved by June 21st (several days before CAFE's permit was revoked).  Not only was CAFE never informed of the contents of the complaints, they were also denied a mandatory hearing and kicked out after the deadline for doing so on the basis of complaints that themselves were submitted after the deadline had passed.  That's not just bending the rules, that's throwing the rulebook through a paper shredder, then burning it, then taking a shit on it just for good measure.

Just to really drive the point home, this is the same event that allows both Israeli Apartheid and Catholic groups to march despite the overt controversy they present.  (Seriously, do we really need to get into the ongoing treatment of LGBT people by the Catholic church, or the clusterfuck that is LGBT rights in most of the Middle East?)  Despite vastly more suspect policies, views and values, those groups were still handled according to the process laid out in the bylaws of Pride Toronto, and were eventually approved despite concerns from a wide variety of independent organizations.  This long history of standing firm and defending due process in the face of political pressure only serves to highlight how anomalous and shocking this decision was.

While a number of PoN admins have firmly supported the mission of Pride Toronto in the past and continue to support the overall mission and values of Pride events, this behavior calls into question the integrity of the organization as well as their support for core values such as inclusiveness, diversity, and transparency.  Worse still, it exposes Pride Toronto to significant legal liabilities, including potential claims under provincial human rights legislation.  We sincerely hope that they will reconsider their decision and abide by organizational policy in this matter.  These ill-considered actions have the potential to damage a long-standing reputation built through decades of hard work and perseverance in the face of oppression.  Pride Toronto has done an incredible job spreading a message of inclusivity, tolerance and acceptance.  We don't want to see that ruined by a hasty and ill-informed rush to judgment.  They can do better.

We encourage our followers to contact World Pride Toronto to politely and civilly express their views on its handing of this situation.  The Pride Toronto staff are not currently answering calls to their office, but those interested can still leave a message or contact them through email.  Separately, if any of our followers (or others who see this post) have direct contact information for any members of the Pride Toronto staff, please get in touch with us: personal and/or identifying information will not be posted on PoN, but we are interested in getting in touch with a Pride Toronto representative in order to further clarify their position on this matter.

But no, any men's issues related group is automatically going to have a massive leg up on all other groups because all men are powerful, and all men will work together to continue to provide any and all support necessary to suppress any dissenting voices.

Honestly, I just really want to see how history is going to look at the efforts that have been put forth to suppress these kinds of events, talks, and conferences.

I hate them, hate them, hate them and they only make it harder for the LGBT to be taken seriously and to fight stereotypes.

How are scantily clad men dancing in the street and acting like gay strippers supposed to be helping us? Opponents and the right wing think of us as sexual deviants and we always go, “Nooooooo! We act like everybody else!” But then the parades come around and it’s time to bust out the neon thongs, heels, and anything rainbow to wave and put on our butts as they’re shaking all over the place.

This might be me as a lesbian who hates the male anatomy but it only makes the whole “sexual freak and out there” stereotype harder to fight. Maybe if they made it less raunchy, less flashy, and actually did more than focus on males and remembered the lesbians, I’d change my mind. Cause I might love NSFW material but lord have mercy, don’t go parading it in the street in the colors of the rainbow.

I have never been to a pride parade, I have no desire to go to a pride parade, and I probably wouldn't support a pride parade if someone was asking for donations or reblogs.

I imagine the original purpose behind those parades is to put glbt stuff in the spotlight to get random people to notice it and get used to the idea, because a significant portion of the reaction of people to glbt stuff is based on how much exposure they've had with the concept. I think it's so colourful, attention grabbing, and loud because they wanted that many more people to notice.

It seems to have become nothing more than a loud attention-grabbing spectacle, and I agree with the sentiment that this is bad. This assumes that the intent is to raise awareness or promote understanding and extend olive branches to promote peace and stuff. If we look at it as just another excuse to have some kind of a public festival or party, then it's doing that job pretty well from what I head and see. I just think that going for the loud flamboyant party vibe sacrifices a lot of the potential of a somewhat more subdued kind of parade.

I have, however, eaten lunch in my campus's lgbt room and had some pretty good conversations with the other people in there. So far, most of the people I've talked to who mentioned that they're gay have been pretty cool people.