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Ford's Pride: Should He or Shouldn't He?

Posted: 06/23/11 04:49 PM ET
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Boy oh boy -- the chins are wagging,and tongues are flapping about the Mayor's decision to continue with his 30-year family tradition of spending Canada's birthday at his cottage with his family.

A slap in the face to the LGBT community! Ford is homophobic!

Let's examine the facts. Importantly, the Pride Parade, has usually been on the last weekend of June. The Pride committee changed that this year. So the responsibility lies with the committee.

If the Mayor changed his plans to accommodate Pride's change of plans, would he be a good father, abandoning his kids on a national holiday? In the summer? You fill in the answer.

And if he changed so much for this parade, should he attend every parade?

Remember, until not so long ago, the mayor was compelled to attend the Orange Parade, celebrating that supremacist movement of the defeat of Catholics. From all inside accounts, the Parade is not as well organized this year as others, the committee having jettisoned its executive director who pulled it all together.

That notwithstanding, Pride is now well established as a fun event, supported by most, and it doesn't need the Mayor at all parades -- things have changed. One is no longer homophobic if one doesn't attend!

Bottom line -- the mayor should attend some other Pride event, and then this little tempest will be behind us.

 
Boy oh boy -- the chins are wagging,and tongues are flapping about the Mayor's decision to continue with his 30-year family tradition of spending Canada's birthday at his cottage with his family. A ...
Boy oh boy -- the chins are wagging,and tongues are flapping about the Mayor's decision to continue with his 30-year family tradition of spending Canada's birthday at his cottage with his family. A ...
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Read more from Huffington Post bloggers:
Jonathan Naymark Jonathan Naymark: Rob Ford's Gravy Train Hits Huntsville Hon. Carolyn Bennett Hon. Carolyn Bennett: Democracy Betwen Elections, Part One: Showing Up at Pride With an Open Mind Michael O'Loughlin Michael O'Loughlin: Relationships and the Church: How to Create a Welcoming Catholicism Larry Womack Larry Womack: Why We're Still Not Tired of Making Tracy Morgan Apologize Tom Matlack Tom Matlack: Standing Up For Gays In A Boston Catholic Church Paul LeGendre Paul LeGendre: Marking International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia Hudson Taylor Hudson Taylor: Integrating Openly Gay Soldiers Into the Military Depends on Sports Javier Corrales Javier Corrales: The Sudden Rise of a Pro-Gay Foreign Policy in the United States Steve Nelson Steve Nelson: Gay Pride, Straight Pride -- What's the Difference? Irene Monroe Irene Monroe: Pride Celebrations?... Haven't We Assimilated? Marcello Arrambide Marcello Arrambide: A Canadian Summer: Nothing but Festivals Susan Deily-Swearingen Susan Deily-Swearingen: Raiding the Closet Javier Corrales Javier Corrales: The 2010 Gay Year in Review: Top 20 Stories from the Americas
Jonathan Naymark

Jonathan Naymark: Rob Ford's Gravy Train Hits Huntsville

For a man who declared upon his election that "Toronto is now open for business" -- Pride, with its plethora of corporate donors, is one of the few events that does just that -- opens our city's doors for businesses and tourists alike. After all -- did we not elect Rob Ford because of his supposed knowledge of fiscal responsibility?

 
 
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Mark Jc
52 Fans
04:56 PM on 06/24/2011
Umm, Pride events are a week long. He will be busy with his family all week? Also, I'd like for him to bow out of more events to spend time with family if that is simply the case here. Which it isn't.
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Maria Korovessis Sewell
To decimate is to reduce by one tenth.
532 Fans
 
09:26 AM on 06/24/2011
Whether Ford is homophobic or not is an issue for which he can choose to seek counselling or not - I don't care about his phobias and hangups as long as they affect only him. It's his disrespectful tone that rankles everyone, I think.

And yes, while he's still entitled to a private life, when you run for public office, that life gets decidedly less private and you have to suck it up like a big boy, no pun intended.
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TomasJefferson
44 Fans
06:56 AM on 06/24/2011
"My head is spinning from the spin. 1) Ford IS in fact, homophobic­. He's made that clear again and again. 2) He is the mayor of Toronto, not a "family man"; he sought the job, he got the job, now he has to live with the job. A doctor can't use the excuse "I want to be with my family" to avoid doing that 24 hr stint in the hospital, can he? 3) His family tradition is his family's tradition, not the one of the city and people of Toronto; as mayor he has NO RIGHT TO A PRIVATE LIFE. That's the price he has to pay for seeking the job.

This idea that Ford is "entitled" to do what he wants is laughable. He's the representa­tive of the people, not of his own biases and prejudices­."

What hogwash. Who the hell are you to come up with the idea that Rob Ford can't be a Family Man while being Mayor?

I don't even know what to put here because it's such a ridiculous comment.
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James Mangan
40 Fans
09:06 AM on 06/24/2011
Sorry, I replied to the wrong post!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
dtrobert
167 Fans
07:26 PM on 06/23/2011
My head is spinning from the spin. 1) Ford IS in fact, homophobic. He's made that clear again and again. 2) He is the mayor of Toronto, not a "family man"; he sought the job, he got the job, now he has to live with the job. A doctor can't use the excuse "I want to be with my family" to avoid doing that 24 hr stint in the hospital, can he? 3) His family tradition is his family's tradition, not the one of the city and people of Toronto; as mayor he has NO RIGHT TO A PRIVATE LIFE. That's the price he has to pay for seeking the job.

This idea that Ford is "entitled" to do what he wants is laughable. He's the representative of the people, not of his own biases and prejudices.
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TomasJefferson
44 Fans
07:35 AM on 06/24/2011
Go back to sleep bud. Ron Ford is citizen Family man first. Grow up. Your radical agenda is no good for anybody.
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TomasJefferson
44 Fans
08:17 AM on 06/24/2011
Jack Layton got caught with his pants down years ago and nothing happened?

Rob Ford is nothing like Layton.

In the USA Weiner gets dumped for his behavior while in Canada it's covered up and hushed up.
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Toddynho
I needs proof read more!
2107 Fans
09:09 AM on 06/24/2011
Then he should resign as Mayor. There is no radical agenda here, it's about the City of Toronto, not a beer fart fest in cottage land with Mr. DUI.
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Toddynho
I needs proof read more!
2107 Fans
09:08 AM on 06/24/2011
Excellent post! The monosynapses won't get it though.
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jt4702
69 Fans
 
05:59 PM on 06/23/2011
If Mr. Ford decides to attend the Pride Parade in T.O. it should be cause he wants to do so, and not because it's the right political move for him to do so. If he shows up because he feels forced to, then his relationship with the LGBT community will continue to be a poor one.

For the record, I don't want him there unless he wants to because it's the right thing to do.
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David Alan
3 Fans
04:25 PM on 06/23/2011
Conservatives are generally against the Gay lifestyle, which is considered by them to be the worst thing possible about liberalism, both that or abortion sticks in their craw. No surprise that Ford won't attend. .
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TomasJefferson
44 Fans
08:18 AM on 06/24/2011
Conservatives are against an ACTIVIST government telling the people what's good for us.

Big difference.

California has a Ballot Measure for gay marriage and I support that. A judge in Canada created gay marriage.

Huge difference.
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Toddynho
I needs proof read more!
2107 Fans
09:13 AM on 06/24/2011
Take your muuurican rhetoric and head south. And yes there is a huge difference if what you wrote, the rights of the few should never be placed to a vote of the many. Woman's right wasn't a ballot issue and neither was civil rights. This shouldn't be left to the voters either.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
cwebster
predominantly exasperated
1190 Fans
01:40 PM on 06/24/2011
Check the facts:
The Civil Marriage Act of 2005 was an act of Parliament, not a judge. It was re-affirmed in 2006.
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kiddub
153 Fans
04:04 PM on 06/23/2011
Sorry, it's one of the biggest summer events Toronto puts on and is internationally recognized. I'd also like to know why the Mayor is skipping out on any official Toronto Canada Day celebration as well as that seems odd. The Mayor of Toronto is not a part-time job, he's not a Reeve and he certainly isn't a CEO. It is his job to be a civic leader and promote Toronto's economic and tourism growth. I don't see this as a cultural issue, I see it as a leadership issue; the Mayor should attend to represent Toronto on the world stage. I think its apparent what Mayor Ford's opinion is, the most recent example being his support for an anti-gay marriage candidate in the election http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100804/rob-ford-same-sex-marriage-100804/20100804/?hub=TorontoNewHome.

He will be in office when International Pride celebrations come to Toronto. What's his excuse going to be then?
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TrixieCDN
143 Fans
03:39 PM on 06/24/2011
"I'd also like to know why the Mayor is skipping out on any official Toronto Canada Day celebratio­n as well as that seems odd."

I agree with you 100%. I am neither a big fan of the Pride events or Canada Day events (no prejudice except against loud crowds) but both are major Toronto events and bring in a whackload of tourists and their lovely, lovely money! Like it or not one of the functions of being a Mayor is to be Chief Cheerleader and his absence (and his absence in general) has me wondering if he is either in failing health (as Lastman was during his absence for part of his term around SARS) or if he just isn't cut out for the job.

Our Pride parade make international news just like IIFA, I am sure the citizens of Vancouver would have been upset if their Mayor took "personal days" during the Olympics. My opinions on his politics aside, it does not seem to be astute behaviour in a Mayor of Toronto.

(I apologize for juxtaposing the images of Mayor Ford and Cheerleeding)
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