[URBAN NOTE] On the refreshing lack of visible homophobia in Toronto's mayoral election

[rfmcdonald]

I'm very worried about today's municipal election; I sincerely hope that Smitherman gets the post at the end of this close race, if mainly because he's the best we have. Slap Upside the head has pointed to some homophobia in the campaign.

Catholic Insight, a politically-motivated religious publication, heartily endorsed Ford over Smitherman last week, calling Smitherman “ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil, that of homosexuality.” While the publication tried to remain as polite in phrasing as possible, there was nothing civil about it. “While those attracted to same sex orientation have the right to be treated with dignity like all other persons,” their endorsement stated, “they should not be appointed or elected to leadership positions.”

Gosh, how respectful of them. We gays are perfectly entitled to human dignity, so long as we not take any initiative on any public matters and remain as isolated and invisible as possible. Still, at least Catholic Insight had the decency to use their own name to deliver their hateful message that gays are inferior, incapable as role models, and shouldn’t be elected to any position of influence. Late last week, an anonymously produced, paid radio ad began airing on the Canadian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation. Translated, it begins thus:

Man #1
Elder brother, who are you going to vote for?
Man #2
(Snickers dismissively) What a question! We are Tamil. We have a religion, a culture. Take Rob Ford, he is married to a woman.

Meanwhile, near Victoria Park, crudely-designed posters began to appear overtop of existing election signs asking “Should a Muslim vote for him who married a man?”

Calling the ads “blatantly homophobic,” George Smitherman issued a statement to the press. “I will remain focused on offering a Toronto that finds strength in our diversity and builds for the future, not divides,” he said.

That's it. I don't doubt that a fair number people have Smitherman's sexual orientation in the back of their mind and aren't going to vote for him because of that, but it thankfully hasn't been raised as an issue. The criticisms that have been voiced of him in the mainstream media are legitimate ones: what history does he have in Toronto politics? doesn't he have a bad temper ("Furious George" was his nickname as a provincial cabinet minister)? does he have a positive vision?

I love this. People will be voting for, or against, a queer candidate for the most part not because of his sexual orientation, but because of his suitability (or not) for the job.