[URBAN NOTE] "Ford to skip Pride parade, critics say it sends the wrong message"

[rfmcdonald]

No one is particularly surprised by this. Mayor Ford had, before his ascension, an unpleasant record in this regard, as in many things.

Facing blistering criticism of Mayor Rob Ford for choosing his cottage over marching in the landmark Pride parade, his brother Councillor Doug Ford says they might both be at the event.

“I’m possibly going to try to make it back for Sunday,” July 3, when hundreds of thousands of revelers will march to in the celebration of equality and gay rights, Doug Ford said Wednesday.

“We have 20-odd people going up to our cottage for Canada Day but, if I can make it back I will, and we’ll see if I can bring Rob.”

The councillor noted he handed out rainbow stickers at last year’s parade, as part of his brother’s election campaign, “and had a really good time.”

On Wednesday morning, at a Board of Trade event, Ford was asked by a Star reporter if he plans to attend the signature Pride event attended by his predecessors David Miller, Mel Lastman and Barbara Hall.

“I’m going up north, no. I’ll be up at the cottage,” Ford replied, adding it’s a long-standing Canada Day tradition for the Ford family.

[. . .]

Parades attended by Ford since his election last Oct. 25 include two Santa Claus parades, St. Patrick’s Day, the Beaches Easter event and the Good Friday procession in Little Italy.

[. . .]

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, who has held out olive branches to Ford from the gay community since she was elected last October, and offered to host a Pride event for him, said the mayor is making “a grave mistake”

“It sends the wrong message to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community. He has a ways to go to making amends,” said Wong-Tam (Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale)

[. . .]

“Unless the mayor is incredibly busy for those 10 solid days, and can’t spare a single minute for the LGBT community, we’re all going to draw our own conclusions.”

Doug Ford called allegations that his brother is homophobic “nonsense”, noting he has friends who are gay.

The consensus of the tweets selected by blogTO seems to be that if he's uncomfortable he may as well not go and save everyone the effort.