January 7, 2008
“I hate homosexuality,” says Balwant Singh Gill, a prominent leader in B.C.’s large Sikh community.
“Most Sikhs believe homosexuality is unnatural and you can’t produce kids through it. And, secondarily, no major religion allows it.”
Nothing surprising there. A typical “conservative” viewpoint. But wait-there’s more.
Illustrating his apparently fluid values in another way, Gill acknowledges he used to vote Liberal federally, but is switching to the Conservatives because he believes they’re tougher on terrorism.
At the same time, he votes provincially for the New Democratic Party because he believes everyone has a “moral duty” to pay taxes to care for the disadvantaged.
I’m having a hard time following this already. How does he keep up with himself at the polls?
Although Gill is adamantly against homosexuality, he thinks, like many Sikhs and unlike Christian conservatives, abortion is acceptable; an individual choice.
…..
And while Gill, a married father of four who owns a trucking company, is opposed to having babies outside marriage, he believes prostitution has to be an accepted fact of life.
…..
“You have to have two parents to take care of babies. It’s a problem that’s happening in our [Sikh] community. The father takes off and the mother is left to take care of the kids.”
Meanwhile, Gill thinks prostitution, since it seems to be in such high demand, is okay.
An MRI was done of Gill’s brain. 
Yep, that explains his insanely convoluted thinking.
Gill certainly doesn’t bring to mind our traditional perception of the liberal, amicable Canadian. But then again, he’s not a native Canadian. He and other immigrants are striving to change Canadian perceptions of what is right and wrong.
New immigrants are increasing the proportion of Canadians who are conservative about what is right and wrong — especially about family values and sex — and nowhere is that more true than in B.C., an Angus Reid poll suggests.
…..
Only eight per cent of poll respondents who describe themselves as “Canadian,” or native born, show up in the strict moralist category — compared to 19 per cent of self-described “others,” or foreign born.
…..
But imported moral conservativism is not the end of the story when it comes to ethical trends occurring because of the rapid arrival of foreign-born people to Canada: Immigrants also appear to more morally polarized than native-born Canadians.
…..
There are far fewer immigrants in the “Thoughtful Conservative” group (23 per cent) compared to native born (35 per cent).
“Thoughtful Conservative”. Isn’t that an oxymoron?
We can now rest a bit easier here in the USA. We are no longer the only ones who must suffer the slings and arrows of hypocritical conservative wingnuts who want to run our lives.
I will light a candle for Canada tonight.
Posted by: Buffy
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Canada,
Hate Speech,
Homophobia
October 4, 2007
For us U.S.-centric Usians, the NDP is Canada’s New Democratic Party — basically good guys, and what you wish the U.S. Democratic Party would be; i.e., totally pro-LGBT, pro-social programs, pro-environment, etc. Here’s their latest press release:
OTTAWA - NDP critic for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Transsexual Issues, Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas) called on Canadian fans of Jamaican dancehall music to carefully consider their attendance at concerts by Jamaican performers Elephant Man and Sizzla.
“These performers are known for their explicit lyrics calling for the killing of gay men and lesbians. According to human rights organizations, their music has contributed significantly to a marked increase in anti-gay and lesbian violence in Jamaica,” noted Siksay.
“Canada and Canadians have said clearly that the incitement of violence or murder against an identifiable group is unacceptable. I hope that fans of Jamaican dancehall music will appreciate that a vibrant musical tradition should not be used as a cover for the promotion of hatred. I hope that they will choose to boycott performances. I also hope that the promoters and venues for these concerts will reconsider their participation in the spread of a hateful message. Canadians must stand in solidarity with the gay and lesbian community in Jamaica and in Canada in saying that the promotion of violence is not acceptable,” concluded Siksay.
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Posted by: Sapphocrat
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Canada,
Hate Crimes,
Hate Music,
Jamaica,
Press Releases
October 2, 2007
The Toronto Star delivers the good news:
Kool Haus has pulled the plug last minute on the concerts of two controversial reggae and dancehall artists.
Entertainers Elephant Man and Sizzla were scheduled to perform Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 respectively, but both men have been under fire from human rights organizations who say their lyrics are homophobic.
Akim Larcher, founder of Stop Murder Music Canada - a coalition made up of 20 organizations that promote human rights - says that the federal government has remained silent.
“They shouldn’t have been allowed to get visas to perform in the country,” says Larcher. “It’s not about censorship or artistic freedom. That stops when hate propaganda is involved… No one should have that platform to speak.”
. . .
But activist and author Orville Lloyd Douglas says a lot of these organizations are targeting Black entertainers. “There are a lot of double standards here. They don’t go after Eminem or Marilyn Manson.”
. . .
“There are artists who are profiteering the songs about death and violence against gays and lesbians,” says Larcher. “It isn’t a black and white issue. It’s a human rights issue.” …
Ah, the old when-you’re-wrong-shift-the-target-to-something-else gambit. But that’s OK; we’ll bite:
Nobody’s “targeting Black entertainers” — only so-called entertainers whose lyrics promote the murder of gay men and lesbians; e.g.:
Shot batty boy, my big gun boom — Sizzla
(”Shoot queers, my big gun goes boom”)
Battyman fi dead!
Please mark we word
Gimme tha tech-nine
Shoot dem like bird — Elephant Man
And gay people have long complained about Eminem’s anti-gay lyrics, even while being told we’re just not hip enough, or young enough, or whatever enough, to appreciate his artistic stylings.
Whatever. These lyrics alone, from Eminem’s Criminal, are clear:
My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge
That’ll stab you in the head
Whether you’re a fag or lez
Or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest
Pants or dress — hate fags?
The answer’s ‘yes’
And if Marilyn Manson is offending anyone (and it should be African-Americans who are offended; we’ve heard Manson repeat the N-word in his lyrics, compulsively), why isn’t anyone speaking up? Maybe because Manson is primarily the property of death-obsessed teenagers unlikely to notice his racial barbs, much less complain about them? 
See also:
Toronto Cops to Keep Close Eye on Jamaican Hate Music Purveyors
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Posted by: Sapphocrat
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Canada,
Hate Crimes,
Hate Music,
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Jamaica,
Music
September 26, 2007
What would Bob think?
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The Toronto Star reports:
Toronto police will monitor this Friday’s concert by Jamaican dancehall artist O’Neil Bryan, also known as Elephant Man, after receiving complaints that the performer incites anti-gay violence through his music.
. . .
Despite protests by the Toronto-based Canadian Caribbean Human Rights Group, immigration officials have issued visas to both Bryan and Collins. The latter was banned from the United Kingdom in 2004. Bryan arrived in Canada last week and has performed in Winnipeg and Victoria, where local police closely monitored the concerts.
. . .
Ticket sales for Elephant Man’s show have been poor, with only one-third of the 2,180 seats sold. Sizzla’s concert is expected to draw 1,500.
That’s little comfort to the organizers of the Stop Murder Music campaign, made up of 20 advocacy groups that believe music by homophobic dancehall performers has contributed to mob attacks against gays in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Police could charge the artists if they perform anti-gay numbers.
The artists’ Toronto promoters, Ultimate Entertainment and Chris Hines Ent., say the performers don’t have the power to “invoke violence and murder” against gays and lesbians.
The Toronto booking agent says he can’t do anything now because of contractual agreements, but says: “I am a million per cent against lyrics that promote hatred against gays and lesbians, women, religions and races … Had I been aware of the nature of the lyrics, I wouldn’t have allowed the booking.”
That’s why it’s important to keep hammering at the issue. A lot of people who can do something are just not aware.
See also:
Dr Evil or plain hate?
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Posted by: Sapphocrat
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Canada,
Caribbean,
Hate Music,
Jamaica,
Law Enforcement
September 13, 2007
Pink tsunami sends bullies a message
Bullies who threatened a new student at their Nova Scotia high school for wearing a pink polo shirt were themselves schooled by two seniors who dressed half the student body in pink two days later, the Chronicle-Herald of Halifax reported.
The newbie, a ninth-grader, showed up in pink Sept. 5 for the first day of class at Central Kings Rural High School and was set upon by a group of six to 10 older teens who called him gay and threatened to beat him up, the paper reported.
The next day, seniors David Shepherd and Travis Price decided to act.
. . .
Enlisting as many students as they could online that evening, David and Travis headed to school Friday with a pink basketball, 75 pink tank tops for male students to wear and yards of pink fabric for headbands and armbands. They even persuaded a local retailer to open early so they could buy more.
. . .
David and Travis figure about half the school’s 830 students wore pink.
“The bullies got angry,” Travis told the Chronicle-Herald. “One guy was throwing chairs (in the cafeteria). We’re glad we got the response we wanted.”
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Posted by: Sapphocrat
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Category:
Canada,
Education/Schools,
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Youth
September 12, 2007
Reports 365Gay.com:
An Albany court has dismissed a challenge to a decision by New York State’s Comptroller that treats out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples the same as any other legal marriage in terms of benefits afforded to state employees through the New York State Retirement System.
In 2004 in response to an inquiry by a gay state employee wanting to know if his retirement benefits would cover his family if he went to Canada to legally marry his partner, New York State Comptroller at the time, Alan Hevesi, stated that, “Based on current law, the retirement system will recognize a same-sex Canadian marriage in the same manner as an opposite-sex New York marriage under the principle of comity. That principle has been legal practice pursuant to New York Court of Appeals rulings for many years.”
. . .
Hevesi’s interpretation of the law matched that of then Attorney General, now Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who also said that, under the state’s current laws, same-sex couples who legally married in other jurisdictions should be treated as any other married couple in New York State.
The Alliance Defend Fund, an Arizona- based organization that regularly fights LGBT issues, filed the suit, citing the July 2006 ruling by the Court of Appeals - the state’s highest court - that upheld New York’s ban on same-sex marriage.
. . .
The issue that Hevesi addressed for the purpose of retirement benefits involved only same-sex marriages from Canada. Following today’s ruling by Judge McNamara, Hevesi’s successor, Thomas P. DiNapoli announced that the retirement system would be recognizing all legal out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples and not just those from Canada. This will include same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts, Spain, Netherlands, South Africa and Belgium.
The ADF has not said if it will appeal today’s ruling.
See also:
NY recognizes Canadian same-sex marriages
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Posted by: Sapphocrat
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Category:
Canada,
Europe,
Marriage Equality,
Massachusetts,
New York,
Radical Religious Right
