Promoting Ignorance and Applying Human Rights Selectively: Gay-Bashing Canadian-Style

So, the truth has finally come out with regards to the relative silence on gay rights in Canada in the government's recently revised Citizen's Guide. The Toronto Star is reporting today (from documents obtained by CP) that it was the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney himself, who stroked key wording from the document prior to publication. This despite recommendations from head public servants who requested the re-insertion of key text boxes to explain to new immigrants that homosexuality has been decriminalized in Canada since 1969. Gay rights were also tossed off of a list Canadian rights, and all references to “gay marriage” being legal in Canada were given the heave-ho.

With the removal of these key concepts from the New Citizen's guide to Canada, new citizen's must be left to wonder whether or not there are any gays in Canada, other than maybe Mark Tewksbury, who is identified as a “gay activist”. While it's true that a Citizen's Guide isn't expected to be the defining document of Canadian identity, it appears to me to be irresponsible for the Guide to have overlooked this very important aspect of the Canadian community. Well, I guess it turns out that it wasn't irresponsible after all, and instead was done maliciously by a Minister who is on record in support of gays marrying...but only when they marry members of the opposite sex.

The Toronto Star article comes hot on the heels of another editorial I read earlier today, authored by Peter Worthington of Sun Media: "Hard to see what's wrong with 'don't ask, don't tell". Worthington laments that he doesn't see anything wrong with the United State's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy for homosexuals in the media. After indicating that those who are openly gay are allowed as of right to serve in the Canadian military, Worthington opines of the American system, “if it ain't broke, don't fix it”. He references concerns about straight men being “sized up” by gay men in the barracks shower, and suggests that gays could try to opt out of going to war, although he acknowledges that such logic (not sure what logic) would never be able to happen in Canada. Finally, Worthington notes that gays may file harassment claims against particularly vulgar and incendiary comments made by drill sergeants during basic training, with an overall deleterious effect on traditional training methods (presumably those involving personal degradation and hate speech).

The selective application of human rights, of course, never occurs to Worthington, or if it does, clearly he must be all for it, because homosexuals make some people nervous. I guess in his world, it's ok to afford protection to some, but deny it to others. I'm not sure that's the kind of Canada that I look forward to living in. Of course, if this is the most burning issue that a dinosaur like Worthington could find to comment on to the Canadian public during this particular week, it need not be said that perhaps it's time for Sun media to put this guy out to pasture...unless of course the animals on the farm make him nervous too.

Holy cow, people. It's 2010 for crying out loud. It's past time to get over ourselves on this issue. Last time I checked, the gender preference for one's bed-mate didn't make anybody somehow less human. The kind of Canada that Kenney and Worthington want us all to inhabit disgusts me. It's a Canada where in theory all people are equal, but in practice some are more equal than others. Their pig-ruled animal farm is one we must continue to strive against. No more of this apologetic drivel pretending to hide motivations. Perhaps a little more judicious use of one's moral compass is in order for Kenney and Worthington, as clearly they don't have a good comprehension of right and wrong.

We can no longer tolerate this intolerant behaviour. In the spirit of patriotism which has swept across Canada over the past few weeks, I believe that it's time for Canadians to stand up for what is right. Clearly, the selective application of human rights and pretending that certain rights don't exist is very, very wrong. As a Canadian, I'm sorry that this is happening, and I will do what I can to make this right for all of us. I hope that you will do the same.

(the above was originally posted to sudburysteve.blogspot.com)