Stop the hate

October 17, 2011

I had to post something about the suicide of Jamie Hubley, a 15-year-old Ottawa student who killed himself on Saturday after battling depression and being constantly taunted for being openly gay.

This isn't the first time it's happened and reading about it has always bothered me. But there's something about this story that just fills me with a rage down to my very core. Apparently Jamie kept an account of his feelings on Tumblr, where he spoke of his depression and how his medications weren't working.

It bothers me more than words describe that people out there reach a point that they feel the only solution is to take their own lives. It fills me with anger to think that there are people out there who can't accept a 15-year-old boy for who he is: an openly gay teenager, who (as mentioned in the article above) made life so much more bearable for his friends, but couldn't find the strength within himself to carry on. He wrote about his pain for a month. I don't doubt that his friends and family reached out to him numerous times during that month to try and help him, but it was clearly not resonating.

Hatred and unnecessary viciousness has taken another life this weekend and it hurts me to think about it. I don't think it's going to do any help to judge school authorities and whether they did their job or not in stopping the bullying. Nor am I going to question whether the school had the appropriate support means for Jamie to turn to when his thoughts turned to suicide. But clearly, Canada and the world needs to wake up and realize that more can - and must - be done.

I know this post isn't the most well-thought out or articulate, but it's my gut reaction to the awful events. I cannot express how sad I feel for Jamie's family and friends, despite never knowing any of them. Nor can I express adequately how angry I am that there are people in this world, in the year 2011, who cannot accept people who are "different" and judge them based on who they love. It's shameful and somehow we need to collectively come together and stop it.

Rob Ford and Pride

July 4, 2011

First - if there are any Americans out there, let me wish you a Happy Independence Day.

It was quite the weekend in Toronto - Canada Day and Pride all rolled in to one. Having never been to Pride, I checked it out with some friends and had a blast. But enough about my personal life, let's get straight to today's topic, Rob Ford and his refusal to attend the Pride parade.

From what I've read, every single Mayor of the City of Toronto has attended the event since it first started (if that fact is wrong, please correct me). Do I think Rob Ford's no-show is his way of saying he doesn't like or support LGBTQ rights? No.

I think his refusal to go to the parade is based on politics and politics alone. We know that the core Rob Ford voter is likely to be a social and fiscal conservative. What do social conservatives tend to have a big problem with? LGBTQ people. While I don't think Rob Ford would have upset his base to the point of losing them three years from now, I think he and his staff knew that his showing up would anger them. And to be frank, that's downright sad and pathetic.

While Ford and everyone else knows that his strength comes from the suburban wards, he had a duty to be at the parade. Whether he likes it or not, he is the Mayor of all Torontonians: gay, trans, straight or otherwise. He doesn't get to pick and choose who he represents. LGBTQ Torontonians pay taxes too, Mayor Ford. What happened to "Respect for Taxpayers"?

So, do I think Rob Ford had a malicious intent by not showing up? No. But was it sad? Very.

And that's the simplistic, Coles notes version of today's opinion.