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.