Marginal Reassurance

Hard to believe in the face of the Canadian reality where gays and lesbians have made such gains in public acceptability that blatant homophobic behaviour is still tolerated. Despite the fact that alternate-gender identities are now recognized as genetic-based in origin, despite that legislation is in place to protect the civil liberties of people who identify as gay, lesbian and transgendered, despite that the Canadian Constitution guarantees them the rights accruing with equality of citizenship, it's hard to believe they still encounter vicious bias.

Not speaking here of the intransigently righteous position of religious hardliners, let alone the immutable stance of the Roman Catholic Church. Nor the upheavals caused in the Anglican Church internationally because of the inclusiveness being practised by Canadian congregations and American Episcopalians to the great thunderous anger of the Anglican Church in developing countries, most notably Africa and Asia.

Canada is not Iran where homosexuals are reviled, imprisoned, tortured and sometimes executed. Nor is it any number of Arab countries whose intolerance for gays among their population and the persecution of these hapless people is legendary. Nor is it Russia which sternly forbids people to believe that gays don't summarily reject "normalcy". Where the Russian Orthodox Church has denounced homosexuality as an "illness which changes a man's personality".

A condition, a way of life, a gender identification that most organized churches, intolerant and evangelical in nature, characterize as immoral, a sin without parallel, unforgiven by God. And who knew that Caribbean countries were to be counted among the hideously intolerant, where gay-bashing is considered a fun way to spend time? Where, in Jamaica, gays and lesbians are attacked, gay men killed, lesbians raped? Where screaming crowds of people encircle gays, urging their death.

Ably assisted by a popular culture of music whose rap lyrics encourage the murder of gays. One such Jamaican 'artist' of some note performing these anti-gay songs of vitriolic hatred being named Elephant Man. Utterly amazing that this popular Jamaican singer would be invited to entertain at Canadian venues. The Carleton University Student Association, for example. Well might one ask how it is that a bastion of higher education peopled with those purportedly enlightened souls sufficiently sensitized to minority issues could stoop so low....

Yet it took a public outcry and a Toronto-based coalition representing community members incensed at such an invitation being extended to someone from another country spouting hatred and violence to pressure the Carleton University Students' Association president to back down and disinvite this disreputable insult to performing talent. Why someone espousing vile homophobic attacks on gays was even permitted a visitor's visa by Canada Immigration is another moot point.

Yet without the active lobbying of Toronto's "Canada's Stop Murder Music" coalition, those members of the student body of Carleton University who enjoy musically entertaining gay-bashing might have had a night of unprecedented entertainment at a cost to society at large, and most particularly those among these students on campus whose dignity and freedom and protection from harassment should be assured.