Same sex marriage has passed in Canada…and now, only a day later, it has passed in Spain as well. Four countries now recognize equal marriage — four countries in the vangard of civilization. This should stand as a supreme victory for equality rights…
…unfortunately, places like Alberta remind us that homophobia and hatred are alive and well. Just look at this story from the CBC:
EDMONTON POLICE INVESTIGATE ATTACKS ON GAY MEN
Last Updated Thu, 30 Jun 2005 06:36:42 EDT
Fallout from the debate over same-sex marriage has led to two separate attacks on gay men over the past 10 days, say members of Edmonton’s gay community.
The city’s police hate crimes unit is investigating the attacks. Police say physical assaults against gays aren’t common in the city.
Murray Billet, a leader in Edmonton’s gay community, said politicians openly opposing same-sex rights filters down to the public.
“When we have a provincial government that behaves the way it does, in such a homophobic manner, the verbal kind of gay-bashing, it almost endorses and validates some of the narrow-minded activity of some of the young people in our community,” he said.
Tuesday night, the federal government passed its same-sex marriage legislation, allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed.
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein’s conservative government is opposed to same-sex marriage.
So much anger and hatred is in evidence in Alberta…could it truly be the red-necked, prejudiced, bigoted land we’ve always believed it to be?
Can the government of Ralph Klein be endorsing hatred indirectly, through its own bigoted intransigence?
The answer, I believe, is yes. I believe frightening, hateful people outnumber the good and tolerant people in Alberta. I believe the government of that province doesn’t give a damn about equal rights, or human dignity. I believe Alberta in general has more in common with the worst elements of United States Republicanism than it does with the best of egalitarian, tolerant Canada.
It makes me depressed…it makes me angry. We must all take a stand against institutionalized homophobia, and the best way to start is to begin the campaign to remove the reptilian Ralph Klein and the hateful, dogmatic Conservatives from their seat of power in the next provincial election. Only when these hateful old bigots are ground into the dust of history will real progress begin in Alberta.
The fight starts here.
