Even the worst Pride hangovers are usually gone by Canada Day, so why are certain people still giving Canada headaches over our annual gay celebration/rights-march/no-wait-it’s-just-a-completely-apolitical-party-*cough*-*cough*?
Small-brained ‘Small-c’conservatives are still up in arms about the $400,000 grant that the federal government gave Toronto Pride this year, even after it’s been revealed that the Harper Tories have given numerous grants to queer organisations over the past three years. Not that the National Post maintains a consistent temper on these sorts of things. On one hand, they argue that the parade is no longer political and it also shouldn’t receive funding, while on the other, they argue that Harper really ought to do more to court the pink vote.
Meanwhile, the other Pride controversy that just won’t die, sees The Toronto Star issue an embarassing apology for a comment by Star blogger Antonia Zerbisias that mockingly “outed” straight Canadian Jewish Congress CEO Bernie Farber, who marched in Toronto Pride wearing a t-shirt that read “Nobody Knows I’m Gay.” Local activist Andrew Brett is annoyed that Farber was “appropriating” a queer identity and queer space to make a pro-Zionist point — and at the risk of inviting an Xtra editorial apology, I’d like to point out to Brett that appropriating spaces is exactly what Zionism is about. (But hey, in fairness, the Queers Against Israeli Apartheid were appropriating the space too. So were the queers for the legalisation of marijuana. So was TD Bank…)
Ok, now that my bubbie and zadie have disowned me, what else is in the news? Well, Xtra’s just published an article about mixed martial arts and put Robin Black on the cover. Black is now telling the National Post that he’s questioning what other mixed martial artists will think about him appearing on the cover of a gay magazine, in an article about how“homoerotic” the sport is.
The Globe speculates that George Smitherman might be gunning for either the mayoralty or the premiership when he was spotted leading a litter clean-up crew in his Toronto Centre riding. The cheap shot would be that the mayor and premier specialise in making messes, not cleaning them up.
Finally, local queer comic and (reportedly) hung bartender Ian “8-Inch”Lynch is among the comedians vying at the Toronto Comedy Brawl tonight at the Groundhog Pub. Show starts at 8, and admission is $5. Come out and see some of the city’s top comics in a full-out comedy throw-down!
Why you can trust Xtra
