Ah, hockey. Canada’s favourite sport is no stranger to these pages! Remember when rightwing Christian groups were outraged that the Maple Leafs allowed their logo to be used in a gay hockey film? Yikes.
Let’s add another story to Xtra’s “hockey hall of shame,” shall we?
Videotron, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media, has reportedly removed an anti-homophobia poster from its Quebec City office. The timing isn’t great because… well, it’s never a great time to rip down anti-homophobia posters. But Monday, May 17, is International Day Against Homophobia!
According to La Soleil, company management decided to yank the poster from a union bulletin board after receiving three complaints from employees. That’s all it takes? Three complaints?
Management have been asked to put the poster back up, but they have not done so, says Bruno Tremblay of the Canadian Union of Public
Employees
A Videotron spokesperson told Canoe that the bulletin board can only be used for union news, so management had no choice but to remove the poster. Which begs the question: why not just move the poster to another wall?
The yanked poster is part of a series aimed at fighting homophobia in sports. Take a look at the full-size version of the image — their lips are barely touching!
Some of the other posters in the campaign are… frankly, not very gay at all. Take a peek:
Check out homophobiaday.org for more on International Day Against Homphobia.
Read more:
- Quebec moves ahead with anti-homophobia plan
- Hockey’s common bonding experiences, from sex play to initiation rites
- Why most gay athletes are still reluctant to come out
- Brendan Burke, son of Maple Leafs GM, dies in car crash