With our mayor off in rehab (or off taking pictures with fans in cottage country, as is the story), Norm Kelly has taken over the role of leader of Toronto. And based on his level of commitment to the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), he’s really stepping up for the LGBT community where Ford . . . remained conspicuously silent.
According to The Globe and Mail, since IDAHOT falls on May 17, Kelly took the initiative to move it up to May 16, a Friday, instead. Furthermore, he had city hall lit up in the colours of the rainbow to celebrate.
A picture of the lit-up city hall, posted to Twitter by Kelly, proclaimed that “[Y]ou’ll have to fully walk around City Hall to see it, but enjoy the rainbow lights tonight for #IDAHOT2014!”
The pride flag was also raised at city hall as LGBT advocates and allies, including the current crop of mayoral candidates and Kristyn Wong-Tam, looked on. Kelly addressed the importance of IDAHOT, saying “[I]n too many countries in the world, in too many cities, people are denied full participation in the lives of their communities by unfair discriminatory laws and customs . . . Our assembly today is designed to remind people of this unfairness and to declare our support for those struggling for their basic human rights.”
It really is amazing just how much smoother Pride celebrations and LGBT-positive gatherings run when we have someone in charge who’s actually willing to acknowledge the community in Toronto. It’s just so much easier for us to incorporate ourselves within the city’s larger community when the people in charge are willing to let us in, isn’t it?
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