Gladstone drops out of Toronto council race

Gay lawyer Martin Gladstone is ending his campaign for a Toronto city council seat in Ward 32, reports The Globe and Mail.

Xtra spoke to Gladstone this summer:

As the creator of Reclaiming Our Pride, a documentary film
condemning the parade’s inclusion of protest group Queers Against
Israeli Apartheid, Gladstone led the charge against Pride Toronto,
backed by mayoral candidates Rob Ford and Giorgio Mammoliti.

Gladstone decided to run in July, he says, but not so he could vote on
Pride funding. “No, no, I’m running on local issues down here,” he

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insists, feeling that his advocacy on the QuAIA issue can rest.

“I’m optimistic that the community is in a healing phase,” Gladstone
says. “I understand that [Pride Toronto] has a few community leaders
like Brent Hawkes and Doug Elliott stepping up to the plate, and I’m
very confident they’ll find some community-based solutions. I think we
all have an interest in making sure our Pride is successful and works
for everybody… preserving all the gains we’ve made over the years.”

The lone dissenting vote in the 35-1 city council vote placing caveats
on Pride funding was from Ward 32 Councillor Sandra Bussin. But again,
Gladstone says he’s not running against her because of her politics but
because of her attitude.

Gladstone is endorsing Mary-Margaret McMahon, in an effort to unseat incumbent Sandra Bussin.

>> Read Xtra’s Ward 27 cover story