“He’s a faggot. He deserved it,”

“He’s a faggot. He deserved it.”

It happens more often than society admits. A gay man gets bashed by a straight guy because the gay man is at the wrong place at the wrong time. The latest occurring in Vancouver in a popular gay bar.

A gay man was assaulted in the bar by a construction worker who apparently had come into the pub a few times to have a drink and lunch while working on a project near the bar. That gay man is now in hospital, clinging to life and survival likely meaning a severely diminished mental state.

"He’s a faggot. He deserved it," Lindsay Wincherauk alleges the man accused of punching 62-year-old Ritchie Dowrey in the face at The Fountainhead Pub Mar 13 told him after the alleged assault. - Xtra West

The crown still does not take these things seriously. The Attorney General for BC, Libcon Wally Oppal has so far refused to direct the crown to lay hate charges. The end result is the crown has decided to treat this as common assualt. An assualt that likely would not have happened had the victim not been gay.

Its pretty clear to me this event is a bashing motivated by hate. Its time the BC Libcon goverment took a good look at this and did the right thing. Its easy for the BC to pass hate crime laws, for the federal government to pass hate crime laws. Its another matter when we have to hold them accountable for enforcing those laws.

If you are in Vancouver on Synday, tomorrow, whatever your sexual orientation, step out and march in the west end and demand the government enforce the law as they said they would do when they poassed it.

Rally to take back OUR West End
Sunday, April 5
2pm, gather at east end of Nelson Park
March down Davie to Davie and Denman

The violence has to end! Gaybashings need to be treated as hate crimes.

Vancouver courts have heard five gaybashing trials in the last eight years. But the Crown has only sought a hate crime designation in one.

Come out to the rally. Spread the word. Call on the attorney general to seek hate crime designations for gaybashings.

It's time to stop the cycle of anti-gay violence. Enough is enough.

BC Rail Scandal

BC Rail Scandal

or is it the corruption of Gordon Campbell...

In 1996, the Liberals lost the election in BC. It was seen by many as theirs to lose. The drummed up scandal around Bingo and Premier Harcourt, a good honourable man that had nothing to do with the Bingo stuff, was forced to resign.

In 1996 the Gordon Campbell Libcons were promising to sell BC Rail. This did them in as the NDP held onto enough seats in the interior of BC to squeak out a majority government. The Liberals, having seen victory stolen from them, ran in 2001 against a further scandalized NDP government promised many things. First was that they would not sell BC Rail and second that they would honour contracts with health care workers.

In both cases the Liberals lied to voters. Most folks in BC are aware of the promises to honour workers contracts with government. That all ended soon. Rapid de-unionization of health care took place. The second broken promise saw BC Rail was turned over to CN Rail for a pittance, one billion dollars.

The LIBcons tried to tell us they were selling the rolling stock and operations, keeping the right of way so they were not in fact selling BC Rail. Well, it was a sale of the railway and although British Columbia remains the owner of the land and tracks that BC Rail uses, CN Rail has a 900 plus year lease on its use.

No British Columbian could be faulted for feeling they had been had. The Libcons had in fact taken great effort to deceive us.

So much for trusting the Libcons. It turns out that the Libcons were planning the sale of BC Rail prior to the 2003 and likely entered the 2001 election understanding they would sell BC rail.

Read more at Bill Tieleman's blog. He has been following this scandal for several years now and has the latest.

You will also find much more from Libcon exposer, The Gazetteer.

So, gay marriage is now legal in Iowa. Did I read that right? Iowa? What's next? Alberta?

So, gay marriage is now legal in Iowa. Did I read that right? Iowa? What's next? Alberta?

It had to happen didn't it. Alberta is going to write 'sexual orientation' protection from discrimination into provincial law. Imagine, Iowa and Alberta leaping forward in one giant bound together. Next we will see Alberta bringing in $5.00 a day child care and adopting the green shift...

Is Alberta going pink?



hat tip to RJ on twitter RJTorontoSo, gay marriage is now legal in Iowa. Did I read that right? Iowa? What's next? Alberta?

Gay Marriage win in Iowa

Gay Marriage win in Iowa

As Iowa goes, so does the Nation...

Gay Marriage has become law in Iowa. Same-sex couples took the State to court and won the right to marry after the Supreme Court struck down the law limiting marriage to a man and a woman.

Iowa is America we see depicted in the movies we grew up with. The wholesome goodness of America's dream.

You can expect challenges to this, charges of activist Judges and a referendum or two.

If you're looking for the all American corn fed farm boy, better snatch him up soon, as California has shown us, winning in court only works till the next referendum is held. Read more here.

Lambda Legal filed this case in 2005 on behalf of six same–sex couples who were denied marriage licenses in Iowa, and on behalf of three of their children. Read more at Lambda Legal.

• Read the summary: Iowa Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage.
• Read the full opinion: Iowa Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage.

Gordon Campbell's broken promises

Gordon Campbell's broken promises

The BC Health Coalition needs your help in sending 5000 letters to Premier Campbell by April 14 - the day the provincial election campaign begins - demanding quality and accessible health care for seniors and people with disabilities!

The BC government has broken its promise to build 5,000 new not-for-profit residential care beds by 2006 and continues its drive towards private for-profit care despite clear evidence that for-profit facilities maintain lower patient-to-staff ratios and quality of care.

No more broken promises! Click here to send your letter NOW!

Franken Gets the last laugh?

Franken Gets the last laugh?

A three judge state panel convened to review an election contest brought by former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman (R) in his race against entertainer Al Franken (D) has dealt the Republican a serious setback in its ruling this afternoon. washington post

In one of the most closely fought Senatorial elections ever, it as come down to this..

Can Republican Coleman find enough votes in 400 ballots being recounted to make up the 225-vote deficit he currently has. I think the longtime funny man has it in the bag. One more blow to the once mighty republican party.

Now if the Democrats can hold onto the upstate New York Congressional seat tonight, the GObama team will continue to chug along.

US Reverses Bush Policy, joins UN

US Reverses Bush Policy, joins UN

The United States will participate in elections in May for one of three seats on the 47-member council, joining a slate that includes Belgium, Norway and New Zealand. New Zealand has offered to step aside to allow the United States to run unchallenged, according to a U.S. official. Washington Post

Amazing at it may seem, The USA and Obama are living up to the hope and change displayed during the elections last fall. Obama is now GObama!

School Safety for Whom

School Safety for Whom

The Reality of Homophobic and Transphobic Violence in Canadian Schools

LIVE BROADCAST

Tune in on Wednesday, April 1, 2009
5:30 to 8:00pm.

The School Safety for Whom panel will be broadcast live at the following link:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/school-safety-4-whom

The Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, University of Toronto in conjunction with Egale Canada, Elementary Teachers Federation of Canada, The Centre for Leadership & Diversity, OISE The Centre for Urban Schooling, OISE, Central Toronto Youth Services, Griffin Centre, Rainbow Health Ontario, Triangle Program

Presents:
School Safety for Whom?
The Reality of Homophobic and Transphobic Violence in Canadian Schools
April 1, 2009
OISE Library, 252 Bloor Street West
5:30 – 8:00 pm

A panel of educators, policymakers, researchers and students responding to Egale Canada’s First
National Climate Survey on Homophobia and Transphobia in Canadian Schools

Please RSVP: sexual.diversity@utoronto.ca