In a 37-to-one vote, Toronto’s City Council resoundingly passed a measure that would seek to aid the city’s homeless LGBTQ population. According to the Toronto Star, “The three-part proposal asks the city’s shelters chief to look into allocating 25 percent of beds in an existing youth shelter to people who identify as LGBTQ2S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, two-spirited). It also asks the city to issue a call for expressions of interest in operating a shelter or transitional housing for gay youth, and requires the city to provide anti-homophobia training to all shelter employees.”
Toronto’s mayor Rob Ford cast the lone dissenting vote leading to accusations that he is homophobic and unfit to represent all of Toronto’s citizens. In addition, he refused to stand up during an ovation for World Pride organizers and made an unsuccessful effort to block the raising of the rainbow flag during last year’s Olympics in Sochi.
“The mayor is homophobic,” said Kristyn Wong-Tam, the only openly lesbian or gay member of Council. “He’s consistent. He’s done everything he can to demonstrate this is a community he doesn’t care about . . . I think he’s voting with his values, and his values are he doesn’t support the LGBT community.”
Naturally, Ford denies the claims citing economic decisions as the basis for his votes. But he has barely been able to contain his antagonism to Toronto’s LGBT community. He has admitted that he does not attend the city’s Pride festival less from scheduling conflicts than from a personal preference. Furthermore, his campaign manager, Councilor Doug Ford ranted at length about the “buck naked men” who compose a small percentage of the marchers at Pride. And in an intoxicated rant recorded in April, the mayor said he would not vote for former Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak because Hudak agreed with “all the gays” on the flag issue.
LGBTQ teens face a unique set of challenges in the city’s homeless shelter system, often facing the same homophobia and violence that forced them to escape from their original homes in the first place. Civic leaders have long called for special housing units that address the unique needs of the LGBTQ community until a system is in place to combat widespread homophobia at the city’s shelters.
Rob Ford made headlines last year for a series of drunken rants captured on video in which he admitted to having smoked from a crack pipe. Despite repeated calls for his removal from office, Ford remains after returning from a two-month stint at a rehab.
I agreed with Rob Ford that we do not need specific shelter for homeless LGBTQ2S youths. The shelters in Toronto have been caring for these youth without problems. Most of the agencies have staff that identify with the youth they serve. Why isolate these youth. .