equality

Thursday May 4, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 4, 2023

Why Flying the Pride Flag Matters

January 17, 2012

Recently, a disturbing incident occurred outside a meeting of the York Catholic District School Board. Adults who claimed to be protecting Ontario’s children were actually endangering their well-being. Many of these adults, likely parents of school-aged children, showed up to the meeting to vehemently oppose the possibility of the board flying the rainbow flag in support of LGBTQ students in June. They even hurled insults at those who were in favour of flying the flag. 

News: Advocates, protestors clash at York Catholic school board meeting over flying Pride flag  

Although some of these adults claim that their objection was not specifically to the Pride flag but to what they believe it represents – the alleged corruption of children who are supposedly too young to learn about gender and sexuality – this notion is misguided. Everyone is capable of learning about gay, transgender, and non-binary people, just as they can learn about cisgender and heterosexual people. Queer people are not sexually explicit by their mere existence.

The belief that exposing children to queer people is harmful is nonsensical and is based on hateful, age-old myths about queer people as a corrupting influence on children. This belief is also derived from a particular brand of anti-LGBTQ politics typically associated with the United States. However, the events at the Catholic school board in York Region demonstrate that Canada is not immune to public displays of hateful rhetoric.

Pride celebrations are essential in schools to support marginalized kids who need it. Flying the Pride flag is not merely an act of virtue signalling; it is an official declaration of support for these kids. According to a recent survey conducted by the LGBTQ advocacy group EGALE, anti-queer discrimination is still prevalent in Canadian schools. For instance, 64% of all participants reported hearing homophobic comments daily or weekly at school. Moreover, 79% of transgender students who experienced physical harassment reported that teachers and staff were ineffective in addressing transphobic harassment. Lastly, over 30% of respondents who attend Catholic schools reported experiencing harassment based on their perceived sexual orientation.

October 30, 2018

We have made significant progress as a society regarding inclusion, but there is still much work to be done. It is critical that schools fly the Pride flag to signal to kids that even if their peers or parents reject them because of their identity, the school itself – and those at its helm – do not. Education Minister Stephen Lecce made it clear that he supports LGBTQ students, and we hope that York Region’s Catholic school board will follow suit. (AI)

 

Friday October 23, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 23, 2020

Pope Francis should have a talk with Amy Coney Barrett about same-sex marriage

Pope Francis’s call for civil unions for same-sex couples is a welcome departure from the Roman Catholic Church’s long reluctance to embrace everyone as children of God regardless of their sexual orientation.

September 21, 2013

The pope’s remarks in the documentary “Francesco” reverberated everywhere as a major contradiction to the Vatican’s stance that marriage is between a man and a woman.

“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” the pope said in the documentary aired this week, in which he emphasized his views that gay people are children of God.

The puritans within the Catholic Church immediately asked for clarification, though Pope Francis was pretty clear that the marriage of gay people should be recognized under the law.

October 9, 2014

What Francis didn’t say is whether the Vatican will finally recognize and embrace gay people’s marriage just as it does with the union between a man and woman. That would be revolutionary.

It’s thrilling to hear the pope open his arms to everyone as children of God and lending support for same-sex couple civil unions.

It isn’t enough to settle the conflicting views of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics who look to the Vatican for guidance over morality, which they in turn use to sponsor, promote or oppose laws governing us here on earth.   

October 3, 2013

But it is an important statement at a moment when many people in America are genuinely worried about the future of gay marriage and LGBTQ rights when the ultimate arbiter – the U.S. Supreme Court – will soon be packed with conservatives.

Those conservatives on the high court – and especially Amy Coney Barrett, the Catholic judge soon to be confirmed to the Supreme Court – should heed the pope’s advice.

After all, it’s what America wants.

Most Americans – 70% – support allowing gay and lesbian couples to marrylegally, according to the American Values Survey released this week. Twenty-eight percent oppose it.

Democrats and independents overwhelmingly support same-sex marriage, 80% to 76% respectively, while 50% of Republicans support it, the survey showed.

That tells me same-sex marriage has a good chance of remaining the law of the land. But just in case, Pope Francis should invite Amy Coney Barrett to the Vatican for a chat.

Good Catholics listen to the pope, right? (Arizona Republic)

“I wasn’t planning to feature more Pope/Civil Union cartoons, but Graeme MacKay (Hamilton Spectator)captures some relevant matters here. The obvious one is the absurd hypocrisy of accusing Democrats of bigotry for opposing Barrett’s nomination on religious grounds, given that their presidential candidate is a devout Catholic, and I did get a chuckle.”

Thursday November 16, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday November 16, 2017

Canada pledges to boost women peacekeepers

Canada is also offering a total of $21 million to help increase the number of women in peacekeeping, including $6 million to help with reforms at the UN and $15 million for a new trust fund.

The fund is intended to help partner together countries with good female representation in the ranks with those that want to have more women in uniform, but are facing challenges.

The officials emphasized that such partnerships would only involve countries that are genuinely interested and willing to having more women in their militaries.

The new emphasis on women in peacekeeping and military operations comes amid growing international recognition of the real operational benefits that come from female soldiers in the field.

Canada will also make dozens of trainers available to the UN and other countries to help professionalize militaries from developing countries that are often involved in peacekeeping.

Some of those trainers will be deployed to UN centres in Africa, such as Kenya, Ghana and Uganda. But officials say up to 50 could also be sent to other countries, and may even deploy on missions with their students.

That would only occur, however, when the safety of Canadian troops can be ensured, officials said. (Source: CTV News) 

 

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Saturday August 27, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Saturday August 27, 2016 The burkini is an option, not oppression, say those opposed to ban Recent attempts in France to ban the burkini have prompted protests and court challenges. Some of those who've defended the body-concealing swimsuit say that while they wouldn't wear one themselves and don't necessarily agree with the religious associations it carries, they will defend women's right to wear what they want. On Friday, the top court in France overturned one town's banÊon the burkini, a ruling that is likely to set a precedent across the country. The decision comes after several Muslim women were ordered to remove the body-covering swimwear on French beaches. Some burkini wearers were also issued fines. Sonu Kilam is the co-founder and designer at East Essence, an online store that sells modern and traditional Islamic clothes. East Essence started to sell burkinis about six years ago, she said, after receiving requests from customers Ñ specifically, Mormon customers Ñ who were looking for modest active wear. "[We] came across the burkini and thought, 'Perfect, it will work for all our customers,'" Kilam told CBC News from Newark, Calif. The company's various burkini options represent about 15 per cent of its sales, she said, and it's not only Muslim women ordering them. Kilam recently got an email from a Canadian woman who wrote, "It's hard for women like me who are 40 or older and don't feel comfortable showing skin to find swimwear in Canada.Ó Other burkini customers include women with skin conditions, Kilam said, and the company recently made a custom burkini for a plus-size woman who wanted something to wear for water aerobics. There have been reports that burkini sales have increased since the controversy started, but Kilam said she hasn't noticed any significant changes. (Source: CBC News)Êhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/world/burkini-ban-follow-1.3736922 France, Burkini, Liberty, Equality, be

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday August 27, 2016

The burkini is an option, not oppression, say those opposed to ban

Recent attempts in France to ban the burkini have prompted protests and court challenges.

Some of those who’ve defended the body-concealing swimsuit say that while they wouldn’t wear one themselves and don’t necessarily agree with the religious associations it carries, they will defend women’s right to wear what they want.

On Friday, the top court in France overturned one town’s ban on the burkini, a ruling that is likely to set a precedent across the country.

The decision comes after several Muslim women were ordered to remove the body-covering swimwear on French beaches. Some burkini wearers were also issued fines.

Sonu Kilam is the co-founder and designer at East Essence, an online store that sells modern and traditional Islamic clothes. East Essence started to sell burkinis about six years ago, she said, after receiving requests from customers — specifically, Mormon customers — who were looking for modest active wear.

“[We] came across the burkini and thought, ‘Perfect, it will work for all our customers,'” Kilam told CBC News from Newark, Calif.

The company’s various burkini options represent about 15 per cent of its sales, she said, and it’s not only Muslim women ordering them.

Kilam recently got an email from a Canadian woman who wrote, “It’s hard for women like me who are 40 or older and don’t feel comfortable showing skin to find swimwear in Canada.”

Other burkini customers include women with skin conditions, Kilam said, and the company recently made a custom burkini for a plus-size woman who wanted something to wear for water aerobics.

There have been reports that burkini sales have increased since the controversy started, but Kilam said she hasn’t noticed any significant changes. (Source: CBC News)

 

Tuesday November 3, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday November 3, 2015 Memo to Liberal MPs: If youÕre still waiting for Justin Trudeau to call and offer you a cabinet post, you can stop the wait. ThatÕs because Trudeau has already selected his new cabinet and made his last telephone calls to the lucky incoming ministers several days ago. All of the ministers now know their new portfolio and all have been sworn to the utmost secrecy until Nov. 4 when Trudeau is formally sworn in as prime minister and unveils the full cabinet. And despite all the post-election speculation about how difficult it would be for Trudeau to pick the cabinet from the Òabundance of richesÓ that he was handed when the Liberals won a majority government and 184 seats in the Oct. 19 election, the job turned out to be surprisingly easy. When Trudeau got down to work on the cabinet in the days immediately after the LiberalsÕ victory celebrations, he made his choices based on several key factors, according to Liberal insiders familiar with the selection process. These factors include the size of the cabinet, gender equality, ethnic diversity, regional distribution and a balance of new and veteran MPs, but leaning to young and new versus old and experienced. Some critics have suggested Trudeau is putting gender and regional concerns ahead of talent as the top priority in selecting the ministers. In reality, though, any cabinet, regardless of whether it is Liberal or Conservative, Òis never a pure and simple meritocracy,Ó says a key Trudeau adviser. ÒObviously there are expectations if you are elected, such as every province gets a cabinet minister, and you look at regional balance, gender, and diversity as well as competence.Ó On size, the new cabinet is expected to have 28 members. Trudeau wanted to keep the number below 30 to show he intended to run a leaner, more efficient cabinet team than did Stephen Harper. The last Conservative cabinet had 39 ministers, including 2

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday November 3, 2015

How Justin Trudeau picked his new cabinet

Memo to Liberal MPs: If you’re still waiting for Justin Trudeau to call and offer you a cabinet post, you can stop the wait.

That’s because Trudeau has already selected his new cabinet and made his last telephone calls to the lucky incoming ministers several days ago.

All of the ministers now know their new portfolio and all have been sworn to the utmost secrecy until Nov. 4 when Trudeau is formally sworn in as prime minister and unveils the full cabinet.

JustinTrudeau-GalleryAnd despite all the post-election speculation about how difficult it would be for Trudeau to pick the cabinet from the “abundance of riches” that he was handed when the Liberals won a majority government and 184 seats in the Oct. 19 election, the job turned out to be surprisingly easy.

When Trudeau got down to work on the cabinet in the days immediately after the Liberals’ victory celebrations, he made his choices based on several key factors, according to Liberal insiders familiar with the selection process.

These factors include the size of the cabinet, gender equality, ethnic diversity, regional distribution and a balance of new and veteran MPs, but leaning to young and new versus old and experienced.

Some critics have suggested Trudeau is putting gender and regional concerns ahead of talent as the top priority in selecting the ministers.

In reality, though, any cabinet, regardless of whether it is Liberal or Conservative, “is never a pure and simple meritocracy,” says a key Trudeau adviser. “Obviously there are expectations if you are elected, such as every province gets a cabinet minister, and you look at regional balance, gender, and diversity as well as competence.”

On size, the new cabinet is expected to have 28 members. Trudeau wanted to keep the number below 30 to show he intended to run a leaner, more efficient cabinet team than did Stephen Harper. The last Conservative cabinet had 39 ministers, including 26 senior ministers and 12 junior ministers of state for such areas as sports, seniors and multiculturalism.

On gender, the new cabinet will be evenly split, with 14 women and 14 men, including Trudeau. A total of 50 Liberal women were elected on Oct. 19. (Continued: Toronto Star)

Published in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, November 4, 2015

Published in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, November 4, 2015