There was great shock on Sep 29 when independent federal election candidate David Popescu told a room full of Sudbury high-school students, "I think homosexuals should be executed." His comments were reported across North America and rightly met with disgust. But surprise? Not so much. Popescu is hardly the only one to advocate the murder of gay people, merely the latest. Why do some homo haters so relish the idea of hunting us down and killing us off? Killing gays is holy. Arshad Misbahi, an imam in Manchester, England, said of the ongoing execution of gay people in Iran, "[I]n an Islamic state these punishments were justified.... It was worthwhile to protect the wider community." Last year a 26-year-old Texas man murdered a gay flight attendant because, he told police, God had asked him to "carry out a code of retribution." Killing gays has catchy theme music. Who can resist Sizzla's snappy "Pump Up" when he brags, "Shot batty bwoy, my big gun boom"? Killing gays is a pastime that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Fourteen-year-old Brandon McInerney shot and killed his fellow eighth grader and budding homosexualist Lawrence King last year in California. In Peru the elderly mother of a leftwing candidate for president told the press, "I bet you that... by shooting two homosexuals, there wouldn't be so much immorality in the streets." We could shoot back. As Toronto gay conservative blogger Chris Reid wrote, "We need concealed-carry handgun legislation in this country so we can defend one another." What an exciting world it could be. Imagine a Hollywood vision of gay men behind the wheels of the cars in Death Race. Every one of us could be a heavily armed member of the Pink Pistols. We gay people could eventually wind up on the endangered species list, finally protected under international law. Lesbians would be like glamorous tigers — of which three out of nine subspecies have vanished in the last century — and missions to save the polar bears could grow to include saving hairy Canadian gay guys. Imagine Rue St Catherine in Montreal as a nature preserve where gay men and women roam freely and safely. Sightseers would wear pink pith helmets as part of the new safari chic.