Plans begin to crystallize in Pride Toronto's search for renewal
TORONTO NEWS / Panel will gather evidence over fall, compile recommendations
Marcus McCann / Toronto / Tuesday, July 27, 2010
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New details are emerging about what shape Pride Toronto’s (PT) renewal efforts will take.

In June, it announced it would hold broad consultations with Toronto’s queers. That process is being shepherded by 519 Community Centre director Maura Lawless, gay lawyer Doug Elliott and Metropolitan Community Church pastor Brent Hawkes.

According to Hawkes, the panel will be seven members, its work will start in September, and its goal will be to have recommendations for PT in December or January.

The panellists will be charged with gathering input and generating a set of recommendations. In particular, they’ll be answering some key, unresolved questions.

“Pride is pulling together a bunch of issues that they would like some direction on,” says Hawkes.

“Obviously, some of those issues are directly before us now,” he adds, giving as examples the inclusion of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid and the increasing corporatization of Pride.

Meanwhile, Hawkes says that he, Elliott and Lawless have generated a list of people they would like to sit on the panel and sent the list to PT.

From the pool PT's board approves, people will be approached to create a diverse, seven-member panel. Both Hawkes and Elliott have offered to sit on the panel.

“We’re trying to make recommendations to the Pride board about how this should function, while at the same time trying to make it as independent as possible,” he says. After the panel is selected and given its mandate, “then the panel will be able to take off independently to do their work.”

“The initial conversations have [included] some open public forum formats, but also some targeted formats to go to some organizations and groups to get their feedback. So it’s not just the louder voices who are really engaged in some of these issues,” says Hawkes.

Hawkes wants the process to be as public as possible, with the mandate, meetings and recommendations all shared widely.

Because of a combination of vacations and the scope of their task, the public consultation panel won’t have results in time for the AGM slated for September 23, Hawkes says.

“There’s no way. If we’re really serious about listening to the community and listening to different segments of the community, it’s not going to be possible,” says Hawkes. “It’s going to be the first of September before the panel kicks off. And the hope is — at least my hope is, if I’m involved — that September, October, November will be intense times to listen, and then to make recommendations.”

Doug Elliott and Maura Lawless are on vacation and neither could be reached for comment.


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Reader Comments


 
Kulanu marching w/ homophobes!
The issue of kulanu marching with well known anti-queer religious fundamentalist racists like the JDL and B'nai Brith should be included in this review!!
Pat, Toronto ON
07/27/10 2:22 PM EST
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Advisory panel membership
"Meanwhile, Hawkes says that he, Elliott and Lawless have generated a list of people they would like to sit on the panel and sent the list to PT." What were criteria for inclusion in this list?
Shawn Syms, Toronto ON
07/27/10 2:24 PM EST
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Advisory panel...
Exactly, Shawn--who are these people? Who approached them, who approved them? In what way do they represent the community? Where was our input, the input of those who have demonstrated for their concern for this organization and its failure to represent the queer community? Where is the representation of our backgrounds, beliefs and attitudes regarding queerness, pride, present-day political and social activism and self-expression?
David Demchuk, Toronto Ontario
07/27/10 2:49 PM EST
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Queer Ontario Questions Process
http://queerontario.org/2010/06/30/queer-ontario-applauds-pride-toronto%E2%80%99s-language-ban-reversal-but-questions-process/ Queer Ontario raises the following questions: • What statement is being sent by Pride Toronto in privileging Elliott, Hawkes and Lawless with an audience behind closed doors and not listening to the protests of the rest of the community in the past month? • Why is Pride Toronto now prepared to return the question of city anti-discrimination policy being violated back to the city for determination, but earlier ignored this very strategy when put forth by the community? • Indeed, one has to wonder whether the self-appointed panel of ‘leaders and friends’ is not just another attempt to absolve Pride Toronto of its responsibility to maintain open and direct communication with the LGBT communities it serves? • Will such a consultation create an undue costly level of bureaucracy that further undermines the consultative process being demanded by the Pride Community Contract currently being devised by the LGBT community?
Queer Ontario, Ontario Ontario
07/27/10 3:10 PM EST
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Did we all become investigative journalists?
So many ???s Pride Toronto is not a Masonic cult of secrecry, nor is Reverend Hawkes. All these questions could be put to them and I'm sure it would generate a response. Why do we jump to the conclusion that this is some kind of foolishly appointed elite out to get us? Perhaps PT is able to work with this particular body because their intervention this past Pride was overwhelmingly positive. They did not threaten or smear or interogate the Pride ED, it's board, and other staff. They did fairly represent the views of the wider community (QuAIA marched, nobody got hurt, Pride was still fun, rememember?). And their influence over the organization's future operating policies have yet to be determined, especially with regard to community openness. So give them some time perhaps before shining a flashlight on their face. I don't understand why a spokesperson from QO would beg to ask why PT is doing exactly what it had advised it to, or ask for more community consultation but without bureaucracy (can you really have both?).
Ryan, Toronto ON
07/27/10 7:42 PM EST
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We ALL need to ask questions (and get answers)
I am encouraged by the prospect of Pride Toronto engaging in a community consultation process, albeit through yet ANOTHER vetted panel. With reference to a point brought forward by someone from Queer Ontario above, time and again Pride Toronto has been offered legitimate advice and constructive suggestions from “outsiders” (& insiders), yet it was only when the SAME advice was brought forward by several respected community leaders (too difficult to ignore), that these same suggestions/commentary were heeded and given due consideration. I fear that if Pride Toronto is allowed to continue to pick and choose to work with only those individuals to whom they ascribe value versus including and listening to the voices they constantly ignore, that no real change will result. I fully understand that in order to be effective & efficient, this panel needs to have experienced, rational, reasonable and widely respected people at the table instead of a cacophony of varied and often conflicting personalities. However, I do hope that the entire population of the Panel will @ least attend the AGM to observe PT’s protocol & procedures, and that their names will be made public along with their email addresses (separate from a PT accessible e-address) so that the wider community can send their concerns, comments and criticisms to them directly instead of being filtered by PT personnel. Ryan states that there isn’t a “Masonic cult of secrecy” @ PT, yet their actions on many other fronts indicate a fondness for misrepresentation and obtuseness vs transparency & truth. More importantly, they have already demonstrated a lack of respect & accountability to the community they originally represented and for whom they supposedly produce the festival on behalf of. …cont’d…
Lisa Duke, Cabbagetown, Toronto ONT
07/27/10 10:06 PM EST
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... cont'd from above
Not all of us “have moved away from the village to become successful” financially independent suburbanites (905-ers), but we are all a part of a broader vibrant, caring, engaged & concerned LGBTQ community. Our voices & opinions, our ideas & creativity, our passion & politics have value and each of us is as representative of this diverse community as anybody else. I really hope the Panel will listen to us and be articulate on our behalf. In addition to having an open, transparent process, possibly with the opportunity for the community to vote/respond to recommendations, I also hope to hear that there will be some requirement for the Panel’s final recommendations to be adopted by PT so that after all is said and done, their time and energy will not have been wasted if they get a “Thank you very much, we’ll get back to you (someday)” response from PT
Lisa Duke, Cabbagetown, Toronto ONT
07/27/10 10:11 PM EST
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Pride Contract
I'm wondering about the Pride Contract as I have a hard time understanding how the Pride executive could have a contract with such a large nebulous community? Who signs the other side? What makes more sense are the people who are talking about how Pride Toronto really needs a contract with the sponsors (corporate or otherwise including the City). This would have stipulations on how involved they can be when they become sponsors of Pride events. The city wants the money coming from Pride but as a community we have shown that we are quite capable of having some form of Pride Celebrations without sponsors or parade licenses or people censoring political speech. A good example is the Take Back the Dyke parade on the Saturday which was a great success- no sponsors, no licenses, no Pride Toronto. From what I have seen this year, this is a passionate community with lots of excellent activists and organizers who are willing to stand up for what they believe in. Pride Toronto succumbed to pressure, especially the financial threats to pull funding. Threats are not a nice tactic. It takes conviction, courage,and support to stand up to these and if you are fearful at all you don't stand a chance. The words Israeli apartheid are upsetting to some but discriminatory? Only in Toronto and not in the rest of the world? It seems especially ironic when South African apartheid was built on the Canadian model of our treatment of aboriginal people by placing them on reservations and keeping them there with the Indian act. We know what a travesty that was and actually still has terrible consequences today. I think community meetings are very necessary if Pride Toronto executive wants to continue to do their jobs effectively. They also need to learn to be more aware and astute with the Toronto city politics and queer community politics. It seems like a tough job, negotiating with many conflictual stakeholders, and I think some support and consultation is a great start.
Susan Diane, Toronto Ont
07/27/10 11:22 PM EST
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Courage
Thank you Diane and Lisa. Ryan you seem a little defensive? Questions should be raised on the process, I admire Brent and believe he and the rest of the team have all the right intentions. My concern arises in the fact the Board has final say in how the committee comes together. The Pride Board has proven many times over the past year that it lacks the courage to stand up for the community or for a transparent and open community consultation process? The Board is weak and this cannot be a staff made decision.... What will give the community the confidence to believe in anything that is put forward? The team has a big struggle ahead of them, the least of which will be maintaining a truley transparent community based decision making process is achieved. Summer be damned..this is a Community project that needs to be started NOW!
Mark Smith..former Board Member, Toronto ON
07/28/10 2:53 AM EST
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West Toronto Queer Community
QueerWest.org would be happy to send a representive to sit on the new PT renewal panel. West Toronto Queer Community deserves better treatment. While two queer festival competition is good for gay Toronto. It's no coincidence that Pride Toronto has been trying to destroy Queer West Fest. We didn't launch Queer West Arts Festival 5 years ago to be dealt an underhanded card by someone who is much bigger, as Pride Toronto has over the last two years. Queer West Arts Festival would rather be treated as community partner with Pride Toronto than be an adversary.
Michel, Toronto ON
07/28/10 4:23 PM EST
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This is exhausting
May I suggest that we just call if off? Haven't we reached the point where it's obvious that the gay community is too diverse and irreversibly fractured to hold a parade of this kind? It's clear that left-wing extremists have sunk their teeth into this parade, and everything associated with it, and will not let go. They would rather see it destroyed than be a mainstream, joyful and financially viable celebration by the entire gay community. These extremists have taken over this and every other gay civil society institution in Toronto (including Xtra), but nobody apparently has the courage to say this in public. Enough is enough. No-one wants to get involved with the slimy people who hold these one-sided extremist views and are selfishly imposing them on the rest of us, but maybe it's time for us to quietly but firmly withdraw our support until it gets sorted out. We should start informing our employers, political leaders and the media that most gay people no longer support these gay organisations because they have been taken over by extremists and wish to have all funding and sponsorship cut off. It's a shame because the importance of gay rights is still a relevant message and Pride could be an affirming fun day for gay people. All gay people, not just the nut cases who are using this issue as a way of pushing their own hateful, exclusionary agendas.
Jim, Toronto Ontario
08/08/10 3:33 PM EST
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RE: This is exhausting
Are you on the same page Jim? This article and the topic is about what can be done to rejuvenate PT and ideally make it a "financially viable" organization that is both transparent and accountable ... i.e. SAVING PRIDE! Who's is "destroying" Pride? Who above are "left-wing extremists"? Why would you wish to withdraw funding from Pride which would directly lead to financial stress? Supposedly what you wish to avoid ... Careful what you wish for Jim as your attitude and comments are the kind that WILL lead to the demise of Pride and the Pride Toronto organization. I for one, as I imagine many of those above and many others in the community do NOT wish to see Pride fail. Only someone who is selfish and self absorbed and thinks Pride is just for THEIR enjoyment; should reflect THEIR values, and be appealing to THEIR sensibilities would call for the removal of support for an organization simply because your PERSONAL OPINION dictates so ... Man up! Get involved with the solution instead of just bellyaching about what YOU don't like!
Lisa Duke, Cabbagetown Ont
08/09/10 1:57 AM EST
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You just don't get it
I speak for the majority of gay people out there. We're all sick of the shenanigans of the left wingers in Toronto who are destroying the gay community by pushing their exclusionary policies under the umbrella of gay rights. I think it's time to just speak plainly about what Pride has become: a forum for left-wingers to push their extremist views on the rest of the gay community and the rest of the city under the rubric of "gay" or (ugh) "queer". The people involved are rabid extremists pushing their idiotic causes. No one can reason with them. Meetings cannot even be held with them. They have no interest in a mainstream event and will continue to hound this until everyone involved is exhausted. (I'm long past that point.) Cancel the damn parade. Yes, I think it is an important event, but it's no longer what it should be and I doubt it can be saved.
Jim, Toronto Ontario
08/09/10 4:44 PM EST
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By the way
Gay Pride died when everyone decided the themes were no longer about "being gay" and "pride". Boom. Dead. You're just praying over the corpse now. If the lefties want to hold a dreary political parade, call it the "peace parade" or "love parade" or something. Because apparently the people involved in organising it have no intention of allowing it to reflect the mainstream gay community.
Jim, Toronto Ontario
08/09/10 5:07 PM EST
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I'll participate
as soon as we get rid of all the self-hating homo's and their allies in the various organizations in the "community" including Pride Toronto. Now that would be a rejuvenation!
tim, toronto on
08/10/10 2:13 PM EST
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