Wildrose parades LGBTQ shirts in Calgary to show inclusivity
They’re here, and they’re queer — sort of.
On Sunday, WIldrose Party volunteers were giving away their LGBTQ shirts at the Lilac Festival, showing that they, too, fancy the rainbow.
In light of a homophobic Facebook comment about Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne that Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt endorsed, a group of Wildrose volunteers and officials hit the streets to vocalize their support for the LGBTQ community.
Fildebrandt, who was also on the street canvasing Wildrose LGBTQ shirts, had apologized online that night after the endorsement, saying he had not read the original comment correctly.
Jeromy Farkas, president of the Wildrose’s Calgary-Elbow constituency association, said his constituency demands and expects the party to condemn homophobia and defend the rights of all people.
Essentially, that includes supporting religious organizations that don’t condone same-sex marriages while championing gay rights, according to Alex McColl, who’s also part of the Calgary-Elbow constituency.
“For years, we’ve had a lot of LGBTQ members and volunteers and we just wanted to be visibly championing their efforts, and figured why not now,” he said.
“We were going to order (the shirts) for Pride anyway, but our members and volunteers are members of that community now, so why should we keep the shirts in the closet after we order them?”
Deborah Drever, NDP MLA for Calgary-Bow, said she’s glad the Wildrose is recognizing it needs to include the LGBTQ community.
“I think it took them time for them to finally do it,” she said. “I’m just happy to be part of a government that’s fully inclusive.”
In 2014, the Wildrose voted against 148-109 at a part convention an attempt to enshrine an equality statement that respects the rights of people regardless of race, religious belief, colour, gender and sexual orientation.
McColl said the Wildrose isn’t a party that likes to segment the population. Rather, he emphasized the party is inclusive and respects of all individuals.
“We accept everyone,” he said. “We’re a big blue tent.
http://m.metronews.ca/#/article/new...tq-shirts-in-calgary-to-show-inclusivity.html
They’re here, and they’re queer — sort of.
On Sunday, WIldrose Party volunteers were giving away their LGBTQ shirts at the Lilac Festival, showing that they, too, fancy the rainbow.
In light of a homophobic Facebook comment about Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne that Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt endorsed, a group of Wildrose volunteers and officials hit the streets to vocalize their support for the LGBTQ community.
Fildebrandt, who was also on the street canvasing Wildrose LGBTQ shirts, had apologized online that night after the endorsement, saying he had not read the original comment correctly.
Jeromy Farkas, president of the Wildrose’s Calgary-Elbow constituency association, said his constituency demands and expects the party to condemn homophobia and defend the rights of all people.
Essentially, that includes supporting religious organizations that don’t condone same-sex marriages while championing gay rights, according to Alex McColl, who’s also part of the Calgary-Elbow constituency.
“For years, we’ve had a lot of LGBTQ members and volunteers and we just wanted to be visibly championing their efforts, and figured why not now,” he said.
“We were going to order (the shirts) for Pride anyway, but our members and volunteers are members of that community now, so why should we keep the shirts in the closet after we order them?”
Deborah Drever, NDP MLA for Calgary-Bow, said she’s glad the Wildrose is recognizing it needs to include the LGBTQ community.
“I think it took them time for them to finally do it,” she said. “I’m just happy to be part of a government that’s fully inclusive.”
In 2014, the Wildrose voted against 148-109 at a part convention an attempt to enshrine an equality statement that respects the rights of people regardless of race, religious belief, colour, gender and sexual orientation.
McColl said the Wildrose isn’t a party that likes to segment the population. Rather, he emphasized the party is inclusive and respects of all individuals.
“We accept everyone,” he said. “We’re a big blue tent.
http://m.metronews.ca/#/article/new...tq-shirts-in-calgary-to-show-inclusivity.html
