LGTB rights in Canada are the most advance in all the Americas and Europe. Gays, Lesbian, Bisexuals and Transgender, since in 2003 Ontario start to offered same-sex marriages and from 2005 was nationwide being Canada the third nation to do it nationwide. Toronto one of the Canada’s largest city has one of the most famous gay district know around the world as “Wellesley” called like that because is next to the subway with the same name and of course, Beaudry in Montreal and Quebec the gay capital.
But lest go a little back in time and let’s analyze how was the Canadian proses to the acceptation of the Homosexuality.
In 1960 during the police investigation in the case of the arson in the Northwest Territories, Everett George Klippert was arrested after admitting had had sex with another man when he was asked
He was declare a “dangerous offender” after the psychiatrist test and sentenced to life time.
Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in Canada as a result of legislation introduced in 1967 and passed in 1969 by then-Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada, Pierre Trudeau (who later became the 15th Prime Minister of Canada).
In 1971 Everett George, in Ottawa had the first gay rights march and The Body Public the first gay newspaper was published in Toronto for 15 years
In 1972 “Coming Out” becomes the first LGBT television
In 1975 and 1976, there were large scale protests after the police raided gay establishments in Quebec and in Ottawa in preparation for the 1976 Olympics.
In 1977 the Quebec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and certain services and other activities, but it does not apply to federally regulated activities and immigration law start to change
In 1980 the law known as "bawdy house laws" were still listed in the Criminal Code of Canada, was used by the police to arrest gay people like they did in a major bathhouse raid occurred in Toronto outranging the gay community. Around 3,000 people when out to the street to protest the raid
In 1982 another important change in the Canadian Constitution with guarantees equality “before and under the law right to the equal protection and equal benefit on the law discrimination” not including any explicitly gender list.
In 1983, the Quebec Gay Archives was established.
In 1986, sexual orientation was added to the Ontario Human Rights Code as a prohibited ground for discrimination.
In 1987, sexual orientation was added to the Manitoba Human Rights Code, and included in the newly adopted Yukon Human Rights Act.
In 1988, Svend Robinson became the first MP to come out, declaring that he is gay to the media outside the House of Commons. In the same year, the United Church of Canada became the first church in Canada to allow the ordination of gays and lesbians
In 1992 Canada was lifting its ban on homosexuals in the Canadian Forces, allowing them to serve openly and live on-base with their partners and Sexual orientation was added to the human rights laws of New Brunswick and British Columbia.
In 1993, sexual orientation was added to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Act
In 1994, the Supreme Court ruled that gays and lesbians could apply for refugee status based on their sexual orientation.
In 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada prohibits discrimination by all employers, landlords, service providers and governments. A court in Ontario ruled that gay and lesbian couples wishing to adopt jointly should be allowed to do so, making Ontario the first province to allow this
In 1996, sexual orientation was added to the Canadian Human Rights Act, an anti-discrimination law that applies to federally regulated activities throughout Canada.
In 1998, the Supreme Court of Canada required that the Alberta human rights law be read and applied as if the words "sexual orientation" were included. Glen Murray was elected Mayor of Winnipeg becoming the first openly gay Mayor of a large North American city.
In 1999, The House of Commons supported preserving the legal definition of "marriage" as the union of a man and a woman. Sexual orientation is included in the newly adopted Nunavut Human Rights Act.
In 2000, Canadian law decide to include pension benefits, bankruptcy protection, income taxes, old age security, and immigration, among others, to grant equal rights to homosexual common-law couples.
Supreme Court ruled that gay publications, even those that were sexually explicit were protected by the freedom of speech and expression clauses in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
In 2001 MP Libby Davie becomes the country's first female Member of Parliament to come out
In 2002, sexual orientation and gender identity were included in the Northwest Territories
In 2004, it becomes illegal for people to propagate hate based on sexual orientation. Scott Brison becomes Canada's first openly gay cabinet member. The Supreme Court of Canada replied to the federal government's draft legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.
In 2005 The Senate gave its approval to the bill “Civil Marriage” becoming then Canada the fourth country that officially allows same-sex-marriage nationwide.
In 2006, the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights was held in Montreal
In 2009, all provinces and territories had included “Sexual Orientation” and “Gender Identity” in their Human Right Law
The rights of LGBT Canadians are now as well protected as those of other Canadians
Many years 1960 to 2011 if I am not wrong are fifth one, almost my age, it seem to me long time, but we got those rights. I was part in those protest and all those things that I was redacting before to put you in situ, was hard really hard. Now I am in front of my computer writing about them, in this case about the Canadian gay situation but even if I was fighting for our rights in other countries and nations, it look to me that we passed for almost the same, hard sacrifice and war, because that was it was a war between humans being, between people from the same country because at that time all the gay were fighting to get right in their own countries. Believe me it was hard, I was arrested in 1978 for being gay in Montevideo – Uruguay and since then I never stop my fight to get rights and being respect as a person and not for my sexual orientation.
But now I believe that the new gay generations, the ones that they found almost everything done, the ones that did not had the bad times that we had and people my age is going to understand what I am talking about and I called it “Gay discrimination in the our gar society” . Let me explain “my” point of view. I feel discriminated inside the gay community. Why? In those years we were HOMOSEXUALS
Not GAY, we were called GAY after because GAY means HAPPY we were happy people with better values than we have now, we were different, we enjoy being gay in another way, more classical more normal. Almost all of us we have effeminate mannerisms, now called “feathers” in Spain, “Queens” on the UK, “fags o maricones” in the Spanish lenguage and many other adjectives, now people like me with all those adjectives inside we are in the side and we are discriminated, not all of us I am talking in the my name many like me. I hurt me deep inside, because I fight hard and I suffered too much to feel that discrimination between now. May be I am only me that feel this way.
I remember now what Eraclit and Parmenides said in one of the theories “The essence of the world is in change, everything changes and nothing remains”, when I was in the university and I was studying philosophy at that moment was hard for me to understand the meaning of this but the years show me the meaning of that sentence; and it did it change in the gay community around the world like a virus. Now everybody is masculine, fit, they do not want to say that there are gay; they want to have only relations, sexual or romantic ones only with MASCULINE tipe.
You have just to go to the gay pages that all of us go to sometimes, and what do you read in the profiles. You know perfectly want I am talking about. There are people out there looking for love but is a lot of gay web sites just to find somebody to have sex, one night, using them just for that for sex. Who cares about love and relationship? I can say for my experience that only few.
From 1979 the day that I had to leave my country because the military government was going to "make me disappear", kill me, for being gay until now I keep fighting for all of us not only for me, and now since I am old, that I have effeminate mannerism, I am a feather a Queen and a fag for my own community for the one that I fight for; believe me it hurts so deep inside that some time the pain is irresistible
Hey Eraclit and Parmenides wherever you are now, let me tell you something “YOU WERE RIGHT” and I hope for the best of our community that thing change again with more love and more understanding and none discrimination between us Homosexuals, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender (LGBT)
It make me sad and cry to see the thing that is happening, we transform all those rights in a business but we have the right to do it, getting pages and pages in the web about sex, gay sex.
I did not fight all my life for that right, I fight for the right to have sex with LOVE, I fight for right to love a person of my same sex having the same right that Heterosexuals have.
I know you are going to tell me that Heterosexual does the same, that they have more web pages than us and that they do the same like we do since we have the same exactly rights, but we have to be different, and help us more, do you know that at the moment that you are reading this, a gay is being kill in Muslim countries? But you are reading this article may be in bed with your laptop, and with a nice orange juice and waiting that somebody send you a message from one of those pages that you are hunting to have sex. Do you not have anything better to do? Do you know that is a lot of “BULLING” at school, that young gay or lesbian is becoming suicide because is hard for them to accept themselves and they do not have nobody to talk with? Do you know that there is a gay or lesbian in this moment trying to kill them because they do not like the body that they have? Not because their, no for that, because they fill that they are not in the right body. Do you know that there are a lot of parent that are suffering because they have a gay son or daughter and they do not have anybody to tell them how to accept that? They suffer like us, and they do not have help to understand that to be HOMOSEXUAL is not a choice. Do you know that love, share and understanding means?
Do you know that I got married? Yes I did because I fight for that fight, but that right brought me another right attached, the right to get divorce. I am in that process because it was not me what he was looking for, it was a visa to stay in the country.
I know heterosexual do the same, but do you know what my friend, “I am not heterosexual I AM GAY” and I want to do it better.
With the same right do better things.
It gets better
I will see you in my next commentary. Until then lots of love for you
Nelson Masanti
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