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Toronto Mayor Threatens Gay Pride Parade Funding
You may recall all of the drama last summer when Pride Toronto's leadership abdicated its responsibility as organizers of the city's gay pride festivities by allowing a controversial group called Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) to march in the annual parade.
Outraged pro-Israel and anti-discrimination groups, as well as city politicians, pressured Pride Toronto to reverse its decision, which it did, before flip-flopping at the last minute and allowing QuAIA to march.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says he will withhold more than $100,000 in city funding to the annual gay pride parade if an anti-Israel group again is allowed to participate.
Ford, who was elected on a right-wing, waste-slashing agenda last November, told the Canadian Jewish News last week that he will cut funding to the annual Pride Toronto event if Queers Against Israeli Apartheid is allowed to participate in this summer's parade.
"Taxpayers dollars should not go toward funding hate speech," Ford told the weekly, repeating a pledge he made while campaigning for the mayor's post.
Pride Toronto received $123,807 from the city last year.
Writer Terry Levine says, " One can legitimately oppose Israel's occupation of the West Bank -- I do and have done so vocally -- but for purported gay activists to be so blinded by their pro-Palestinian views that they, to paraphrase the quote above, bark at the finger of gay-friendly Israel while overlooking the glaring moon of Arab and Muslim intolerance toward gays is ridiculous.
If QuAIA members want to protest in front of the Israeli embassy or board the next flotilla to Gaza, they're welcome to. But to spray their venom at an event that celebrates gay pride and the struggle for gay rights is obscene."
Hello,
My name is Lux Mahogany (eleisha johnson) and im a twenty two year old pansexual female model living in toronto, Ive grown up here and experience all that this multicultural city has to offer the good the bad and the ugly, today myself and two other female models teamed up with photographer Brian Reiser http://www.brianreiser.com/
http://wwwbrianreisercom.blogspot.com/ and super talented make up artist Karissa Stevenson and did a NO H8 campaign shoot ive been inspired for quit sometime and i was pleased to finally find the right fit of models to represent Torontos diversity myself im African American i had a alternative caucasian female, and a female to represent the spanish decent the whole point was to unite all alike whatever the sexual orientation,race, or style were all united.I am seeking out Gay and lesbian suppurtive sites to showcase the final high resolution group shot and possibly you could help me out by giving awareness and bring a smile to the viewers i would love for people to see this image in a big way we need to! i would really appreciate it.
I look forward to hearing back from you,
Thanks!
Lux Mahogany
(Eleisha Johnson)
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QuAIA is NOT anti-Israel, it is anti israeli apartheid. Helicopter gunships and apartheid have never been good for anything - and have never been good for queers, so don't use us as an excuse for dehuminizing anti-palistinian propaganda and violence. At some point all the people in the land that Israel controls will all have to learn to live together with mutual respect and equality even if that means putting nationalist and religeous propaganda aside in order to include everyone who lives there, not just a (for now) priviledged minority.
If israel can end its aparthied like South Africa could, then there is still hope for the rest of the planet. If it can't, I guess we're all doomed.
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