Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod says she won’t abandon her support for the LGBTQ community, no matter what the political cost.

“Our party has turned a corner and there may be some people who don’t like it . . . I am not going to kowtow to people who don’t share my values,” MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton) told the Star on Monday.

Nick Vandergragt, a night time talk show host for CFRA in Ottawa, criticized her and fellow MPP Jack MacLaren on Facebook for marching in Toronto’s Pride Parade Sunday along with Tory Leader Patrick Brown. It was the first organized showing by provincial and federal Tories in the parade.

“Both of these people are supposed to represent the small-c conservatives like me who don’t want walking porno displays disguised as ‘parades’ in our countries (sic) cities,” he stated in the Facebook posting and in similar comments on his show Sunday evening.

“Did they think we wouldn’t find out? Or did they . . . take the (social conservative) vote for granted? I expected this out of (open John Tory's policard)John Tory (open John Tory's policard). I even expected this out of Patrick Brown. But never these two. If it where (sic) up to me, I would toss both of them out of the building over this and never let them back in. Talk about a sell out.”

Vandergragt told the Star he has one regret, which he apologizes for: saying he would toss them out of the building, which he said was a euphemism for the Progressive Conservative party.

“That was said in the heat of the moment and it’s something I don’t have the power to do anyway,” he said.

Vandergragt said, however, he does not have any regrets about criticizing MacLeod and MacLaren for turning their backs on social conservatives — “nobody likes to be taken for granted” — and for marching in a parade that he says features public nudity.

On his show Sunday night Vandergragt said, “I will challenge anybody to call and tell me what right the gay community does not have that they still need to fight for. They can get married, they can adopt, they can be judges, they can be teachers, they can be anything they want to be so where is this ongoing fight required?”

“They can have the parade but stop walking around naked . . . I am a parent of eight children and I wouldn’t go within a country mile of that parade,” Vandergragt said.

Bell Media, which owns CFRA, stood by Vandergragt’s right of free speech.

“While some may not agree with the comments made by Mr. Vandergragt, we believe that they were a legitimate expression of his own opinion, to which he is wholly entitled,” Matt Garrow, a spokesperson for Bell Media, said in an email statement, which described Vandergragt as an independent contractor who does two weekend evening talk shows.

“We consider it our responsibility at CFRA to present varying points of view, and during our talk show broadcasts we solicit calls from our listeners so that they can express their opinions in an open forum. In this case, several listeners were afforded the opportunity to call into the show and offer their viewpoints on the segment — many of which (were) in direct disagreement with Mr. Vandergragt’s position,” Garrow stated.

MacLaren said he found walking in the Pride Parade “a very positive experience” and was disappointed at Vandergragt’s comments.

“We were never quite as narrow-focused or narrow-minded as some people might have thought. We have always cared about people,” MacLaren said.

“It is our job to represent the people in our communities. I have never had any problem with people who are gay or transgendered in representing them. They are Canadians, they are taxpayers so they have rights just like all the rest of us,” he said.

MacLeod cautions that “no one should confuse bigotry with conservatism.”

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She said she has received overwhelming support from her constituents and from those within the party for showing support for the LGBTQ community, marching side by side with provincial and federal colleagues and loyalists wearing LBGTory T-shirts.

“If I lose a few votes . . . this is about doing what is right,” MacLeod said, adding she will no longer go on Vandergragt’s show. “I am not going to pander to people who want me to hate other people.”

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