Article content continued

Some on the left have claimed Ford’s description of Pride as an event where “middle-aged men with pot bellies” run down the street “buck naked” was evidence of homophobia. I’d say that was just an accurate description of what goes on. Disturbingly, more and more parents are bringing young children to watch the parade, exposing them to provocative displays of sexuality that no child should witness. If a politician believes in family values, why would he or she want to be associated with such debauchery?

If a politician believes in family values, why would he or she want to be associated with such debauchery?

There’s also the sheer selfishness of the thing. I ended up in Stockholm during their pride festival a few years ago and it highlighted for me how self-absorbed Canadians LGBT activists can be. Many of those marching in Sweden were from groups that fight to achieve basic rights for gay people in places like Russia, Uganda and Iran. Similar groups exist in Canada and do laudable work, but they always seem to be overshadowed.

Photo by Craig Robertson/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

In fact, the main focus of Canada’s gay lobby recent years has been demanding that taxpayers fund PrEP, an expensive HIV medication that gay men can take to reduce their risk of catching the virus during condomless sex. Experts are now, unsurprisingly, linking PrEP to a rise in drug-resistant gonorrhea. For many gay men, PrEP is nothing more than an aid to promiscuity, yet left-wing governments in Ontario, B.C. and Quebec have all started using precious health-care dollars to hand it out for free.

At the end of the day, same-sex marriage is legal in Canada and that’s what really counts for most gay people

At the end of the day, same-sex marriage is legal in Canada and that’s what really counts for most gay people. It became clear that Ford supports this important right when he dumped social conservative Tanya Granic Allen as a candidate over comments she made in the past.

So long as our politicians are willing to defend equality, that’s all that really counts. Many of us couldn’t care less whether they parade down Yonge Street posing for selfies in the summer.

Josh Dehaas is a Toronto-based freelance writer.