Issues Pages:
Homophobic Municipal Party plays race card
Sat, 2011-10-29 14:36
#1
Northern Shoveler
Homophobic Municipal Party plays race card
Sat, 2011-10-29 14:43
#2
Northern Shoveler
Gordon World, a Burnaby Parents' Voice school board candidate, broached the subject of hate speech at Tuesday night's board meeting.
The new civic party is running five school trustee candidates in the upcoming election. The group formed out of opposition to Burnaby's policy 5.45, designed to protect staff and students from homophobic bullying and harassment.
Parents' Voice believes that if the board had consulted more while developing the policy and had been more forthright in response to parents' questioning, the oppositional parents, many of whom were Asian, would not have been set up for racist attacks online after they made their objections public.
"Let me show you what your actions generated," World said in a speech to trustees.
"My wife is Chinese. The racist hatred contained in the comments below (has) been fanned by your ignorance and failure to provide sound, non-partisan governance and by not following B.C. Ministry of Education's requirements for creating policy under the Safe, Caring and Orderly Schools Guide. As a result, parents, students and staff had to risk their safety by publicly asking questions about the policy and are now in fear due to hate speech that is directed at them."
This is just so wrong on so many levels. The first is claiming that bringing forward a policy to protect staff and students from homophobic bullying is a "partisan" issue.
Sat, 2011-10-29 16:36
#3
I don't see how they're "playing the race card". It seems they're, indeed, being subjected to racist bullshit, as evidenced by some of the quotes such as "Asian pricks" and threats to protest their "corner stores" (cause if you're Asian, you must own a corner store, apparently).
If the concern of the gay community is protecting people from bullying because of their sexual orientation, is it not ridiculouly hypocritical to turn around and bully people because of their race and national origin?
Sat, 2011-10-29 19:57
#4
I don't see how they're "playing the race card". It seems they're, indeed, being subjected to racist bullshit, as evidenced by some of the quotes such as "Asian pricks" and threats to protest their "corner stores" (cause if you're Asian, you must own a corner store, apparently).
If the concern of the gay community is protecting people from bullying because of their sexual orientation, is it not ridiculouly hypocritical to turn around and bully people because of their race and national origin?
These remarks against Asian Canadians have in no way been proven to come from the LGBT community. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this homophobic right-wing Christian political group planted those comments to discredit the anti-bullying policy and those who support it.
Sat, 2011-10-29 20:03
#5
These remarks against Asian Canadians have in no way been proven to come from the LGBT community. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this homophobic right-wing Christian political group planted those comments to discredit the anti-bullying policy and those who support it.
I agree; it sounds like a "divide and conquer" strategy.
Sun, 2011-10-30 15:44
#6
Speaking from the gay angle, I know plenty of racist gays. I don't want those comments to be coming from members of the LGBT community but I think many of them are.
The Xtra article that interviewed Charter Lau was an interesting piece. The online comments are horrifying. But the piece itself was written with a great deal of care and respect. It certainly cast a different light on the situation for me. I still don't agree with Lau, but there is a huge difference between his language and, say, the crass hatred that comes out of Kari Simpson. At least Lau comes across as the kind of person you can sit down with to have a mutually respectful conversation.
Sun, 2011-10-30 18:57
#7
I am both Chinese and transgender. I have been very disappointed and hurt many times by the comments made by the Chinese community, in particular, the Chinese channel Fairchild TV (http://www.fairchildtv.com/) in Canada, when it comes to transgender issue.
Chinese priests and Chinese social conservatives are always given the front and center voices in any news coverage related to transgender, gay lesbian issues. Its sickening and it pisses me off, so I understand why some of them are targeted.
What I don't agree with , is the racist comments, and its unfortunate that both sides cannot come together to find a common ground.
I feel disgusted that many Chinese also campaigned against same sex marriages, so I am not surprised there would be racist comments against some Chinese people, its understandable, but not acceptable.
There are plenty of racist gays, transphobic gays and lesbians, but the chinese community is also filled wtih prejudical chinese people.
But as far as I am concerned, the Chinese community has abandoned me, they will do that to one of "their own" as long as they are considered freaks to the Chinese community.
Sun, 2011-10-30 19:19
#8
speaking from my personal experience, i can personally attest that this is true in my experience
"One surprising observation is that local Cantonese-speaking (Hong Kong immigrants being the target audience) talk shows and radio phone-in programs in Canada are conservative and antagonist againt gay. Degrading descriptions of gays and resentful emotions towards the gay rights movement can often be heard - both made by program hosts (people who are supposed to be neutral and rational) with strong religious backgrounds and listeners who call in to the shows."
http://chineseinvancouver.blogspot.com/2006/08/chinese-are-not-anti-gay-by-default.htm
(this link also argues that being chinese does not amount to being anti-gay by default, this is true of course)
Recently, a human right bills in support of trans right was passed in the federal legislature (before the may 2 election), i was very angry when i watched the news coverage of interviews after interviews of chinese people saying that giving rights to transgender people would amount to allowing men to enter women's washroom. There were no balanced reporting from fairchild TV, i wrote to the station and they just politely patronized me. Being respectful in a superficial level does not make someone a better person.
Sun, 2011-10-30 20:35
#9
Northern Shoveler
I don't see how they're "playing the race card". It seems they're, indeed, being subjected to racist bullshit, as evidenced by some of the quotes such as "Asian pricks" and threats to protest their "corner stores" (cause if you're Asian, you must own a corner store, apparently).
The person quoted is running for school board and was speaking at a school board meeting about racist comments in the MSM. He speaks for a single issue party that has arisen because they demand that their children not be told that homosexuality is normal and moral. No current school board trustee nor any representative of the City of Burnaby has made any racist comments. The racist comments were not made on any school board website or at any school board meeting.
For political advantage this group of homophobes is trying to blame racist comments made in the media on the current school board and the fact that they passed the policy protecting staff and students from homophobia. They are playing the blame game against people who have not made any racist statements.
That is playing the race card for political advantage IMO.