First in a series

I have been given a challenge: define a Canadian prophetic vision to mesh with Tikkun’s prophetic voice. My next series of posts will explore that challenge. In this post I will discuss the politics of sexuality, specifically GLBT pride.

The Natonal Post says: Gay Pride Isn’t Political Anymore.

I want to set a context to help international readers understand the opinion of Canada’s National Post newspaper, one of two nationally circulated newspapers in Canada.

The Canadian head of state, Michaelle Jean, is a black woman who speaks English, French and Creole. She is originally from Haiti. Our previous governor-general, Adrienne Clarkson, is Chinese and born inHong Kong. Three of the last six governors-general were women. Four of the last six were ethnic Canadians — black, Chinese, and Ukranian.

The politics of race in Canada most certainly exists — but there is nothing noteworthy at all in having either a female or an ethnic head of state. This idea, what the Nat Post calls “tolerance”, a word I dislike, has germinated in Canada for the better part of two generations and is applicable now to the politics of sexuality.

The Nat Post is usually “small c” conservative. Let’s now look at the Nat Post’s recent editorial opinion on thefunding controversy with respect to Toronto’s Gay Pride parade. Emphasis,wherever it occurs, is mine.

“The sad thing about the minor controversy… is that we do not yet live in the future we all know is coming — the future in which the tolerated presence of alternative sexualities in our culture is no big deal; maybe even not enough of a big deal to be worth holding a parade about. We are, perhaps, about halfway there today.

“… organizers have learned that they are defeating their own ultimate purpose if they act to exclude people from a festival of inclusiveness. And in turn, the city, for the most part,regards the festival as a … greatness credential. At the very least, it’s a hell of a draw.

“The federal government is right to reconsider what events receive funding… . But the Pride Parade in Toronto is … popular, nondestructive, colourful, fun and a legitimately huge earner for the downtown economy.

“Saskatchewan MP Brad Trost has a hypothetical point when he argues that “Canadian taxpayers, even non-social-conservative ones, don’t want their tax dollars to go to events that are polarizing…” His criterion is … sound …; it just doesn’t happen to apply to the Toronto Pride events anymore.

“… Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth says that opposition within the caucus was limited to Mr. Trost himself and a few others… .”

The Nat Post concludes its editorial by quoting Monte Solberg, a former member of the Conservative government: It would be ideal, he says, to “let everyone raise their own money to hold their parades and the police can be there to make sure that most of the people keep on most of their clothes most of the time.”

The alternative, he concludes, is “you can either scrap all grants for all parades, or you can fund the thing like you always have and devote your efforts to fixing … other things that really do make a difference.”

It was perhaps 15 years ago that Congregation Or Shalom in Vancouver entered the Vancouver Pride parade. I vehemently opposed this because I felt that it would put Or Shalom outside Vancouver’s mainstream Jewish community. I was an idiot.

Within a month of being in Pride the new members began to show up. I met some amazing people and learned some amazing lessons.

I will, G!d Willing, be marching in Ottawa’s Pride parade this year. I marched in Montreal’s twice.

I am considered a “straight ally”. I was told this by a young man I’ll call Yo, who came out to me at an Orthodox synagogue in Winnipeg. Yo had overheard me give an halakhic (legal) opinion that gay marriage is not the problem from a Jewish legal perspective.

Gay divorce is the issue, because marriage is a contractual act. The question becomes will you find a Beth Din (Jewish court) to recognise the marriage contract as valid, threby allowing its termination?

The answer is now Yes. The Beth Din Tzedeq U’Mishpat — the Jewish Courts of Social Justice — will do so. I can’t say for certain but I’m reasonably sure that the Bedatz Umi will be the first Beth Din in the world to do so.

It’s about time.

My next Prophetic Voice article will concern the politics of medicare.

IN REPLY: Dave Belden and Peter Marmorek both made interesting comments about ethnicity that were teaching moments for me. Thank you both!

Dave asks “aren’t all Canadians ethnics?” The Canadian census allows four possible responses to origin — English, French, First Nations or country of origin. It also lets Jews identify by both religion and ethnicity — and the numbers for each differ. Clearly, many Jews prefer to think of themselves ethnically either with or without religious identification. Furthermore, the census now permits one to identify as “Canadian”. This muddies the waters considerably and is, in my opinion, an overtly political move to limit the funding available to multicultural NGOs.

Peter tells the story of taking his French friend Erique wanting to visit the Beaches, a gentrified part of Toronto. “I winced,” he writes, “and opined that I … preferred Toronto’s more ethnic areas…” Erique replied “But Peter, you forget that for me, Wasp is ethnic”.

Very true, and having lived in Montreal for eight years you’d think I realised that.