Posted by:
Nightingale
(
)
Date: August 17, 2019 04:33PM
The Mayor of Ottawa (Canada’s capital city) comes out in op/ed:
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/mayor-jim-watson-after-40-years-im-opening-the-closet-doorExcerpts:
“I’m gay.
“There – I said it; or rather, wrote it. Those two words took me almost four decades to utter, but as they say, “Better late than never.’’
“As I look back over the years, there were some telltale signs that I wasn’t straight.
“As a grade 7 student, I remember some older boys on my school bus always taunting me and calling me ‘’Jim Fairy.’’ And growing up, I was always much more attracted to male TV and movie stars, such as Rob Lowe and Brad Pitt, rather than Julia Roberts or Sharon Stone.
“Unlike today, back when I was a teenager in the 1970s there were virtually no resources to seek for guidance or help, or just to talk. No LGBTQ clubs or gay-straight alliances.
“One of my challenges was that I attended four high schools in five years because of my father’s work transfers. That made making friends really tough, especially moving midway through a school year. And throughout high school, I honestly can’t recall meeting or befriending one openly gay student."
…
“As I look back over my life, and in hindsight, not coming out sooner was a big mistake on my part.
“Most of my friends through the years got married and had kids, and they travelled down a separate road filled with family, soccer practices and their careers.
“Most of my friends who are gay are quite open about it, and many are in wonderful relationships or, in several cases, married.
“That leaves someone like me, who, while closeted, doesn’t fit either of these groups.
…
“Finally, let me conclude with two events that helped convince me to write this message.
“During the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia, stories emerged about the fear gay athletes and spectators felt due to the homophobic attitude of the Russian government. I tweeted that in solidarity with the LGBTQ community, and our athletes in particular, I would fly the Rainbow flag at City Hall for the duration of the Games.
“I received thousands of supportive tweets, but one tweet and my response went viral.
“One person wrote and said: ʺThis is a stupid waste of time. You’ve lost my vote.’’
“I replied: ‘’If you have that point of view, I really don’t want your vote.’’
“The second incident was two years ago when I was walking through Confederation Park after lunch and a middle-aged man approached me and said: ‘’I hope you’re not going in that [***] parade,’’ meaning the upcoming Pride Parade.
“I told him: ‘’I’m looking forward to marching in the Pride Parade, and I plan on doing so again, so why don’t you join me?’’
“He was left speechless and quickly walked away.
“I’m proud of my track record on LGBTQ issues, from voting in favour of a motion on same-sex marriage to being the first Ottawa mayor to march in the Pride Parade during my first term.
“But if I can be so bold as to offer one bit of advice to those still in the closet: Don’t feel pressured or rushed to come out, but don’t wait 40 years either.
“My reluctance has not allowed me to live my life as full of love and adventure as my gay friends who were bolder and braver than I ever was.
“So there it is, my coming out story, 40 years in the making.”
CBC Article:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mayor-watson-comes-out-as-gay-1.5251031Ottawa Citzen Article:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/warm-response-for-watsons-coming-out---
It's good to read that the mayor has received a lot of positive reaction. Hopefully at some point these formal disclosures will no longer be necessary and everybody can just feel free to be who they are without fear or shame, without prejudice, aversion, judgement or injustice.
Maybe just around the corner.