Monday October 18 was an exciting evening for Toronto’s politically minded queers. Toronto mayoral candidate George Smitherman held a last-minute meet-and-greet with Toronto’s LGBT community to press the flesh and have an opportunity to speak to Toronto queers about issues of equality, human rights and the cultural mosaic that is our fair city. He was very warmly received and seemed to galvanize the crowd who cheered and shouted his name. It was a good night for George. Read the full story

Last night I was a part of history. After the Mayoral Debate at the 519 Community Centre I attended the LGBTA Meet and Greet with George Smitherman and Justin Trudeau at Fire on the East Side with my long time friend Cat. I have to be honest. I don’t know much about politics. I don’t know much about the stances and policies Mr. Smitherman holds. But what I do know is he’s an openly gay man running for the highest government position in the biggest city in Canada – Toronto. He is a gay politician who has a crazy amazing shot at winning. I have never seen this and didn’t think I’d see this for at least another 2 decades.

The mood in the room last night was purple. The colour flooded in like oxygen. There was this constant buzz of excitement and hope surrounding me. A sea of smiles when George took the stage. His words were inspiring even though the only line I remembered was “We can’t take this for granted”. I was too caught up in the energy and emotion covering me like a blanket. After George spoke it was Justin Trudeau’s turn. He was here to show his support for the power of purple – the power of George.

I had heard from many people that Justin was a looker. “Gorgeous!” my mother blurted on the phone. “Very handsome”, Nana quipped. I’d seen pictures and to be honest didn’t take much notice. I mistook a text message Shaun Proulx sent me referring to Justin Trudeau as “JT”. “Justin Timberlake is coming to the meet & greet!?” I immediately asked. “Homo” was the reply. But when this man walked into the room and shook everybody’s hand, including mine (he held mine much longer than others, if I remember correctly…) Timberlake no longer existed, time stopped and my breath was literally stolen from me. The eyes of the ocean, hair of a  Dolce and Gabbana model and body of an Olympian. A tall drink of water is an understatement.

Out of luck, Cat and I were pushed to the front of the stage for the speeches. I later heard that our mouths were hanging open while Justin spoke. I didn’t care. As gorgeous as Trudeau is, his words were eloquent and energetic. He believes in George Smitherman because George Smitherman wants to unite the city. He doesn’t believe in tearing people apart, he wants to bring us together. Let’s stop getting angry and start believing in our future as a united city. Toronto is a mosaic. George recognizes this. George believes in this. I recognize this. I believe in him. I’m voting for him. The power of purple!

Smitherman & Trudeau

I can count on one hand the times in my life that I have felt the urge to mobilize and get involved in a political situation.  The first happened when I was living in L.A..  Bush was running against Gore.  The lines were deeply drawn in the sand and each person represented a very different ideology.  The weeks and days leading up to the vote were tense and the entire nation was glued to the news stations watching as they two raced to the finish line.  Then, four years later, when Bush ran against Kerry a similar fascination occurred.  Only this time, when the tallies were counted, everyone rolled their eyes and braced for the worst.

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Promises. Promises. Torontonians will be going to the polls in October to elect a new mayor. Leading up to the election, we’ve heard a lot of accusations, allegations, name calling and even some supposed foul language. What we, the constituents, really need to hear is a clear-cut mandate from each candidate. I’m hoping to help cut through the clutter and give you a high-level overview of each candidate’s mandate. Please note, I have not included all candidates. You can source out any platforms of candidates not mentioned. In no particular order of importance, here are the promises of five hopefuls…let’s see who keeps them if elected mayor of Toronto: Read the full story

We’re still a few months away from the polls but Toronto’s race for mayor is heating up—and so is the rhetoric. This week, mayoral hopeful Rob Ford put his foot in it once again by making rather alarming statements about the relationship between cars and bicycles. Suffice to say, he managed to offend quite a few two-wheelers.

Ford is famous for speaking his mind—apparently without thinking first, though. Probably his coup de grace was his opinion about the spread of AIDS. It went something like this: “If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn’t get AIDS probably, that’s bottom line.” Read the full story

Yes, this is my second piece about George Smitherman in a week…I promise I’ll write about other Toronto mayoral candidates once they make themselves known.

I was reading the Globe & Mail this weekend and saw a front-page picture teasing an article about our George that made me, well, cringe. It’s a shot of him looking wistfully off into the distance while cradling his cat in his arms. The text accompanying the photo read: “What, me furious? Smitherman turns kitten.” Hmmmm.

I opened to the section where the article appeared and saw the same picture with the text: “Friends say George Smitherman has mellowed with marriage. Pundits notice a softer side emerging. It might be love, or maybe the mayoral candidate is planning to make nice at City Hall.” Cringe. Read the full story

You may have read here a few months ago where I wrote about George Smitherman possibly throwing his hat in the ring for mayor of Toronto in the big race next year. Well, today Smitherman has announced his intention of being Toronto’s next mayor.

Smitherman will resign his posts with the McGuinty government including Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. Smitherman also held the position of Ontario Health Minister.

Right now Smitherman is the front-runner to be Toronto mayor

This move makes Smitehrman the front-runner for Mayor since no one has else has committed to the race. There have been a few people who have expressed interest but have yet to make it official. It’s expected John Tory a long-time political rival of Smitherman – will seek Toronto’s highest office. Also, as I wrote here a couple of months ago, former Winnipeg mayor Glenn Murray has put out feelers for the job. Read the full story

Well, since last I wrote about this, the political landscape has shifted. Current Mayor David Miller has announced he will not be seeking a third term in office. Prognosticators and pundits have been weighing in on Miller’s legacy – and who will succeed him.

I reported recently that George Smitherman (current deputy premier and Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure) had made some noise about possibly running for the coveted office. Since then, Smitherman has been coy about his intentions, saying only that he is exploring the idea. Read the full story

Toronto mayor David Miller is not doing well in the polls these days. Most blame his handling (or lack thereof) of the recent CUPE strike that left mountains of garbage piled up around the city, babies without daycare and other city services suspended while he seemingly naval-gazed.

Now, news media are reporting there is a possible contender for Toronto mayor in the next civic elections: MPP, Deputy Premier and all around gay man George Smitherman. Smitherman will most likely do much better with the polls than Miller. Read the full story