Brody's Notes... Canadian Politician: No Reason For Any Political To Remain Closeted

Toronto MPP Glen Murray

By Brody Levesque | TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA -- The suicide of 15 year old Jamie Hubley last month- the Ottawa teenager who had suffered from being bullied- has renewed a fierce and politically charged debate in Canadian society: Do public figures, as role models for youth, have a responsibility to out themselves? More so, do teens struggling with their sexual orientation really want politicians as role models? Who would be of more significance to a struggling LGBTQ teen, an openly gay Member of Parliament or Lady Gaga?

For one politician at least, Toronto MPP Glen Murray, there's no reason why gay politicians should feel the need to remain closeted in 2011. Murray is a Liberal member of the Ontario legislature for Toronto Centre and is a former mayor of the city of Winnipeg, in fact, he was the first openly gay mayor of a large North American city. Murray who begun his political career in 1989, has always been very open about his sexual orientation, however, some argue he's the exception, not the rule.
When he was running for reelection earlier this year, Murray announced to a group of his supporters as he campaigned to defend his seat, he would defend the civility and dignity of LGBTQ people.

"Growing up as gay, I heard every ugly homophobic thing you can think of. I will stand up against every Tory that tries to take our rights away because that’s all they ever do."

Murray prides himself on being that exception and believes that he is indeed a role model for teens.

Prior to his entering politics, Murray was active in human rights and community healthcare issues. Murray helped run a successful campaign to include sexual orientation in the Manitoba Human Rights Code. He also helped to establish Winnipeg's Village Clinic, the first integrated community based prevention, care, and treatment centre for HIV/AIDS in Canada. Later on as the Clinic's Director of Prevention and Outreach programs, he tasked the volunteers and staff to be more street involved to assist homeless people at high risk for HIV infection. 

He was also a founding member of the Canadian AIDS Society working with the World Health Organization that led to implementation of an international strategy for community-based HIV prevention initiatives.

Murray is not alone in his thinking. As funeral services for Jamie Hubley were occurring, a group of Conservative MPs, including the Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and the Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose, all helped to create a YouTube video offering bullied teenagers a message of support. It was their contribution to the "It Gets Better" viral video campaign created by Seattle columnist Dan Savage and his husband in the Fall of 2010 in reaction to a series of well publicised LGBTQ adolescent suicides in the United States.

Although well-intentioned, the Tories' effort drew cries of hypocrisy from some, including Savage, himself who pointed out that the Tory party's track record on LGBTQ Equality Rights is fairly dismal.

Canadian comedian Rick Mercer waded into the uproar over the Tory video with his own video rant, criticising the MPs. However, he failed to acknowledge that he himself, is gay.

"If you're gay and you're in public life, I'm sorry, you don't have to run around with a pride flag and bore everyone, but you can't be invisible, not anymore," Mercer said in his viral video.

In an interview with Postmedia News, Mercer said he's not looking to "out" anybody.

"I know everyone's circumstances are different," he said. "There are reasons why people are quiet about their sexuality - like they could be fired, for God's sakes."

However, Mercer said it certainly would help gay youth who are feeling vulnerable, to have more role models.

"One of the advantages of being public is that you are visible, and that certainly is noticed by young people," he said.

The criticism, though, cuts both ways, as Mercer quickly found out after his rant, with some accusing him of hypocrisy.

"Why didn't Rick Mercer mention that he's gay while he was pontificating about how public folk should come out of the closet? Musta forgot," wrote one Twitter user from Frank Magazine, a news and satire magazine in Halifax.

Although he said he's never hidden the fact that he is gay, Mercer admitted it's something he could have been more open about in the past. He said he had professional concerns discussing his sexual orientation in the media could affect his career as a political commentator, that viewers would assume he was a "leftie. I guess I had one foot in the closet and one foot out of the closet."

As he gradually became more open about it, Mercer said he had a lot of positive feedback from gay teens. Hubley's death brought the issue to the forefront again, he said. ~ Canada Post Media