Donald Trump, Anita Bryant & Diane Haskett

Crusading Against 2SLGBTQ.+ Rights.

Today, the day of Donald Trump's inauguration, he rescinded executive orders that promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as rights for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and racial minorities. This action fulfilled his promises to reduce protections for some of the most marginalized Americans. Shortly after taking office, Trump repealed 78 executive orders signed by his predecessor, Joe Biden, which included at least a dozen measures aimed at supporting racial equity and combating discrimination against gay and transgender individuals.

Anita Bryant died in December 2024, and initially, it seemed to go unnoticed until her obituary appeared in the New York Times ion January 8, 2025. I remember the galvanizing effects and fear-mongering her ugly rhetoric had on the local gay community and across North America in 1977. Despite projecting an image of wholesomeness and kindness, Ms. Bryant's message came across as consistently confrontational, aggressive and mean-spirited.

At twenty-one, I was a die-hard romantic in a same-sex relationship. It was the equivalent of marriage when matrimony and civil unions were not legal or legitimate options for gay men and women in Canada. The nuances of sexual identity and gender puzzled me, and I did not understand the compulsion to attach labels to everything. Why did crusaders demonize alternative lifestyles like Anita Bryant, who said she was concerned with the moral atmosphere in which children grow up? Anita Bryant, formerly Miss Oklahoma and a white, evangelical Christian singer well-known for her sunny disposition and Florida orange juice commercials ("A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine!"), spearheaded a virulent anti-LGBTQ campaign to pillorize gay men with such profligacy that its egregious rhetoric still resonates. The year was 1977, and Bryant unwittingly spurred and bolstered the mobilization and conspicuousness of gay men and women with her Christian ideology, which inadvertently helped to radicalize gay liberation and affirm it as a movement.

My partner and I refrained from using terms such as "queer," "queen," "fairy," "fag," "coming out," "outed," or "in the closet" before pejorative terms were reclaimed and became about dignity, inclusivity and visibility. When disclosing our sexual orientation to friends, family or broader humanity, we repudiated the hard-core gay identity with its clandestine clichés, preconceptions and stereotypes elaborated and defined by "straights." It would take years for me to embrace sexuality as part of a broader identity.

My mother and stepfather were called "broad-minded," enlightened, and accepting when I announced I had met someone exceptional. After a year of living together, we received tasteful Krosno fluted champagne glassware from my parents in place of a wedding gift. We picked out stunning Medici-inspired wallpaper for our Princess Avenue living room walls and oversized black and white chickens on vermillion-flocked wallpaper for the kitchen. We both liked to cook, and my inamorato bought me an old, beautifully refinished dining room table with two pull-out leaves and six leather upholstered chairs, all in solid oak, to entertain properly.

I was working and commuting weekly by train to Toronto, cooking rudimentary French bistro fare at the Vineyard, one of the city's first wine bars. Returning home, one of Gary's companionable, gentle-spirited Russian wolfhounds did not enjoy being alone for long periods and, despite a calm temperament, retaliated by chewing the wooden dining room table legs. I took this as a sign that something was amiss on the home front. I was right.

When I realized love did not mean a state of everlasting enthusiasm and fidelity, I was devastated to discover that my firmly rooted sense of unconditional love was delusional and my partner unfaithful. It took me years to reconcile my unrequited love, and I refused to renounce my romantic self-deception for a mindset of recrimination or regret. After three years together, we parted amicably. I stayed friends with him and his new partner, whom he met at a fancy dinner party we were attending. They remained part of my extended family...

Who Can Forget London Mayor Diane Haskett?

In 1995, former Mayor Diane Haskett of London, Ontario, became embroiled in controversy when she refused to declare "Gay Pride Week" or raise the Rainbow Flag at City Hall. This decision led the Homophile Association of London, Ontario (H.A.L.O.) to file a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission Board of Inquiry. The Inquiry found Haskett guilty of illegal discrimination for her refusal to proclaim "Gay Pride Week." As a result, the City of London was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000, along with an additional $72,000 to cover legal fees.

Furthermore, the city was mandated to declare a Gay Pride Day upon future requests. The ruling also called for the city to issue a statement acknowledging the importance of the LGBTQ+ communities as integral to the city and required city officials to engage with H.A.L.O. to foster positive relations.

Opponent and Deputy Mayor Grant Hopcroft supported Gay Pride Day, refusing to allow an appeal of the case to the courts because the Council claimed that the homosexual association had been hurt and humiliated by Haskett's actions.

Haskett refused to bow to the Human Rights Tribunal decision. A devout Christian and a lawyer, Haskett placed a paid ad in the London Free Press on October 22, 1997, stating she believed this Human Rights case was unfairly decided and wrong in fact and law. Haskett noted the Commission's decision takes away fundamental freedoms meant to be protected by our constitution. She asserted her right as a Canadian to freedom of expression, stating the importance of standing firm in her convictions. In the advertisement, Haskett emphasized that individuals should be free to express their beliefs, even when they may be controversial. She argued that the implications of the Tribunal's decision could set a dangerous precedent limiting the rights of Canadians to voice differing opinions. Her stance sparked significant debate within the community, as supporters praised her for her courage while opponents criticized her for fostering discrimination. Ultimately, her actions highlighted the tension between individual freedoms and the protection of marginalized groups within Canadian society. It took twenty years, and at Mayor Matt Brown's behest for the city to apologize to the Gay community for Haskett's wrongdoing.