Minister defends decision not to fund gay arts festival

OTTAWA — Industry Minister Tony Clement says his government had to consider “regional fairness” when doling out stimulus money to big tourism events – and that’s why a gay arts festival in Montreal didn’t make the cut.

The organizers of Montreal’s Divers-Cite festival, which features gay and lesbian performers from around the world, said they were shocked to find out this week that their application for funding under the new program had been rejected.

They had been told by bureaucrats they had met all the rigorous criteria for their $155,000 bid – a fact not disputed by the government.

Director Suzanne Girard had initially scoffed at suggestions that ideology might be at play in handing out grants, but now says she suspects politics were involved.

After some Conservative caucus members complained last month that Toronto’s Pride Week had received $400,000, junior tourism minister Diane Ablonczy lost responsibility for the file.

But Clement said Wednesday there had been an “avalanche” of applications under the $100-million Marquee Tourism Events Program and decisions had to be made.

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The Canadian Press

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Conservatives reject funding for Montreal gay festival

A gay and lesbian arts festival that was told it met all government criteria under a new tourism stimulus program learned Tuesday it was rejected for funding.

The news arrived at Montreal’s Divers-Cite a few weeks after tension swept the Conservative caucus over funding for Toronto’s Pride week, and just days before the beginning of the event.

The directors of Montreal’s Divers-Cite had actually sprung to the defence of Stephen Harper’s government earlier this month, telling The Canadian Press that the Conservatives had never treated them differently. Some in the gay community attacked them for their comments.

They had submitted a bid under the new Marquee Tourism Events Program for $155,000 to add performers and promotion to this year’s $2-million event.

Government relations and marketing director Paul Girard said bureaucrats handling his file at Industry Canada told him his application met all the criteria, and had been sent up to Minister Tony Clement’s office for final approval.

When he phoned to check on the bid Tuesday, Mr. Girard says he was told by a senior bureaucrat that the $100-million program had received so many requests, the government simply had to make a choice.

“We knew that anybody that was to be refused and didn’t meet the criteria got a quick No,” Mr. Girard said. “As time advanced, we became more and more confident.”

Paul’s sister Suzanne, the festival’s director, says the organization was completely shocked by the response. Divers-Cite has received funding from Economic Development Canada for several years, as well as Canadian Heritage.

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Globe and Mail

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Labor Chief Deplores Defacing of Gay Pride Posters

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis issued a warning letter to departmental employees late last week, after posters celebrating Gay Pride Month hanging in 35 department elevators since June 22 have been either defaced or removed altogether.

In an e-mail message sent to the entire department, Ms. Solis, who helped found the House of Representative’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Caucus when she was in Congress, said she was outraged by the behavior.

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New York Times

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Dodd Endorses Gay Marriage

Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, has changed his position on gay marriage, announcing over the weekend that he now supports it.

Mr. Dodd, who finds himself in a tough fight for reelection next year, had already backed civil unions, but had rejected endorsing gay marriage during his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

His reversal comes on the heels of growing upset among gay activists toward President Obama and his administration, many of whom called the president’s decision last week to extend partnership benefits extension as a minor move,

In a blog post posted on his Senate Web site on Father’s Day, Mr. Dodd cast his decision to go all in for gay marriage in generational terms, writing that his two school-aged daughters have grown up around same-sex couples, some of whom have gotten married since it was legalized in Connecticut.

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New York Times

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Vanasco: More on NY and gay marriage

As James Withers reported earlier today, activists are hopeful that the Republican takeover of the State Senate will actually lead to a gay marriage vote on the floor in the next two weeks.

This morning, Pedro Espada Jr., the new State Senate president and a Democratic defector to the Republian caucus …

The anti-equality coalition crumbling (Kos) — NY Times/CBS News Poll

NY Times/CBS News Poll. 4/22-26. Adults. MoE 3% (3/12-16 results)

Which comes closest to your view? Gay couples should be allowed to legally marry. OR, Gay couples should be allowed to form civil unions but not legally marry. OR, There should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.

Legal Marraige 42 (33)
Civil Unions 25 (27)
No Legal Recognition 28 (35)

These results are nothing short of stunning. Support for gay marriage is up 11 points in a single month, and up from 22 percent in March 2004. Those advocating second-class status for gay couples are headed toward “fringe minority” status. The biggest gain over this past month came among Republicans, who went from 6 to 18 percent support for gay marriage — still a significant minority in their caucus, but evidence that the efforts of Steve Schmidt and Meghan McCain are having an effect. If the GOP is to remain an ongoing concern in the future, it will have to evolve toward a more tolerant position on gay marriage.

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