Cities flying pride flags during Olympics; Support it?

[CMPunk]

Originally Posted by saskflames69

Look, I have tried very hard to be more tolerant towards this issue, but the reality is that I just do not care.

I look forward to the day where this topic is no longer news and we all just get along.

Or you could realize he's just ribbing you for the Flames/playoffs comment

[saskflames69]

Originally Posted by CMPunk

Or you could realize he's just ribbing you for the Flames/playoffs comment

I should have known... he does that quite often.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by The Familia

I don't want any flags raised other than the three I stated. That opinion will remain consistent with every issue on CP. My point is why do we need these flags? There are many issues out there. I don't support one over the other nor do I want 100 flag's flying. [b{Will they change people's perception simply because they are there? No. Homophobes will be homophobes. Racists will be racists[/b]. A flag won't change that. Does the rainbow flag offend me? No. Do I want it flying at city hall? No. The OP's question is do I support the flag flying at city hall. The answer is no.

The integral part you're missing about the flag is that it has nothing to do with changing minds. It's about support. It's telling people that no matter how many people spew hate because of who you love, you're always welcome here and we support you.

Understand that, and you'll be taking a step in the right direction.

[J epworth]

Originally Posted by The Familia

I don't want any flags raised other than the three I stated. That opinion will remain consistent with every issue on CP. My point is why do we need these flags? There are many issues out there. I don't support one over the other nor do I want 100 flag's flying. Will they change people's perception simply because they are there? No. Homophobes will be homophobes. Racists will be racists. A flag won't change that. Does the rainbow flag offend me? No. Do I want it flying at city hall? No. The OP's question is do I support the flag flying at city hall. The answer is no.

Semantics, but Calgary City Hall flies 4 flags. So you should get started protesting that we fly the Union Jack if you care so much about only flying those three flags you stated.

[MRCboicgy]

Knowing that your local government/leaders/elected officials have your back in a time when it seems the haters (for lack of a better term) are getting vocal, is nice to see.

[Red Slinger]

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends."

"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

"The time is always right to do what is right."

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"



Just a few words from Rev.Martin Luther King Jr.

[strombad]

Hard to argue the "don't care/not the time" angle after being reminded of those very strong words, I imagine.

[1stLand]

So is Calgary now officially a "Gay" city instead of an "Olympic" city?

What a joke.

Where's the hetero flag flying?
Treat gay people like regular people. Don't put a sexual orientation on a pedestal please.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by 1stLand

So is Calgary now officially a "Gay" city instead of an "Olympic" city?

What a joke.

Where's the hetero flag flying?
Treat gay people like regular people. Don't put a sexual orientation on a pedestal please.

None of what your saying makes any real sense or actually has anything to do with raising a flag.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by 1stLand

So is Calgary now officially a "Gay" city instead of an "Olympic" city?

What a joke.

Where's the hetero flag flying?
Treat gay people like regular people. Don't put a sexual orientation on a pedestal please.

[J epworth]

Originally Posted by 1stLand

So is Calgary now officially a "Gay" city instead of an "Olympic" city?

What a joke.

Where's the hetero flag flying?
Treat gay people like regular people. Don't put a sexual orientation on a pedestal please.

Like I said earlier in the thread, that's exactly what the pride flag is, to celebrate that you can live life to the fullest no matter your sexual orientation. It is just as much a flag for straight people as it is for LGBT people. It's a symbol that we live in a city where it doesn't matter what your sexual orientation is, you're accepted by everyone.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by J epworth kendal

Like I said earlier in the thread, that's exactly what the pride flag is, to celebrate that you can live life to the fullest no matter your sexual orientation. It is just as much a flag for straight people as it is for LGBT people. It's a symbol that we live in a city where it doesn't matter what your sexual orientation is, you're accepted by everyone.

The following words, spoken on that momentous day by the Honourable Maurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate, added further symbolic meaning to our flag: "The flag is the symbol of the nation's unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion."



I'm damn proud to live in a Country where the rights of all their citizens are closer to equality than almost any other in the world. Why do we need another flag to say what you just said? IMO we don't. That's why I feel it is unnecessary to fly the Pride flag. If anyone doesn't like it, so what? It does not make me any less of a person towards others for feeling so.

Thus is my crux with flying another flag for single special interest group when the one we have does its job just fine.
Like I said in my first post, if you feel the need to fly the flag of one special interest group, fly them all. And I am not wrong or homophobic for saying that.

[Devils'Advocate]

This is ridiculous.

1) The Canadian flag was not taken down. The Pride flag is temporarily replacing the Union Jack.
2) Do you HONESTLY, absolutely HONESTLY believe that a gay child, being taunted and ridiculed in high school, will see that city hall is flying the Canadian flag and think "Wow, they are flying the Canadian flag... Maybe things *DO* get better!". Or maybe MRCBiocgy is onto something when he said "Knowing that your local government/leaders/elected officials have your back in a time when it seems the haters (for lack of a better term) are getting vocal, is nice to see."
3) As for flying other flags - I'm not sure about Calgary - BUT MOST MUNICIPALITIES ALREADY DO!!!! Here in Ottawa, they fly a variety of different flags at city hall. On national holidays of major allies they will fly their flag (i.e. US flag on Independence day). When the Senators are in the playoffs they put up a Sens flag. On Shriners day they put up a Shriners flag. On national autism day they put up an autism flag. See here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimwats...wa/8614181270/

[photon]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Thus is my crux with flying another flag for single special interest group when the one we have does its job just fine.
Like I said in my first post, if you feel the need to fly the flag of one special interest group, fly them all. And I am not wrong or homophobic for saying that.

And as Bunk pointed out, any special interest group can go through the established process to have their flag flown, so they do "fly them all".

Both the crux of your objections seem to be addressed (the Canadian flag wasn't replaced, they do fly them all), does that change your mind?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by 1stLand

So is Calgary now officially a "Gay" city instead of an "Olympic" city?

What a joke.

Where's the hetero flag flying?
Treat gay people like regular people. Don't put a sexual orientation on a pedestal please.

At first I was offended by your post, however it really is too absurd to offend me.

It is such a ridiculous bunch of drivel that I am concerned you might have suffered a stroke.

[rayne008]

Originally Posted by photon

And as Bunk pointed out, any special interest group can go through the established process to have their flag flown, so they do "fly them all".

Both the crux of your objections seem to be addressed (the Canadian flag wasn't replaced, they do fly them all), does that change your mind?

It changes my mind that there is an established process. (Similar to half-masting)
When I first heard about it, I thought it was a knee-jerk decision.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by dammage79

The following words, spoken on that momentous day by the Honourable Maurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate, added further symbolic meaning to our flag: "The flag is the symbol of the nation's unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion."



I'm damn proud to live in a Country where the rights of all their citizens are closer to equality than almost any other in the world. Why do we need another flag to say what you just said? IMO we don't. That's why I feel it is unnecessary to fly the Pride flag. If anyone doesn't like it, so what? It does not make me any less of a person towards others for feeling so.



Thus is my crux with flying another flag for single special interest group when the one we have does its job just fine.

Like I said in my first post, if you feel the need to fly the flag of one special interest group, fly them all. And I am not wrong or homophobic for saying that.

Cool, let's fly them all then, literally nothing stops city hall from doing just that.

I just want to point out the major point of ignorance from which you speak: Homosexuals are not a "special interest group", they are human beings just like yourself. They are not seeking anything in self interest, but rather seeking things for ALL humans. Calling them a special interest group is, in fact, ignorant, and usually a line used by anti-gay politicians. That doesn't mean I believe you to be homophobic or a bad person, but you simply need to educate yourself further.

The use of rainbow flags has a long tradition; they are displayed in many cultures around the world as a sign of diversity and inclusiveness, of hope and of yearning.

Are you a proud Canadian? As a Canadian, I'm pleased that my country is offering a small beacon of support for some of it's people who are under attack and scrutiny. I'm not sure how any truly proud Canadian can be against our country offering support of it's people in time of need.

[Jets4Life]

I definitely support. Russia is currently persecuting Homosexuals. Since a boycott is out of the question, flying the Gay flag is a perfect way to demonstrate against Russian policy. It's too bad the World did not raise the Star of David in cities, during the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

[ranchlandsselling]

Originally Posted by strombad

Hard to argue the "don't care/not the time" angle after being reminded of those very strong words, I imagine.

A bit dramatic for Calgary in 2014, more applicable to black civil rights in MLK's time. Nonetheless still some good quotes that make you rethink some comments that might have been expressed.

That said - and this isn't directed at anyone in particular, just that I've seen comments about gay kids in school.

I'm near 40.... in my high school days there were a few people that were assumed to be gay one I think was openly. Nothing happened to them, no one beat, or bullied them, and that was a long time ago. Now maybe they got beaten on the street or at parties and it just didn't happen at school.

But today? I can't imagine the average gay kid gets that much more bullied then the average other kid. Kids pick on other kids, the overweight kid, the smelly kid, the poor kid, rich kid, the middle class white kid who is none of the above, the fotze kid. If the other kids find a reason anyone is usually fair game (not that I'm saying it's fair).

Is there gay specific bullying that much in school in comparison to other bullying that it warrants more attention? I'm wondering if some of these comments aren't akin to "Won't someone please think about the (gay) children".

And please spare me the holier than thou posts turning this into a "Ranchlandsselling supports bulling of gay kids". I'm generally curious because the protected middle class suburban life I lead, nor the news stories, newspaper, or general word of mouth lead me to believe young gay kids in Calgary schools are any more bullied than any other bullied type of kid.

And if you know of a few circumstances sadly all that proves is kids get bullied. If your kid is gay and is horribly bullied then I'm very sorry for you and your child. However, I think we'd need a school counselor to chime in or a few teacher comments as mom and dad who hear from their kids are probably totally biased.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by ranchlandsselling

A bit dramatic for Calgary in 2014, more applicable to black civil rights in MLK's time. Nonetheless still some good quotes that make you rethink some comments that might have been expressed.

That said - and this isn't directed at anyone in particular, just that I've seen comments about gay kids in school.

I'm near 40.... in my high school days there were a few people that were assumed to be gay one I think was openly. Nothing happened to them, no one beat, or bullied them, and that was a long time ago. Now maybe they got beaten on the street or at parties and it just didn't happen at school.

But today? I can't imagine the average gay kid gets that much more bullied then the average other kid. Kids pick on other kids, the overweight kid, the smelly kid, the poor kid, rich kid, the middle class white kid who is none of the above, the fotze kid. If the other kids find a reason anyone is usually fair game (not that I'm saying it's fair).

Is there gay specific bullying that much in school in comparison to other bullying that it warrants more attention? I'm wondering if some of these comments aren't akin to "Won't someone please think about the (gay) children".

And please spare me the holier than thou posts turning this into a "Ranchlandsselling supports bulling of gay kids". I'm generally curious because the protected middle class suburban life I lead, nor the news stories, newspaper, or general word of mouth lead me to believe young gay kids in Calgary schools are any more bullied than any other bullied type of kid.

And if you know of a few circumstances sadly all that proves is kids get bullied. If your kid is gay and is horribly bullied then I'm very sorry for you and your child. However, I think we'd need a school counselor to chime in or a few teacher comments as mom and dad who hear from their kids are probably totally biased.

The product of literally 2 seconds of googling:

Since Premier Alison Redford took office, the Alberta government has promoted gay rights issues far more than in the past, with explicit support for GSAs in schools as part of its bullying prevention measures.

Sandra Jansen, associate minister of Family and Community Safety, says that because bullying often centres on sexuality, her office focused specifically on addressing gay rights issues when developing the province’s bullying prevention resources.
“We wanted to have resources that were addressing sexual and gender minority bullying…. We decided at the same time to look at assisting students in starting gay-straight alliances. The idea behind that was to look for ways to promote welcoming, caring, safe, inclusive learning environments. From the feedback we got from all of our stakeholders, that’s a pretty important piece,” she says.

Studies into bullying and LGBTQ issues agree. EGALE’s 2011 Final Report on Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia in Canadian Schools reports that 21 per cent of LGBTQ students reported being physically harassed or assaulted due to their sexual orientation, 64 per cent feel unsafe at school and almost 10 per cent reported hearing homophobic comments from teachers.

“LGBTQ-inclusive safer schools policies and curriculum are not the entire solution,” the report says. But, “in schools that have made efforts to introduce LGBTQ-inclusive policies, GSAs, and even some LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum, the climate is significantly more positive for sexual and gender minorities.”

SOURCE: http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/ne...ts-more-11642/

In 2011, Egale Canada released the findings from the first national climate survey on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian high schools11. This study found that:

• 70% of all students hear derogatory comments such as “that's so gay” every day in school.
• 37% of youth with LGBTQ parents are verbally harassed about the sexual orientation of their parents.
• Aboriginal and ethnocultural LGBTQ youth typically experience greater discrimination and harassment than their LGBTQ peers.
• 53% of LGBTQ youth felt unsafe at school, compared with only 3% of heterosexual youth.

Homophobic bullying can range from seemingly simple or benign comments (such as “That's so gay”) to acts of physical violence (gay bashing) or hate crimes. Homophobic bullying often happens in secret. Many youth are embarrassed to be singled out from the “norm”, or are afraid to report it and risk being “outed”, harassed, or re-victimized by an adult. Sadly, 10% of students report hearing homophobic comments coming directly from their teachers12.

SOURCE: http://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/homophobic_bullying.htm

According to recent gay bullying statistics, gay and lesbian teens are two to three times as more likely to commit teen suicide than other youths. About 30 percent of all completed suicides have been related to sexual identity crisis. Students who also fall into the gay, bisexual, lesbian or transgendered identity groups report being five times as more likely to miss school because they feel unsafe after being bullied due to their sexual orientation. About 28 percent out of those groups feel forced to drop out of school altogether. Although more and more schools are working to crack down on problems with bullying, teens are still continuing to bully each other due to sexual orientation and other factors.

In a 2005 survey about gay bullying statistics, teens reported that the number two reason they are bullied is because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender expression. The number one reason reported was because of appearance. Teens are at a pivotal point in their young adult lives when they are trying to find out who they are and who they are about to become as adults. This is why being teased, bullied and harassed is something that could negatively affect a person's self-esteem and view of themselves for the rest of their life.

In fact, about 9 out of 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied at school within the past year because of their sexual orientation, according to the most recent gay bullying statistics. Out of those numbers, almost half have reported being physically harassed followed by another quarter who reported actually being physically assaulted. Unfortunately most teens who experience bullying of any kind are reluctant to share their experience or report the incident to a teacher or trusted adult. Even more unfortunate are the gay statistics that report a lack of response among those teachers and school administration. According to a recent statistic, out of the students that did report a harassment or bullying situation because of their sexuality, about one third of the school staff didn't do anything to resolve the issue.

SOURCE: http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/co...tatistics.html (Unfortunately I'm not familiar with this organization so I can't say how credible they or their sources are.)