Letters to the Editor / March 17, 2006

Gaybourhood vision ‘unnecessary’
Re: ‘Gaybourhood’ vision unveiled, Feb. 24 I was very dissapointed to read the above article. The proposal is to make an openly advertised “gay” neighbourhood on Bank Street between Laurier and Gladstone with gay signage and other openly gay decorations. I do not deny the rights of gays and lesbians to have a place to “feel safe” in their community. However, I also feel that as with any minority group who may feel they are the “underdogs,” gays and lesbians can be a lot more vocal than the majority of us “straight” heterosexual members of our town. Do our elected representatives hear noise kicked up by the “straight” community? No! Just because the minority groups often make more noise than the majority groups, they get noticed and then proposals like this one get listened to. Bank Street is already a very unpleasant area to walk in, thanks to the large numbers of panhandlers on nearly every street corner. There are a few stores catering to the gay/lesbian community and that’s okay, up to a point. But us “straight” folks do not want, nor see a need for, any more blatant in-your-face advertising or “celebration” of gay/lesbian activity in our community. Why can’t gays/lesbians just go about their business quietly and unassumingly and let everyone else do the same? How many other minority groups are there in our society that feel they need some special treatment? There must be hundreds! Do they all get their way? No! Yes, there will be some who will say I am homophobic and bigoted and maybe I am, but hey, I am just as proud of being straight as gays/lesbians are of their sexual preferences. But you don’t see demonstrations or “Straight Pride” days being held or even proposed. No we just quietly go about our business without pushing our views and preferences in the faces of the others in the community. I feel this “gaybourhood” idea is ridiculous and will further bring down the tone of the already poor Bank Street neighbourhood. If this letter stirs up emotion, feedback and further discussion and letters, then that is good. That is precisely what I want it to do. It is about time the press and our councillors heard the viewpoint of the majority straight community for a change. David Harrison, Arlington Avenue

Gaybourhood vision ‘unnecessary’

Re: ‘Gaybourhood’ vision unveiled, Feb. 24
I was very dissapointed to read the above article.
The proposal is to make an openly advertised “gay” neighbourhood on Bank Street between Laurier and Gladstone with gay signage and other openly gay decorations.
I do not deny the rights of gays and lesbians to have a place to “feel safe” in their community. However, I also feel that as with any minority group who may feel they are the “underdogs,” gays and lesbians can be a lot more vocal than the majority of us “straight” heterosexual members of our town.
Do our elected representatives hear noise kicked up by the “straight” community? No! Just because the minority groups often make more noise than the majority groups, they get noticed and then proposals like this one get listened to.
Bank Street is already a very unpleasant area to walk in, thanks to the large numbers of panhandlers on nearly every street corner.
There are a few stores catering to the gay/lesbian community and that’s okay, up to a point. But us “straight” folks do not want, nor see a need for, any more blatant in-your-face advertising or “celebration” of gay/lesbian activity in our community.
Why can’t gays/lesbians just go about their business quietly and unassumingly and let everyone else do the same? How many other minority groups are there in our society that feel they need some special treatment? There must be hundreds! Do they all get their way? No!
Yes, there will be some who will say I am homophobic and bigoted and maybe I am, but hey, I am just as proud of being straight as gays/lesbians are of their sexual preferences. But you don’t see demonstrations or “Straight Pride” days being held or even proposed.
No we just quietly go about our business without pushing our views and preferences in the faces of the others in the community.
I feel this “gaybourhood” idea is ridiculous and will further bring down the tone of the already poor Bank Street neighbourhood.
If this letter stirs up emotion, feedback and further discussion and letters, then that is good. That is precisely what I want it to do.
It is about time the press and our councillors heard the viewpoint of the majority straight community for a change.

David Harrison,
Arlington Avenue