Toronto Catholic Boards Motion to Ban GSA's

Two Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) trustees are attempting to ban gay-straight alliances with a motion that will come before the board tomorrow, May 23.

The motion challenges the Accepting Schools Act (Bill 13), provincial legislation passed in 2012 that amended the Education Act. Bill 13 mandates GSAs be allowed in all Ontario schools when requested by students. 

Trustees Garry Tanuan and John Del Grande, state that GSAs should be banned because they "promote a positive view of homosexual activity, which undermines Catholic teaching on chastity and marriage.”

“The provincial government is breaking the law by violating s. 93 of the Constitution, which enshrines the denominational rights of the Catholic schools,” Tanuan’s motion states.

Source: Xtra.ca

  Toronto Catholic Boards Motion to Ban GSAs

Rob Ford crack story on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

CITIZENS FED UP WITH FORD'S REFUSAL TO ANSWER QUESTIONS WANT TO CHANGE THE STORY.

Toronto, ON – A group of concerned citizens is staging a peaceful sit-in outside Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s house this Sunday May 26th starting at noon, with the goal of pressuring Ford to answer direct questions about the video that apparently shows the Mayor smoking crack cocaine and using racist and homophobic language.

Fed up with the pattern of avoidance and denial that seems to follow in the wake of every scandal with Ford at the center, the organizers are looking to break the script and hold Ford accountable.

“Every time there’s a scandal, Rob Ford uses the same strategy,” says organizer Trevor Coleman, “Quicky deny everything and then refuse to answer questions. There’s only so many ‘Rob Ford said nothing’ stories that the media can write, so eventually the press has to cover something else and the public moves on.”

This protest aims to change that by taking the issue to Rob Ford’s house and staying there.

“If he won’t answer the media’s questions, then maybe he’ll answer ours,” says Coleman, “He’s always inviting people to call him at home and we decided it was time to take him up on the offer.’

Rob Ford has a history of inadvertently bolstering community relations among his supporters. An all-night council session in 2012 quickly turned into something of a slumber party where community-minded people from all parts of Toronto came together to express their vision for the city. Instead of being exhausted by the all-night session as Mayor Ford had hoped, the city came away invigorated. The organizers of the sit-in are betting that something similar will happen Sunday afternoon.

“We’re hoping to have fun with it,” says Coleman, “We’re hoping people will come down and make a day of it. We all know how Mayor Ford likes to host barbeques, so we might bring a hibachi or two, maybe some board games. We’re hoping to get some music going and have a good time. We’re encouraging people to bring lawn chairs, as we’ll probably be there a while.”

With the attention of the world’s media trained on the mayor, it seems likely that this protest will gather significant media attention, that’s something that the organizers are counting on.

“I think Torontonians are pretty dismayed to see the name of their city dragged through the mud in the international media. Right now every story is about how we elected a crack-smoking Mayor. I don’t feel that accurately represents the city I live in, and I think there’s a chance here to present a different side of Toronto to the world, one we can all be proud of.”

More details can be found on the event’s website:  http://rob-ford-sit-in.squarespace.com

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CNN: VIDEO

A Major LGBTQ Community Summit: The Countown to World Pride 2014 in Toronto

WHAT's the Summit all about? 
The program will include a Briefing and Presentation on World Pride 2014, to get the word out, and to engage, activate, and harness the richness, creativity, input, and the diversity of our community in planning for World Pride 2014 in Toronto, the world's largest LGBTQ event . 

WHO's coming to the Summit? 
We have invited a wide range of groups, leaders, individuals, members, supporters, friends and participants from a wide range of Greater Toronto's LGBTQ community. We are asking each to send several members and/or representatives to a major Community Summit on Saturday morning, June 8, 2013. 

It's an important event and the invitations represent a very broad range of interests, areas, involvements, backgrounds, and focus. 

WHY are we doing it? 
We want to tap your ideas, energy, and enthusiasm regarding World Pride 2014; 
To show our community's strong, involved, and engaged in making it a great event; 
We want to get the message out regarding the plans, progress, and opportunities to be found with respect to World Pride 2014 in Toronto; 
We want the community to be energized and begin plans to celebrate World Pride 2014; 
We're seeking broad community involvement in World Pride 2014: from the broadest possible range of the LGBTQ community, including associations, groups, organizations, businesses, collectives, assemblies, congregations, gatherings, and leagues.

WHEN and WHERE?

Toronto City Hall, 3rd floor Council Chambers

Registration 9:30 a.m.

Presentation 10:00 a.m.

Networking and Social 11:30 a.m.

Please pass on the details and the invitation to this Summit to the networks, groups, associations, and/or affiliations to which you belong. Please come yourself; please encourage several others to join you; and please reserve a space today (they will go fast) by registering at:www.countdown2wp14to.eventbrite.com 

Food for Thought: African Lions are Not a Main Course

Washington, D.C. (May 21, 2013) – Jeffrey Flocken, North American Regional Director, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), issued the following statement regarding the serving of lion meat at restaurants across the country:

“It is extremely worrisome to see restaurants across the country promoting the sale and consumption of lion meat. The African lion population already faces many obstacles for survival: a restaurant’s choice to serve up lion meat is simply irresponsible. 

As we witnessed at eateries Taco Fusion (Tampa, Florida) and Mokutanya Yakitori (Burlingame, California) in the last couple of weeks, and many other establishments over the last few years, customers respond negatively to publicity ploys like novelty meats. Modern history shows that almost every restaurant serving lion meat has pulled it from their menu as a direct result of public backlash. A recent Synovate poll found that 63 percent of Americans would stop frequenting an establishment if it started serving lion meat.

 The African lion population has declined by more than 50 percent over the last three decades, and as few as 32,000 remain in the wild. 

In March 2011 IFAW, along with a coalition of animal welfare organizations, petitioned the U.S. government to list the African lion as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. If listed, serving African lion meat in the U.S. would be illegal.

Restaurants serving lion meat send a message that they promote exploiting endangered animals. It not only alienates their customers, but it undermines conservation of this iconic species which is already fighting to survive. For any restaurants considering serving the meat of this imperiled species, we urge you to reconsider: African lions must be conserved, not consumed.”

IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare) was founded in 1969, IFAW saves animals in crisis around the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals, and advocates for the protection of wildlife and habitats. For more information, visit please visit them online. www.ifaw.org/bigcatadvocates. 

Follow IFAW on Facebook and Twitter.

More: Republicans Demand Vote On Lion-Meat Ban