HUMAN RIGHTS PANEL ORDERS B.C. CITY TO PROCLAIM ‘GAY PRIDE’ PARADE

TERRACE, B.C., July 30, 2002 (LSN.ca) – A human-rights tribunal has ordered Terrace, a forestry and mining community of 13,000 in Northern B.C., to proclaim “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Day,” even though the city’s elected council democratically rejected the event as inappropriate.  Writing for the unelected tribunal, Ms. Ana Mohammed found that some councillors “disapproved of what they perceived to be an ‘agenda’ or ‘lifestyle’ of the members of the [homosexual activist] complainant, finding it was ‘morally and socially unacceptable.’ The refusal was, in whole, or in part because of the sexual orientation of the members of the complainant.” As a result, Ms. Mohammed ruled the council’s decision harmful “to positive, respectful relations between people of all sexual identities and desires inTerrace and beyond and to diminish the effectiveness of any other initiatives Terrace might take to increase tolerance and reduce hatred in the community.” She gave the council two weeks to make up its mind.  The Mayor, lawyer Jack Talstra, said yesterday the council will likely comply, but raised concerns about elected officials being second-guessed by non-elected bodies. “We made a decision based on what we thought was reasonable and proper and in the interests of our community,” he said. “Now we do have to deal with it again.”  To read National Post coverage see:  https://www.nationalpost.com/national/story.html?id={9CD1EB90-5A27-4CA7-9F01-F40678AF93C6}