According to Xtra, "Adrienne Batra, head of Communications for the Rob Ford campaign, says the Ford campaign itself is not responsible for the ad. Batra says the campaign is "appalled" by it, and compared the reference to Smitherman's homosexuality to disparaging comments made about Ford's weight. "We have no idea where this ad came from. They're alluding to his lifestyle choices and no one feels ill-feelings for his choice." UPDATE: @RobFordTeam (the official Twitter account of the Rob Ford campaign) wrote: "I do not condone the recent Tamil Radio ad. I support diversity & have no issue with others' lifestyle choices. #voteTO"
(Note: Recent science suggests that homosexuality is an inherent, genetic designation rather than a "lifestyle choice", but Ford's heart, and tolerance, is in the right place.)
Rough Translation:
1st Person: Mani Anna, Who you voting for in the Mayoral Election?
2nd Person: [Laughs] What kind of question is this? I am Tamil. We have a religion and culture. Take Rob Ford for an example, his wife is a women. That's not only it, he said will reduce land transfer taxes and other taxes.
1st Person: What about Immigration?
2nd Person: [Laughs] That's a federal government issue. So, the white people can get our vote.
1st Person: I am also going to vote for Rob Ford.
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There are plenty of reasons not to vote for George Smitherman, such as his demonstrated lack of competence as a manager of large governmental budgets, his lack of trustworthiness, and his pandering to whatever audience he's in front of. But his sexual orientation in irrelevant to all this. I'd vote for Quentin Crisp (with whom I once had a very interesting telephone conversation) as mayor, if I thought he would cut the waste and entitlement that characterizes Toronto's city hall (and if he were still alive).
That's why I'm voting Ford.
UPDATE: The Smitherman campaign has unearthed some pictures that turned up in the east end of Toronto pandering to religious Muslim homophobia. This last bit of news is hardly surprising. Conservative members of the Islamic community tend to only express tolerance for those Gays who condemn Israel, but otherwise, have denounced homosexuality in the strongest, most bigoted terms.
I have also heard the Ad in the Radio, which I was shocked … Because Canadian Tamils are progressive community in Canada, but they failed to understand their own religion, Many Tamils think Anti-Gay or Homophobia is part of their Culture, but infact they forget that Gays, Homosexuality is widely accepted in Ancient Tamil Nadu and India on the whole. Few examples I can say is The Only Gay parade of India or whole South Asia is conducted every year in Tamil Nadu ( Koothandavar Temple ) where hundred thousand of Gays congregate for three day Gay parade and festivals for Homosexual people, where all over India people attend to observe the MARRIAGE CEREMONY OF ARAVAN, who married to a homosex gay, MOHINI, ( Goddess Krishna ).
ReplyDeleteSecond instance is very true fact Canadian Tamils in Scarborough worship AYYAPAH, god of kaliyuga, ( AYYAPPA TEMPLE IN SCARBOROUGH IS FAMOUS ) who born to a God Shiva who is Male and Lord VISHNU who transformed into women from Man ( it clearly refer to Gays ). So, Tamils has to be understand the very fact Ancient Tamils and Hinduism allowed Homosexuality in Ancient Days and Homosex are accepted and treated equivalent to God. But Modern Tamils ( Like those in the Ad says, he will vote for a Man who married to Woman , failed to understand the God he worship daily is Man who accepted another Man as his wife and bear the Child Ayyappa and they worship all of them as God ) failed to Understand it.
So As a Tamil, Straight, i am supporting for Homsexual rights, but I am strictily opposing to those Tamils promote Homophobia.. .. Like you and me, like men and women, Homosexual people has right to enjoy all those benefits U n Me enjoying .. If you try to show the Culture and Religion as barried, U Tamils forgot the very same culture and Religion allowed Gays and praised them as God. . .