Federal election candidates in Ottawa Centre said health issues are at the forefront of the battle for gay liberation and sexual freedom during a public forum Tuesday at the Ottawa Public Library.
In the past, issues related to queer health have been in the spotlight, from harm reduction to the gay blood donor ban, but these issues have only made a miniscule impact on the the current election campaign, said Marcus McCann, associate publisher at Capital X-tra, a sponsor of the forum along with Egale Canada.
“This is a chance for candidates to explain their position on issues of importance to our community. It is also a chance for our community to share our views with the candidates,” said McCann when addressing the audience.
“Four candidates were invited and I don’t want to make much of this, but we are here to debate queer health issues,” McCann said in introducing the NDP, Green and Liberal candidates in attendance. Conservative candidate Brian McGarry did not attend.
“It is very much like not having the elephant in the room,” said Liberal candidate Penny Collenette, commenting on McGarry’s absence.
Activists in Ottawa’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning community posed questions on federal health policy concerning AIDS funding, safe injection sites and the possible decriminalization of sex work and HIV transmission.
Some the candidates agreed that many federal regulations affecting the GLBTQ community were discriminatory. But all were especially passionate about the Canadian Blood Services policy that prevents a male who has had sex with a male since 1977 from donating blood and the five-year waiting period on the donation of organs from a gay individual.
“Not only is this discriminatory, but we are actually denying people organs,” said NDP candidate Paul Dewar. “There is no science for this.”
Both policies were put in place by “stealth” Conservative governments, said Collenette, who proposed the screening process for donors assess behavioural risk instead of stereotyping.
“As a Canadian, I am disgraced and disgusted,” said Green Party candidate Jen Hunter, who questions what happened in Canadian society for the vitality of homosexuals to be suppressed through the letter of the law.
In response to panelist Nicholas Little’s question about the possibility of establishing a safe injection site in Centretown, Hunter said the gay community should be honoured for their pioneering work with harm reduction, while Collenette said that in addition to a safe injection site, rehabilitative treatment was also important.
But, it was Dewar’s response that solicited audience reaction. He said Centretown would have a site similar to the Vancouver site: “As soon as we get rid of this government.”
The crowd applauded. “Ditto,” added Hunter.
Audience member Jessica Freedman, a transsexual female, said because of her sexuality she is an invisible person in this country who does not have human rights.
“I am asking all of you tonight to commit to advocate because until the profile is raised the health and the well-being of transsexual and transgendered people will continue to be ignored and as far as most of us can tell, who cares.”
Dewar, in responding to Freedman, said society hasn’t come to the point that it should be in recognizing everyone.
“These are real issues that affect real people.”