The results of 1,000 household surveys could soon strip away the confusion and indicate whether Centretown residents really want several blocks of their neighbourhood officially designated as Ottawa’s gay village. That is, unless Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes doesn’t like the results and decides to mail out another survey.
If the answer is “yes,” six streets signs could go up next month along Bank Street between James and Nepean streets. The signs sport purple text and rainbow colours wrapping the City of Ottawa logo.
The outcome of this most recent survey might put to bed a tiresome debate between the local GLBTQ community and businesses. Two recent surveys, one in 2008 and the other in 2010, already seem to indicate that members of the Bank Street Promenade BIA don’t want to be branded as being part of Ottawa’s official gay community.
That doesn’t mean Ottawa and its businesses are homophobic. Many establishments along Bank Street already display rainbow flags and stickers in their doors and windows, indicating a gay-friendly attitude.
After all, a dollar is a dollar. A customer a customer. And, at the end of the day, the balance sheet doesn’t care where the money came from.
Special designation as a gay village might actually hurt some bottom lines. Heterosexuals, who make up the bulk of the population (and therefore the bulk of consumers), might choose to take their business elsewhere if they feel they don’t belong in the gay part of town.
But this push, over and over again, for the designation of six blocks of Centretown as a gay village, simply makes no sense.
Six blocks in Ottawa – that’s tiny in comparison to the scope of gay communities that encompass square kilometres inside major metropolitan centres such as Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. It’s hard to imagine that the gay community here wants to limit itself to these mere six blocks as its official village serving the entire city.
And whatever the outcome, the six metal signs are not going to make Ottawa any friendlier, nor will they promote real acceptance or tolerance. Intolerance can’t be overcome by throwing up a few street signs – that can only happen when people are willing to accept that every person deserves respect, regardless of sexual orientation, colour or creed.
The website for Capital Pride, the group that organizes the city’s annual pride parade, proudly describes Ottawa as “an open, friendly and welcoming destination for gay and lesbian travellers.” Indeed, it is. Every year, the parade draws thousands of spectators and participants for 10 days of celebration in August. Interesting, isn’t it, that the parade isn’t confined to six blocks of Centretown?
Really, it’s not about the signs. It’s not about sexuality or branding a part of town as “friendly” to anything. It’s about building real tolerance and respect for people as human beings, regardless of where they live, shop or play, or who they do – or don’t – sleep with. People are defined by more than sexual preference. Centretown is multi-faceted, multi-cultural and far more diverse than one community.
So if the survey says no to the gay village, Holmes and the gay community should respect that decision. No means no.