notable lb >>15505174, >>15505216, Ottawa mayor wants truck convoy protesters to make their point, then go home - vancouver.citynews.ca

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson comes out as gay

Sat August 17,2019

Longtime Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson came out as gay in a column in the Ottawa Citizen on Saturday, writing that the announcement was “better late than never.”

The 58-year-old wrote he had long struggled with the decision to be open about his sexuality, and considered whether the revelation would affect his relationships with family, friends and constituents.

Watson’s announcement came just a day before the start of Ottawa’s Capital Pride 2019, a weeklong festival.

“As I look back over my life, and in hindsight, not coming out sooner was a big mistake on my part,” he wrote…

Watson, who has led Ottawa since 2010 and previously served as mayor from 1997 to 2000, said he was proud of his track record on LGBTQ issues. He voted in favor of same-sex marriage and as a provincial cabinet minister in the early 2000s, he made it easier for same-sex couples to get married. He was also the first Ottawa mayor to march in city’s Pride Parade.

Still, he said he had some regret – and some words of wisdom for others in similar situations.

“But if I can be so bold as to offer one bit of advice to those still in the closet: Don’t feel pressured or rushed to come out, but don’t wait 40 years either,” he wrote. “My reluctance has not allowed me to live my life as full of love and adventure as my gay friends who were bolder and braver than I ever was.”

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/17/world/ottawa-mayor-jim-watson-gay-trnd/index.html

>>15506169

Ottawa mayor learns about LGBTQ rights in Israel

August 21, 2017

One week before the local Ottawa Pride Festival, Mayor Jim Watson welcomed a guest from Israel for a discussion of LGBTQ issues.

Daniel Jonas – a leading Israeli gay rights activist and chairperson of the religious LGBTQ organization, Havruta – was in Ottawa following a visit to Montreal, where he met with the Israeli consul-general and a number of invited guests, including clergy members from numerous religions.

Jonas found that Ottawa’s mayor was very interested in learning about LGBTQ rights in Israel and in particular about how Orthodox people in Jerusalem deal with gay members of their community.

Havruta was established 10 years ago in Jerusalem “as a discreet support group for gay men with religious backgrounds facing the same difficulties with families and communities,” said Jonas. The group has grown, with chapters now established in Tel Aviv and Be’er Sheva.

… we try to promote and change the way in which the Orthodox community in Israel sees us by meeting with MKs and rabbis, doing open houses around Israel – even holding events in very conservative, right-wing settlements.”

The organization counters negative comments with positive campaigns to educate the public, including pamphlets placed in synagogues at Yom Kippur, brochures with names and faces of gay Israelis telling stories about themselves and positive comments from rabbis and other well known people.

…“There is an organization of Orthodox lesbians, Bat Kol, which was established even before Havruta.

All of Havruta’s funding comes from private individuals and grants from interested organizations and foundations.

While in Ottawa, Jonas also met informally with members of the Ottawa LGBTQ Jewish community, Capital Pride board members, parliamentarians and staffers, as well as staff members from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Israeli embassy, for an open discussion.

https://thecjn.ca/news/canada/ottawa-mayor-lgbtq-rights-israel/

>>15506335

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