As an activist, I have certainly come in for more than my fair share of criticism; being cornered in a club with a finger jabbing just below my clavicle and some beery outraged gay man (or sometimes a lesbian) just letting me know what they think of Political-Shit-Disturbers-Like-Me.

Despite being often accused of such, I am no radical. I am fully aware I operate within a socially conservative environment and amidst what I think we can safely call a conservative glbt community. I hasten to add that is not a criticism, just a comment on the reality of being in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

In the 25 years I have been an activist, I have always tried to reflect the ethos of the community to which I belong while, at the same time, try to move things forward a bit when it comes to our rights. Overall, I think I’ve done an okay job with that, along with a handful of other activists over the years.

When I was asked to join the Board of Directors of Egale Canada in 2003 I was, in all honesty, flattered and pleased. Following my first interim year (having replaced the former Prairies/NWT/Nunavut Male rep, Gilles Marchildon, who resigned to become Egale’s Executive Director), I was acclaimed at AGM 2004 to the full two-year term.

The current Board is made-up of a diverse mix of what I would call grassroots activists; gay, lesbian, queer and transsexual; middle-class, working-class and rural-based; professionals, academics, blue-collar, students and artists.

Regardless of what our opponents on the Right claim, Egale is not a radical group. It is very much an advocacy and lobby group working at the Federal level to change laws affecting our communities.

I, along with my brother and sister Board members, believe in direct action. Many of us come from just such a perspective, but realize the serious work of change occurs not just by storming the barricades, but by the slog work of writing briefs, talking to MPs, cabinet ministers, and religious leaders, dealing with media, and forming coalitions with a variety of groups both within and outside our own community.

Egale is acutely aware of groups like the Concerned Christians Coalition Inc. whose leadership continues to spread misinformation, even disinformation, about a variety of issues concerning our communities. Certainly their comments directed at C-250 (the Private Member’s Bill recently passed by the Senate seeking to add ‘sexual orientation’ to the groups protected against genocide and incitement to hatred in sections 318 and 319 of the Criminal Code) bear that out.

Their leadership maintains the untruth that C-250 will somehow negatively impact on freedom of speech and freedom of religion. It will do no such thing. C-250 changes nothing in either section 318 or 319, apart from the addition of ‘sexual orientation’ to the existing list of colour, race, religion, or ethnic origin. That is it.

So, yes, Egale has some major issues with such groups. I certainly do as an individual and as a long time gay activist. Personally speaking, they drive me freakin’ nuts! However, having said that I think it behooves us to remember a few things.

In Canada we do have freedom of speech, freedom of belief, and freedom of assembly. Those are valuable and crucial rights and cannot – cannot – be compromised. They apply to "our side" and they apply equally to "their side". They must, or they are useless.

Voltaire said something to the effect that while he may disagree with what an individual has to say, he will defend to the death that person’s right to say it. That is the crux of such freedoms.

I loathe much of what groups like the Concerned Christians Coalition represent. I vehemently disagree with the likes of the Rev. Stephen Boissoin and his views that homosexuality is blasphemy.

I have some major difficulty with the assumption that accepting Jesus as one’s personal Saviour is the only way to Eternal Salvation and, if one does not, one will be cast into the fires of Hell, forever separated from God. I resent their representing my God as a vicious, unforgiving, unloving, and callous Deity who would forever damn me because I happen to be gay and have sex with other men.

I wrote about the freedoms that are so crucial to a healthy democracy. I fervently believe those freedoms must apply to all. This action by the "Gay Militia", in my view, compromised those freedoms.

I am not saying those involved with the "Gay Militia" should not have spoken out or demonstrated. I fully support their right to do so. However, whatever one may think of the Concerned Christians Coalition, the fact is they were holding a private gathering in a private space – a ballroom they rented and paid for. They have a right to their opinions, however misguided or incorrect they may be.

The evening was a fundraising dinner for Stephen Boissoin who was brought before the Alberta Human Rights Commission for allegedly anti-gay writings he had written in The Red Deer Advocate. The complainant found them to be homophobic and a violation of the human rights of lesbians and gay men in Alberta. The Commission does not charge or accuse; it merely investigates. Boissoin chose to characterize this as a witch-hunt, and has apparently contracted the services of a lawyer to counter sue the complainant in civil court.

I was made aware of the April 17th fundraiser dinner being held at the Coast Plaza Hotel and sent out an email to those on my list, not all of who are Egale members, suggesting a demonstration be organized outside the hotel so that our voices remain heard. I was not able to organize or attend the demo. I would be in Ottawa at the annual Egale Board Retreat.

Upon my return on the 19th, a Calgary Herald reporter enquiring if I had sent out an e-mail calling for an action contacted me. He then informed me Boissoin was saying "my" demonstrators had waded in to the middle of his supporters wielding sticks and yelling epithets.

My first inclination was to assume Boissoin was engaging in his usual purple rhetoric. I knew some of the people who were at that demo and there was simply no way such an occurrence would happen, or be allowed to happen. Boissoin then sent me an email with the comment "When you called your soldiers to arms, was this your intent?" and proceeded to describe what happened. I spent the better part of April 20th trying to unearth what did happen and soon realized there were two separate actions. It was the second action Boissoin was referring to -- an action neither I, nor Egale, sanctioned.

No one from the "Gay Militia" had spoken with the media to explain, defend, or justify their action. That, unfortunately, has been left to me. I suppose I could haven chosen to say to media, "Sorry, no comment. Wasn’t Egale or me, so go away" but that isn’t how things work in the real world. I was being accused of orchestrating this, and I had no choice but to clarify the record. The more I clarified the more it felt I was cleaning up somebody else’s mess.

The Concerned Christians Coalition continues to state I/Egale orchestrated the action inside the ballroom, and I am getting calls from as far away as New York. I have told Boissoin we were not involved. I have told media we were not involved. Yet it continues.

A video shows what appears to be queer youth, dressed in army fatigues and bandanas pulled over their faces, chanting "Gay Militia here to stay, rightwing bigots go away" and beating drumsticks together as they unfurl a Gay Liberation-style banner. Meanwhile, members of the Coalition are watching in surprise and fear, holding hands, and praying loudly, no doubt convinced they are about to be martyred...I don’t know. Who knows, in a post-9/11 world, what a bunch of disguised individuals in army fatigues who just burst into a private fundraising dinner in a hotel ballroom are capable of doing.

Apparently, what the members of the Gay Militia don’t seem to understand is that infringements of another group’s freedoms is at least a misguided act. If that had been an Apollo Western Cup Tournament Dinner, an ARGRA Dance, or the recent Coronation Ball, and a group of shouting masked individuals dressed in fatigues burst in because they disagreed with our points of view or our even existing, what reaction would there be from our community? Most reasonable people would see it as an unacceptable incursion on the rights of others.

Criticizing the action is not denying the diversity of opinion and styles in our community. I think my own record stands strong on my support of such diversity. The "Gay Militia" was perfectly free to shout, chant, and beat their drumsticks together for the world to hear -- outside; that is democracy. Invading a peaceful assembly, even when we all clearly have enormous difficulties with the messages being promoted at that assembly, is a criminal offence. That by their actions they allowed the community to be tarred with a broad brush and damaged the serious work that has been, and is being, done on behalf of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, two-spirited, transfolk, and queers across Canada is not acceptable.

This action has had repercussions they didn’t imagine or didn’t care about. It was irresponsible, and the organizers need to step up to the plate and take responsibility and deal with the fallout that’s left. Hiding behind masks and shouting does not an activist make. Anyone can do that.

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Contributor Stephen Lock |

Topic Politics |