"Homosexuality 'onslaught on God' from the devil, former lesbian tells forum," blared the top headline on the front page of the May 3, 1997 edition of The Citizen.
That announced the coverage for the opening day of a three-day forum, hosted by the Prince George Ministerial Association, at the Civic Centre. Outside, a group of protesters quietly gathered, including several NDP MLAs and city councillor (then and now) Murry Krause. There was division within the local Christian community, as several pastors, including Peter Zimmer from St. Michael's, refused to take part in the forum.
Inside the newspaper, readers were clearly split on the subject of gay rights and many were very concerned about the provincial NDP government's proposal to make B.C. the first province in Canada to recognize same-sex marriages.
Their comments, their letters and the quotes made by holier-than-thou organizers of that forum would not be allowed to be printed today, not because of censorship but because they are hateful and quite possibly illegal under the current hate speech legislation.
Three months later, Prince George held its first Gay Pride parade. Mayor Colin Kinsley refused to sign the proclamation so city councillor Anne Martin did during her stint as acting mayor in Kinsley's absence and she also took part in the parade along with fellow city councillors Krause and Denise Goodkey. NDP MLA Paul Ramsey also marched, as did members of the Hospital Employees Union and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
The historical record, both in Prince George and across Canada, is clear.
Homosexual men and women were blatantly discriminated against across society, in the political arena, in the news media (and in this newspaper), in the workplace and everywhere else.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's apology Tuesday in the House of Commons for decades of discrimination in the federal bureaucracy against what is now referred to as the LGBTQ2 community was both appropriate and the decent thing to do.
The decency was simply to say sorry for a past error, to acknowledge it happened, to admit it was wrong and to pledge to do better, now and in the future, to protect and honour the rights of these individuals.
The apology was also appropriate because it deals with an outstanding legal matter. The federal government was facing a class-action lawsuit filed by the LGBTQ2 victims of persecution in the federal bureaucracy - soldiers, police officers, diplomats and other civil servants harassed, assaulted and fired from their jobs because of their sexual preference.
The $110 million announced by the Trudeau government will go towards those victims, on a case-by-case basis.
The best part about Trudeau's apology was how unconditional it was. He made no effort to legitimize the actions of previous federal governments - including his father's - that took part in the discrimination. He didn't try to soften the apology with a "we didn't know then what we know now" caveat.
In other words, he said sorry properly, unconditionally, with no buts and no excuses.
Meaningful apologies like this also allow individuals to step forward to show they have changed their views and that their past opinions were wrong and hurtful.
So it was gratifying to see Conservative leader Andrew Scheer applaud Trudeau's apology.
"In this country, we deplore and we condemn injustice towards the innocent, the oppressed and the persecuted," he said. "We must do more to stand up for the LGBTQ2 community in places like Iran and Russia and other countries where they are the target of brutal violence."
That was a big step forward for an MP who voted against the transgender rights bill and previously refused to take part in gay pride parades. More significantly, it sent a loud and clear signal to the social conservatives within his caucus and his party that, under his leadership, the Conservative Party of Canada refuses to defend intolerance.
This is the stance the party should always have taken - a small-c conservative philosophy where sexuality is certainly not the business of government (or anyone else), all individuals are judged by their skills, their accomplishments, their words and their actions in the community and following the Golden Rule, by treating all people with the same decency, tolerance and respect you would ask for yourself, is paramount.
The prime minister's apology matters, as does the support it received by all of the federal parties in the House of Commons. Tuesday was one of those moments where all Canadians should be proud of the responsibility taken by their elected officials and follow the example they have set.
-- Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
