Heroes and zeros
Richard Burnett
rburnett@hour.ca
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Taylor married Richard Burton in Montreal in 1964
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Here is my 13th annual column of the year's heroes and zeros.Hero After giving birth to a baby girl in July, trans man Thomas Beatie, 34, announced in November that he is pregnant with his second child. "I feel it's not a male or female desire to have a child," Beatie says. "It's a human need."Zero David Letterman, who called Thomas Beatie an "androgynous freak show."
Hero Actor James Franco who - when David Letterman demanded on-air what it was like to kiss Sean Penn in the biopic Milk - leaned over and kissed Letterman.
Zero Heinz, for pulling its U.K. Deli May TV ad featuring two men kissing.
Hero The New York Rangers, for trying to prevent further homophobic taunting and chanting at Madison Square Garden.
Heroes The 60 marchers who braved hundreds of violent thugs at their May 11 Gay Pride parade in Chisinau, Moldova; the 35 Pride marchers arrested by police in Moscow on May 31; the 45 Pride marchers attacked by ultra-nationalists in Budapest on July 6; the 2,000 Pride marchers who defied protesters in Warsaw on June 7; the 500 who marched in Calcutta, 700 in Bangalore and 800 in Delhi on June 29; the 18,000 in Taipei on Sept. 27, the largest Pride parade in Asia; and the five million marchers who waved rainbow flags in São Paulo on May 25.
Zero Canada's Harper government, for raising the age of sexual consent to 16 while leaving the age of consent for anal sex at 18.
Zero Federal Tory Health Minister Tony Clement,
who embarrassed Canada at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City in August when he publicly trashed needle-exchange clinics.Hero Sir Ian McKellen, who ended his keynote remarks at Stonewall's annual Equity Dinner in London, with this question: "Where are the [gay] sports people who will brave the ragging in the changing rooms and the heckling from the terraces?"
Heroes The 11 publicly lesbian, bisexual and gay Olympians at the Beijing Olympics, including Australian diver and gold medalist Matthew Mitcham.
Zero NBC, which panned to Olympic athletes' family members and significant others after their wins, for ignoring Matthew Mitcham's win. When pressed, NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said, "We apologize for this unintentional omission."
Zero The U.S. National Radio Hall of Fame, for inducting anti-gay Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson.
Hero iTunes Canada, for pulling songs by dancehall stars Buju Banton, Elephant Man and TOK that advocate violence against gay people.
Zero Montrealer Audrey Vachon, who in April settled with Le Stud, the Montreal gay bar that threw her out last year because she's a woman. Now, I'd sue a straight bar that threw me out. But if Vachon can hang out in a heavy-duty male cruising bar like Le Stud, then I'm applying for a membership at Curves. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. I'll keep you posted.
Zero The thugs who vandalized Berlin's new memorial to the million gay victims of the Nazis.
Hero Toronto-based Arsham Parsi, for founding the Iranian Queer Railroad which helps persecuted queer Iranians find refuge in neighbouring countries. The IQR is modelled on the 19th century Underground Railroad that used various routes and safe houses to bring American slaves to freedom in Canada.
Zeros Homophobic Americans who successfully voted to ban same-sex marriage in Florida, Arizona and California, as well as gay adoption in Arkansas.
Zero Dyke traitor Mary Cheney, who chaired her father Dick Cheney's two anti-gay vice-presidential campaigns but then donated $3,000 to oppose California's anti-gay Prop 8. Too little, too late, Mary.
Hero Norway's parliament, for legalizing same-sex marriage on June 11. Norway is the sixth country to allow SSM, joining Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa and Canada.
Hero Elton John, who said Oct. 13 upon learning of Ben & Jerry's new Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road ice cream flavour, "I wanted to call it Fudge Packer."
Zero Web-based matchmaking eHarmony.com, which finally settled a lawsuit in November to begin offering same-sex matchmaking services.
Zero R&B star Usher, who said in August, "Women have started to become lovers of each other as a result of not having enough men."
Hero Elizabeth Taylor, whose most recent public appearance was Sept. 11 when she went to her favourite watering hole, The Abbey, a fab West Hollywood gay bar. Ms. Taylor, 76, enjoyed a "sizable" martini.
Hero Comic superstar Wanda Sykes, who publicly came out at a Vegas Prop 8 protest. "I am proud to be a woman, I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay. And I love you all," Sykes said. "Now let's go get our damn equal rights!"
Heroes Gay pioneers Del Martin, 87, who co-founded America's first lesbian rights organization, Daughters of Bilitis, in 1953; John Burnside, Radical Faeries co-founder and life partner of the late Harry Hay; Hollywood couturier Richard Blackwell; Yves St-Laurent; former Montreal Bourbon Complex owner Normand Chamberland; and legendary French porn director Jean-Daniel Cadinot, all passed away in 2008. R.I.P.
| " 0 " - ZERO - " 0 " MOUVEMENT DES CAISSES DESJARDINS " 0 " - ZERO - " 0 " |
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Here's hoping you had a peaceful, quiet, pleasurable and prosperous Holiday Season. Me, .... well I'm a pretty loyal person, who has always dealt with the same financial institution; formerly known as Caisse Populaire or better known today as "Mouvement des Caisses Desjardins".
Their website boasts that they have some 6 million members in Quebec and Ontario alone. This means that if and when they take an administrative action that affects all their members globally... well "ya, you guessed it" ... said decision affects the lives of up to 6 MILLION people or families!
As you also know... a little over a week ago, we all began to celebrate what is well known in these parts as the biggest Holiday Season of the year! Christmas and New Years! This year however would be very different for me, this as I was lucky enough to discover just how well the MOUVEMENT DES CAISSES DESJARDINS takes care of their members! Yes Sir, and what a lesson I learned.
Days leading up to "what was supposed to be a joyous and memorable moment of the year", I had called the 1-800-224-7737 (MOUVEMENT CAISSES DESJARDINS CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE) asking for their help to find out when the branches would be open during this holiday season and believe it or not; they told me they could give me as many phone numbers, of as many branches that I wanted, but that I'd have to call the individual branches myself, this to get their operating hours.
With the billions of dollars that this bank makes of it's customers each year... they're unable to tell us what branches will be open and on what days during the holidays! I called many times from Dec 24th 2008 till January 2nd 2009. Nothing! They were incapable of giving me any useful info.
I called RBC, BMO and Scotia Bank also, just to check! They were all very helpful, especially Melisha from Scotia Bank, who quickly gave me the info I needed (I'm not even a Scotia Bank customer). BOO to Mouvement des Caisses Desjardins. Shame on you! You Suck!
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John Ranger
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