LGBTory

LGBTory is a Canadian LGBT conservative organization. The group was established in 2015, as an advocacy group for LGBT supporters of the Conservative Party of Canada and provincial conservative parties.[1] While officially open to all LGBT supporters of conservative parties across Canada, the group was founded in Toronto, Ontario by people associated with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario who wanted to be represented in the Toronto Pride Parade.[2] The name was inspired by the similar British conservative group LGBTory, now called LGBT+ Conservatives, which gave permission to use the name.[2]

For the UK organization formerly known as LGBTory, see LGBT+ Conservatives.
LGBTory
FormationFebruary 2015
FounderIsaiah von Lichtenberg
Benjamin Dichter
Founded atCanada
PurposeLGBT conservatism
Location
President
Doc von Litchenberg
Chairman
Benjamin Dichter
Websitewww.lgbtory.ca

Political views

LGBTory lists its core political beliefs as supporting limited government and personal and economic freedoms, opposing despotic governments and terrorist groups that persecute minorities including LGBT people, and supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Activities

To date, the organization's most widely publicized activity has been its participation in several of Canada's largest Pride parades in 2015, representing the first time that an organized LGBT conservative group has participated in any of the events.

At Toronto's Pride parade in June, in addition to LGBTory members the marching contingent included federal MPs Kellie Leitch and Bernard Trottier,[3] Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leader Patrick Brown, MPPs Lisa MacLeod and Jack MacLaren[4] and party president Richard Ciano.[3] Ottawa talk radio host Nick Vandergragt subsequently criticized MacLeod on his CFRA talk show for her participation, although both MacLeod and MacLaren repudiated Vandergragt's comments.[5]

At Ottawa's Capital Pride in August, the group was faced with an online petition, signed by approximately 200 members of the city's LGBT community, demanding that the pride committee bar the group from marching.[6] The petition asserted that "by not distancing themselves from politicians who are actively dismantling our rights," the group was participating in "bad faith";[6] it also claimed that by using the T in the LGBT initialism to stand for "Tory", the group was erasing transgender identities and issues.[6] The group was not banned from the parade, and marched without further incident.[7] MacLeod was again among the marchers, although no other elected MPs or MPPs joined her.[8]

LGBTory did not directly organize a contingent at Vancouver Pride, although the Conservative Party's federal electoral district association in Vancouver Centre applied to participate but then withdrew.[9] The withdrawal was tied to conflicting claims about whether the group had sought an exemption from having to sign a pledge committing participating groups to respect and defend transgender equality rights.[10]

On August 27, 2015, the cross-partisan advocacy group ProudPolitics published an open letter on its website endorsing the group's right to participate in LGBT pride events, stating that "we look forward to working with candidates, groups, and parties of all stripes" and that "achieving ‘lived equality’ – our vision at ProudPolitics – means that LGBTIQ+ citizens should be accepted in all parties and in every walk of life."[11]

See also

References
  1. "Petition to ban conservative LGBT group from Ottawa Pride parade". Daily Xtra, August 21, 2015.
  2. "The 'T' in LGBTory represents Trans AND Tory". Policies. LGBTory. May 15, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2017. LGBTory was founded in 2015 by a group of Toronto Conservatives who wanted to be a presence at the Toronto Pride parade... When casting about for a name for our new group, we found a similar organization in the UK called LGBTory.
  3. Sue Ann Levy, "Important for PC Leader Patrick Brown to join Pride parade". Toronto Sun, June 28, 2015.
  4. "New Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown to march in Toronto’s Pride parade". National Post, June 27, 2015.
  5. "Tory MPP Lisa MacLeod rejects anti-Pride comments from Ottawa radio host". Toronto Star, June 29, 2015.
  6. "Conservative LGBT group defends against call for ban from Pride parade". Ottawa Citizen, August 21, 2015.
  7. "A Pride parade for all – including Tories". Ottawa Citizen, August 24, 2015.
  8. "MPs, federal candidates take part in Ottawa's Capital Pride Parade, Aug. 23". The Hill Times, August 24, 2015.
  9. "Did Conservatives sign Vancouver Pride trans pledge?". Daily Xtra, July 13, 2015.
  10. "Conservative Party sought Pride exemption, letter reveals". Daily Xtra, August 10, 2015.
  11. "Why banning Conservative LGBT groups is the wrong way to go". ProudPolitics, August 27, 2015.
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