City of Toronto hopes to set record with 200 gay ‘weddings’ during World Pride
TORONTO, May 7, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Toronto’s deputy mayor has announced that the city is hoping to break a world record by staging a large-scale same-sex "marriage" ceremony during the World Pride event in June.
Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly and Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam hope that 200 homosexual couples will sign up to take part in the stunt, to take place at Toronto's Casa Loma on June 26. Current record-holder Rio de Janeiro held 130 same-sex "marriages" in December.
Casa Loma
“We’re inviting all LGBTQ and two-spirited couples from across the world, in love and commitment, to get married here in the beautiful grounds of historic Casa Loma, as part of World Pride’s celebrations,” Kelly said at a press conference on Monday.
Wong-Tam, the only openly lesbian member of council, applauded Kelly's support for the "wedding" and the homosexual community.
"We've made international headlines perhaps for the wrong reasons," Wong-Tam said at Monday's press conference at City Hall.
"I think that it is time for us to show a different face of Toronto - demonstrate that this is a city of equality and inclusive values, a city that celebrates all of its diverse communities."
It's time to "roll out the rainbow carpet," Wong-Tam said.
Kelly and Wong-Tam produced a video promoting their plan.
The pair said that the event will be free to the participants despite Casa Loma being one of the most expensive wedding venues in the country.
After getting "married," the same-sex couples, along with their guests, will be treated to a reception that will include cocktails, dinner, and dancing.
According to the Toronto Sun, Liberty Entertainment Group, which operates Casa Loma, estimates the event will cost between $25,000 and $30,000.
Although the organizers stressed there will be no cost to the city for the record-seeking contest, Toronto Council has already proposed to double its funding of this year's Pride event, to the tune of $280,000 over and above the $250,000 of public services such as policing, garbage removal, and street cleaning that taxpayers already have to pick up, because Toronto had been chosen over Stockholm to host World Pride this year.
Pride events worldwide have become synonymous with overt displays of graphic sexuality, including semi-nude or completely naked people parading down the streets, some of whom engage in mock sex acts and raunchy dancing.
Even some homosexuality-promoting journalists have been disgusted by what they experienced at Pride events.
Pro-homosexual Vancouver Sun columnist Shelley Fralic harshly slammed the 2012 Vancouver Pride parade as an “X-rated public peep show."
“When, exactly, did nudity become the new normal?” she asked. “And why is it okay for all of the above to take place in public, where such behaviour more commonly lands one in front of a judge?”
“How is it that a man can expose himself in a public park and, quite rightly, get his a-- hauled off to jail but a coterie of rainbow-bright lads and lassies with dangling participles bumping and grinding on Denman Street is considered family fun?” she concluded.
Contact info for all members of Toronto City Council is available here.
