Author: Matt Guerin

A few hundred social conservatives reportedly gathered outside the Ontario legislature Tuesday to protest the province’s revised sex-education curriculum, claiming ignorance is a virtue when it comes to their kids’ health and knowledge of their own bodies, I guess.  Decades ago, these folks represented mainstream Ontario thinking.  Not any more.

Director Michele Josue, father Dennis Shepard and mother Judy Shepardaddress crowd at gala event in Toronto last night. I attended the gala screening last night of the documentary feature ‘Matt Shepard Is A Friend of Mine’ by director Michelle Josue at Toronto’s Carlton Cinemas, and later the Q&A session at

OPEN LETTER to Senator Don Plett, I understand from this Hill Times article that you are planning to introduce amendments in the Canadian Senate to this democratically-passed private member’s bill, Bill C-279, An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code (Gender Identity).   To date, you haven’t

Due to parliamentary rules that few Canadians understand, the Senate is threatening to kill an NDP MP’s democratically-passed Transgender Rights private member’s bill when it’s amended in the Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee next week.  This is a travesty on a number of levels.   First, the transgendered and

Tea Party Ontario PC leadership candidate Monte McNaughton I love Kathleen Wynne dearly and greatly appreciate her style of leadership.  I find that I agree with her on most issues.   I think she brings a smart balance between pragmatism and progressive politics and has the listening and consensus-building skills

I want to give a quick shout-out for a feature film I saw last weekend: ‘Tru Love,’ by co-directors Kate Johnston and Shauna MacDonald, which is playing for a second week until Feb 5th at Toronto’s Carlton Cinema. Like most queer Canadian indie flicks, this delightful lesbian romance was shot

In yet another disgusting abuse of power and waste of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars by Stephen Harper and his government, it’s now been confirmed that a laughable “Health Canada” ad campaign last fall – which featured dubious claims about non-existent science and a lot of misinformation – cost we taxpayers $7

This story about Billy Crystal has been making the internet rounds this week.   I thought I’d comment, mostly to post a link to this great article by Noah Michelson, executive editor of the HuffPost’s Gay Voices section, who beautifully sums up the issue and articulates many of my own

When you tell someone they’re not going to be your party’s candidate in an upcoming byelection, that you’re going to appoint someone else if they even try to run, but let’s look at the bigger picture and consider not only what’s best for the party but also how else you

I have been busy lately catching some 2014 films I missed last year. Scene from ‘Selma’ The most recent viewing was director Ava DuVernay’s superb ‘Selma,’ (pictured on the right) which chronicles the efforts of many led by the late Martin Luther King Jr. to achieve full voting rights for

The events this week in Paris were horrifying.   It’s true that the West is currently being targeted by Jihadist militants, some isolated and deranged, some well-funded and trained. Our values of freedom of expression and equality are incredibly important and our support for those values cannot waiver in the

It’s about time!   After months of dumb stubbornness, Prime Minister Stephen Harper finally relented and met yesterday with Ontario’s duly elected premier, Kathleen Wynne. She only got less than an hour with him to discuss the many important issues facing the province and the country.  Harper made sure the

Actor Ellar Coltrane as seen in “Boyhood” from age 6 to 18 My Top Ten Films of 2014: 1)  Boyhood (One of my favourite directors, Richard Linklater, finally looks poised to win big at the Oscars with this gem of a film, shot with the same actors over 12 years,

University of Prince Edward Island President Wade MacLauchlan in his Charlottetown office.(Nina Linton For The Globe and Mail) 2015 may also bring a second openly LGBT premier in Canada: Prince Edward Island’s Liberal Party seems poised to elect Wade MacLauchlan, former president of the University of Prince Edward Island, as

I’m extremely proud that I was able to predict way back in the fall of 2013 that Kathleen Wynne would win re-election with a majority government in Ontario.  Good friends can attest to my accuracy.  At the time, the main elements that would decide the Ontario election were already in

Stephen Harper is being taken to task a lot lately for spending $600 million of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars on ‘Government of Canada’ advertising that does little more than promote his own partisan interests. The latest and most blatant example, chock full of lies, paranoia and doubtful science, is the offensive

Columnists are not reporters.  Facts are less important to them than spouting off on their biases.  They’re not supposed to outright lie in their commentaries.  They can omit important facts that may destabilize their arguments.  But to misrepresent the facts openly should be a no-no.   I can handle listening or

Stephen Harper is proving he can be as classless as the worst of men.   I’m tired of his petty arrogance being described as “competence” and “good judgment” by his supporters and apologists. The man was never much of a leader and simply lucky, taking advance of opportunities handed to him

Poland makes history by electing its first openly gay mayor Wonderful news! Gay rights campaigner Robert Biedron has pledged to ditch the limos and ride a bike 01 December 2014| By Joe Morgan Poland has made history by electing the country’s first openly gay mayor. Voters in the Eastern European

Polly Hamilton, left, and Quinn Maloney-Tavares, both 11, wanted to do a social justice school project on gay rights, but their principal at an Ottawa Catholc Catholic School vetoed the idea. I’m getting really tired of Catholic school board officials in Ontario beating up on LGBT people and our rights,