Rob Ford Wages War on Gay Pride Flag at City Hall

Toronto mayor disapproves of Olympic show of solidarity
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 13, 2014 12:03 AM CST
Rob Ford: Take Down City Hall Gay Pride Flag
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is questioned by reporters in Toronto.    (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young, File)

Yet more controversy for Rob Ford, but no crack cocaine, drunken rants, or jailhouse beatings involved this time: The Toronto mayor has been accused of homophobia over his push to get a gay pride flag in front of City Hall taken down and replaced with a Canadian one, reports the National Post, which notes that the rainbow flag to support gay rights in Russia during the Olympics is on a courtesy flagpole used to display flags from different nations and organizations. There are numerous Canadian flags on display in the same square.

But Ford—who said last week that he would never attend the city's annual gay pride parade because "I'm not going to change the way I am"—insists that a Canadian flag should be on the pole to support the country's athletes, reports the Toronto Sun. "I have done everything I can to get the Canadian flag back up where it should be to represent all Canadians whether they are gay or straight—to me it is irrelevant," he told reporters yesterday, claiming he had received an "overwhelming" number of calls of support. Officials say Ford doesn't have the power to have the flag taken down and it is going to stay where it is. (More Rob Ford stories.)

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