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9 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,S eptem ber 8,2022 w aterloochronicle.ca Building Connections in Firearms Safety According to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, over the last 15 years, more than two-thirds of all gun-related deaths in Ontario were suicides. The majority of those deaths were men aged 40-60 in rural areas. Buddy Up is a men's suicide prevention communications campaign: a call to action to men by men. Together in Safety is proud to be a champion of the Buddy Up program, a program designed to drive authentic conversation amongst men and their buddies. Visit https://www.buddyup.ca/about/ for more information. Together in Safety is a public safety resource program created by the Firearms Safety Education Service of Ontario and the Chief Firearms Office of Ontario. Working with our partners, like the Centre for Suicide Prevention, we are promoting awareness and education in firearms safety and harm prevention to all Canadians. Visit togetherinsafety.ca for more information and resources It's hard to imagine that, in 2022, we're still enduring any kind of hateful, homo- phobic rhetoric directed at members of our 2SLGBTQ+ community. Any by an elected offi- cial, no less. Yet, here we are. Last month, a full half- century and more since Pierre Trudeau famously reminded us that there's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation, Woolwich Township coun- cillor Murray Martin minced no words when re- sponding to a request that a rainbow crosswalk be in- stalled in Elmira. "You can send this letter right back to where it came from," Martin said in re- sponse to the request from the Canadian Mental Health Association. While insisting he was "not judgmental of the way people live and what they do," Martin framed his ob- jection to the crosswalk in the context of its rainbow representation. To Martin, the rainbow itself is a gift from God, having appeared after the great flood and on a prom- ise to never destroy the world again by water. Even setting aside the harmful rhetoric, the logic itself is warped. Claiming that he was "not judgmental" but pro- ceeding to note that the rainbow is "trashed ... to promote a lifestyle that is not correct" by its use on a crosswalk is hypocritical. Obviously, Martin has judged that homosexuality is "not correct." Further, the use of rain- bow colours on the pave- ment certainly does noth- ing to change the rainbow's appearance in the sky, nor does it make the rainbow in the sky any less magnifi- cent when it appears. The rainbow itself has not been co-opted in any way. And finally, by this point in our evolution and under- standing as humans, we should all be able to recog- nize that a rainbow cross- walk at an intersection is merely a physical re- presentation of our inclusiv- ity as a community. This same inclusivity is also re- presented in the many plac- es of worship in our commu- nities where Martin and others are welcome to gath- er and practise their faith. As Martin noted in his subsequent apology, "I would like the community to know that everyone is welcome and should feel safe and accepted in Wool- wich Township." As Martin feels safe and accepted at his church, so too should members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community feel in the township at large. As our municipal elec- tion approaches, and Mar- tin seeks a return to his seat on Woolwich council, this story also serves as a reminder to us about how councils function. Martin's homophobic rant lasted almost two min- utes, well beyond the time it took him to make his point about the "trashing" of the rainbow. He should have been stopped sooner in the meeting. While mayor Sandy Shantz did try to interrupt Martin during the meet- ing, she was unsuccessful. This has led to criticism of the mayor's manage- ment of the council meet- ing, but the burden is not hers alone. In fact, any councillor could have raised a point of order during the meeting if they felt the rules of coun- cil were being violated. Nobody did that. The mayor is but one voice -- and one vote -- on council. Election day is Oct. 24. Columnist Mike Far- well is a broadcaster, MC and advocate. Follow him on Twitter at @far- well_WR, or connect with him via Mike.Far- well@rci.rogers.com. 'HOMOPHOBIC RANT' BY WOOLWICH COUNCILLOR SERVES AS A REMINDER A rainbow crosswalk is seen in Burlington. Metroland File Photo OPINION A RAINBOW CROSSWALK IS MERELY A PHYSICAL REPRESENTATION OF OUR INCLUSIVITY, WRITES MIKE FARWELL MIKE FARWELL Column