HATE DIRECTED at GAY COMMUNITY
HATE DIRECTED at GAY COMMUNITY
Today in the Vancouver Sun, in section D8 written by Douglas Todd, Balwant Singh Gill, a prominent Sikh member and spokesperson for 39 Sikh temples states " I hate Homosexuality and it's Unnatural and they can't produce kids".
This comment from Mr Gill is truly offensive and must be rejected.
How would he or any Sikh for that matter like it if non-believers of Sikhism suddenly began stating publicly that they hated Sikhs?
The comments by Mr Balwant Gill must be repudiated and he must step-down from his post as spokesperson of Sikh temples. Moreover, I hope every Sikh temple that is associated with Mr. Balwant Singh Gill offer an apology to Vancouver's well respected GLBT community.
Further, I call on the Vancouver Police Department and RCMP to investigate Mr. Balwant Singh Gill for directing public hate toward the gay community. He can't be allowed to stand behind freedom of speech and religion rights, without any repercussions.
Freedom of speech is one thing but to incite hate toward a group which the comments of Balwant Singh Gill does, is highly inappropriate and offensive in our multi-cultural society.
I ask other groups of faith to stand in solidarity with the Gay Community on this issue.
I call on the queer community to denounce the reprehensible actions of Mr. Balwant Singh Gill.
A series of ongoing protests will be organized at the Ross Street temple to express our outrage over the hurtful, hateful and spiteful comments by their spokesperson.
This blog will keep you updated
Jamie Lee Hamilton
tricia_foxx@yahoo.com
posted by Jamie Lee Hamilton @ 11:57 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Mr. Gill ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT represent, in any way whatsoever, the Sikh community in BC. He is entitled to an opinion, but not to hate. He is IN FACT a two-time CONVICTED drunk driver, and he is not initiated into the Sikh faith, but has hijacked the spokesmanship for many Sikh societies. He is a full-time politician and opportunist.
As a Sikh, I agree that Balwant's comments were reprehensible. We need to create a hate free world, and his comments steer us away from that. I stand in solidarity with all oppressed people who should be free to choose their own destiny and live how they want to live, without harming others.
I wonder what The BC NDP's thoughts are on Mr. Gill's comments. Balwant Gill has a very close alliance with Carole James, visiting his surrey temple many times with her NDP MLas. If you google NDP and Balwant Gill, there many web hits: Mr Balwant Gill says it point blank he is a NDP supporter in the article, I would ask Carole James to get a backbone and cancel Mr. Gill's NDP membership and send him a public letter asking for his apology. I would also ask MLAs Bruce Ralston, Harry Bains and Jagrup Brar to follow suit.
Hon. Glen. Clark: It's my privilege today to make three different introductions, if the House will bear with me. First, sitting in the gallery today is Balwant Singh Gill. Mr. Gill has been president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Surrey-Delta for the past four years. He is a very prominent leader in the Indo-Canadian community and also one of the significant human rights activists in the community. He has done tremendous work promoting democracy, freedom of speech and human rights. I know he's familiar to many members of the House.
Mr. Gill is a man of principle. We feel that his participation on the Human Rights Advisory Council will be a great benefit to the government because he is aware of many of the issues that face us. Mr. Gill has worked in various fields in his life. He was in the Indian army as an engineer in the Bengal engineers group. He has worked in the copper mines in Port Hardy as an electrical engineer. He has been around British Columbia; he owned his own trucking business. Balwant Singh Gill is a good friend of all British Columbians, and I ask the House to make him most welcome
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from Rafe Mair--But there is another concern that my colleague Mike Smyth raised in his Province column yesterday. A prominent member of the Sikh community, Mr Balwant Gill, charged with Impaired Driving in circumstances which could bring a jail sentence, went to Mr Dosanjh to get advice as to what lawyer he should retain. Mr Dosanjh recommended a lawyer from the Sikh community that he had recently made a QC. He had already appointed the lawyer's wife to the Provincial Court Bench
Please note the Ross Street Sikh Temple is not connected to Balwant S Gill. Balwant Gill is the president of the Scott Road Sikh temple in Surrey and not Vancouver.
THe Vancouver sikh temple also known as the Khalsa Diwan Society does not discrimante against anyone. As they have allowed openly gay Mp Svend Robinson in the past to vist and speak at the temple on numerous occasions. A big part of Svend's "ring" case was around his mood when he attended a sikh event days later after the ring occurence.
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:mhs_daQp_-IJ:westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2004/04/svend_had_a_mot.html+svend+robinson+sikh+temple&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=ca
On Saturday [April 10], Robinson attends the Vaisakhi celebrations at Vancouver's Ross Street Sikh temple, where a Vancouver Sun reporter observes him standing at the podium making a fiery, campaign-style speech. With B.C. NDP leader Carole James and some federal candidates by his side, Robinson brings greetings to the holy Sikh festival from federal NDP leader Jack Layton. The reporter observes later that there was no hint of Robinson's personal inner turmoil. He appears cheerful and relaxed as he greets people outside the temple, even cracking jokes.
I am Sikh and lesbian, and I find mr Gill's comments to be a complete joke. There is no sexual discrimination in Sikhism, therefore he is not fit to represent the Sikh faith in any form. I hope this incidence brings homosexuality into the open, since every Sikh leader has avoided the topic thus far. Oh, except for the leaders in India who banned gay marriage in Sikh temples - societal sheep - and a disgrace to Sikhism. I am disappointed at how these people claim to be Sikhs yet are so judgemental and intolerant. SHAME on them, and shame on those who refuse to acknowledge it.
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