AMARANTH, Ont. — Residents and politicians in a southern Ontario community are calling for the town's mayor to resign over his comments about the LGBTQ community.
Amaranth, Ont., Mayor Bob Currie's comments came toward the end of a council meeting last week, in response to a letter from a resident asking why the Pride flag wasn't being flown at town hall.
"If everybody was either lesbian or homosexual, this would be the last generation on Earth, because two homosexuals cannot produce offspring," Currie said, according to a recording of the meeting.
"So why would I want to support something when this could be the last generation on Earth? I'm not going to go there."
Jim Waddington, who organizes the Pride street festival in nearby Orangeville, Ont., said the mayor should be removed from office.
"Unfortunately his comments lead to bigotry," said Waddington, who was among more than 4,300 to sign an online petition calling for Currie's removal from office as of Thursday evening.
"It's just unfathomable that someone would talk this way and not acknowledge it," said Waddington, adding that Currie hadn't shown remorse for his words.
Waddington said Currie's comments did not represent the wider population of Dufferin County, which he said is supportive and inclusive of the local LGBTQ community.
He said there had been many messages of support from locals and people in surrounding areas since the petition went up.
The town's deputy mayor, Chris Gerrits, called Currie's comments "disconcerting" and "disgusting" and said he regrets not calling them out on the spot.
"Obviously hindsight being 20/20, I wish that I said something," Gerrits said in an interview, noting the meeting continued as normal for five to 10 minutes after the mayor's comments.
"But to be honest ... his comments were so offensive, I was quite shocked. I know that's not an excuse, but that's what happened."
Gerrits said council will meet again on Friday to try to agree to fly the Pride flag for the last weekend of June.
A virtual Pride party is set to take place on Saturday in lieu of the usual parade in Orangeville because of physical distancing requirements during COVID-19.
Currie did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday, although he told CTV Barrie on Wednesday that he did not regret the comments.
"If I hurt somebody, that's their problem, not mine," Currie told CTV.
— by Salmaan Farooqui in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2020
The Canadian Press