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9 Titles
June 11–13 Kingston, Ont. At its […]
When
1976-06-11 – 1976-06-13
Description
June 11–13 Kingston, Ont. At its biennial convention, the Ontario NDP voted 234 to 189 to approve a revised resolution calling for the inclusion of the term "sexual orientation" in the Ontario Human Rights Code. Windsor gay activist Harold Desmarais introduced the resolution. This was the first time in Canada that a major political party had adopted as policy one of the fundamental demands of the gay movement: the recognition and protection in law of the basic civil rights of lesbians and gays. The victory came after months of organizing and lobbying by the NDP's gay caucus. At the same time, though, the convention dropped other controversial parts of the original resolution that might have hurt the NDP in the next Ontario provincial election. These included: guaranteeing a balanced presentation of sexual orientation in sex education programs; guaranteed Medicare coverage to gay couples; guarantees of equal treatment for homosexuals in public housing; an end to discrimination against homosexuals in the provincial public service; and a guarantee that homosexuality would no longer be considered a factor in cases of child adoption or child custody.
