A hate letter filled with homophobic language and including threatening references to Toronto’s Pride parade was sent to the office of the only LGBT-identified city councilor, Kristyn Wong-Tam, this past Wednesday.
A line from the letter reads: “Now with the police not at your f_g parade, it makes it easy to hurt you all in a big way.”
“I think it’s really important for us to recognize that when language that is used is hateful and discriminatory, it actually creates a climate of fear and violence,” Wong-Tam said. “It can lead to violence, and I don’t want people to feel unsafe.”
After contacting security at City Hall, Wong-Tam and her team were told to report the incident to Toronto Police, who is now investigating.
The return address listed on the envelope is that of CityNews, a publication that is itself under investigation for its neo-Nazi views and imagery. Its editor-in-chief has denied any association with the letter, and police are considering the possibility that the address was used as a misdirection.
Wong-Tam noted the irony that she received the hateful missive on the Day of Pink, an international observance against bullying, discrimination, homophobia and transphobia.
Today I received new homophobic hate mail on #DayofPink. #irony #stopbullyingnow #lovetrumpshate #Toronto pic.twitter.com/Ysjs3PAncy
— Kristyn Wong-Tam (@kristynwongtam) April 12, 2017
She also thanked supporters for their expressions of solidarity in reaction to the letter in a follow-up tweet: “Thank you everyone for the positive messages. You represent the best of Toronto.”
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