CBC's Rick Mercer furious about homophobic bullying, wants more Canadian LGBT role models

by Craig Takeuchi on Oct 27, 2011 at 2:06 pm

How many Canadian LGBT celebrities or role models can you name (besides k.d. lang)?

There aren't enough, according to funnyman Rick Mercer.

Mercer may seem like he never takes himself, or his subjects, too serious. But a death has changed that. The quick-witted Newfoundland native became abruptly intense on CBC's The Rick Mercer Report on Tuesday (October 25). In Rick's Rant, he eschewed going for the laughs, and instead spoke passionately about homophobic bullying and the death of 15-year-old Jamie Hubley, a gay teenager who committed suicide on October 15.

Mercer is an out gay man. But many Canadians remain unaware of that fact.

In an interview with Anna-Maria Tremonti on CBC Radio's The Current today, Mercers said he realized that although he is out socially, he doesn't include his gay identity in his work for professional reasons.

Visibility and invisibility is one that is somewhat unique to LGBT people, as most other minority groups, such as visible minorities, cannot hide their identity.

Mercer pointed out that LGBT youth are coming out at younger ages than ever before, thus highlighting the need for them to have role models. Mercer hopes that many other Canadian celebrities and public figures will come out of the closet as a means for helping LGBT teens.

After the death of Hubley, several Canadian MPs participated in this It Gets Better video.

Getting back to the original question at the start of this post, here's just a sample of some Canadian LGBT celebrities, public figures, and role models:

Anne Cameron, author
Spencer Chandra Herbert, politician
Wayson Choy, author
Douglas Coupland, author
Toller Cranston, figure skater
Libby Davies, politician
Xavier Dolan, director and actor
Timonthy Findley, writer
Rex Harrington, dancer
Claude Jutra, director
Elvira Kurt, comedian
k.d. lang, singer
Anne-Marie MacDonald, writer
Ashley MacIsaac, musician
Brian Orser, figure skater
Carole Pope, rock singer
Luke MacFarlane, Brothers & Sisters actor
Jay Manuel, reality TV show personality
Svend Robinson, politician
Patricia Rozema, I've Heard the Mermaids Singing director
Jane Rule, author
Shyam Selvadurai, author
Bill Siksay, politician
Mark Tewksbury, Olympic athlete
Scott Thompson, Kids in the Hall star
Rufus Wainwright, musician

Let's hope many more Canadians help lists like these to grow.

Here is a video of Jamie Hubley performing the Canadian national anthem with the A.Y. Jackson Glee Club on October 12.

Rest in peace, Jamie Hubley.

Online crisis chat service for B.C. youth is available at Youth in B.C., a program of B.C.'s Crisis Centre. A 24-hour distress line (7 days a week) can be reached at 604-872-3311, or toll-free at 1-866-661-3311.

You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at twitter.com/cinecraig. You can also follow the Straight's LGBT coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/StraightLGBT.

Comments (11) Add New Comment
Fancy Pants
Oct 27, 2011 at 3:46 pm
See, that's what I thought was odd about the rant when I watched it on tv. Rick didn't say "I'm gay and I'm out" or anything like that. He didn't include himself as one of Canada's gay celebrities. Seemed like a perfect opportunity to let the people who don't know he's gay, know.
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uknow
Oct 27, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Didn't see Ron Mcclean on the list either.
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Craig Takeuchi
Oct 27, 2011 at 6:33 pm
That's why I wrote "here's just a sample of some Canadian celebrities..."
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Dr Octagon
Oct 27, 2011 at 8:12 pm
...or John Baird
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Mike Puttonen
Oct 27, 2011 at 9:57 pm
The list... nice touch, CT!
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Anton
Oct 28, 2011 at 12:41 am
I agree with Rick's approach. I think the whole point is, it really shouldn't matter what your orientation is. Lumping people into a group like this is the best way to breed such phobias and hatreds, as unfounded as they may be. That's not to say people shouldn't have their own unique identity or culture, but I just don't think the social boundaries should be so rigid sometimes.
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Craig Takeuchi
Oct 28, 2011 at 1:32 am
Anton, yes, it shouldn't matter what your orientation is. However, in the case of gay teens who are committing suicide, it is clear that they have internalized negative messages, from others and from society at large, about being gay.
The point Rick is also making is that being invisibly gay does not help a teen who hates her- or himself, and can only see negative images of LGBT people. Being able to see visible examples of LGBT people might inspire youth to think that hey, maybe I could make it if they did, and might help them to see a broader context as a means for overcoming the tunnel vision of suicidal thinking or self-loathing.
However, it would help more than just suicidal youth. It would help all LGBT people with their self-esteem to be able to see positive examples of acceptance and success.
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You
Oct 28, 2011 at 11:21 am
Fancy, lots of people that follow Mercer's work know this about him. Yes, it did seem like a perfect moment to announce something like that, but I think there's also a good reason to not have---kids should choose their own role models. It also detracts from his message. It wasn't "I'm gay, let me be your role model", that was just an aspect to his cry for support for these kids.

I see the visible/invisible concept as being somewhat muddy. Lots of straight people aren't very open about their sex lives, so why should gay people have to be? It's a matter of personal preference and lifestyle. But it is true that there should be some role models for each case. There is a difference between actively hiding your sexuality and just not feeling the need to disclose it.
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Anton
Oct 29, 2011 at 10:14 am
I agree with both Craig and You. I suppose I could best sum up what I was trying to say with an example : I have a friend that will refer to any gay acquaintance as 'gay', like "My gay friend Kyle said he liked that movie'. Though she has no qualms about her gay friends (she infact, revels in the fact that she has so many) she feels the need to identify them as such, as if they are some separate entity, and that's the where I think the problem lies.

But, of course, we aren't there yet because homophobia is still a major issue, and as such I agree with Craig that people struggling with something they should not be struggling with do need this support.
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MeToo
Oct 30, 2011 at 2:49 pm
As a visable minority individual myself, I liked what Mr. Mercer had to say. Apathy runs rampant in Canada, we are all a part of the problem, not just 'some' people out there. Most of us don't get what our actions and words do to others untill it is too late. Even though it was just a hockey game we watch and cheer for the guy scrapping it out, someone overheard us and will be more leery of us than we ever imagined. We all sit here and read, then get on with our day with nary a thought to this article, till someone else brings it up. Then, we 'might' have a reaction, depending on how it actually touches our lives. Will you change your life-style to be a role model?
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Sean Kingwell
Apr 14, 2012 at 12:18 pm
The main reason I suffered inside throughout my youth was because I never got to see gay culture around me. I lived in small towns, and never saw two guys kissing or holding hands. I wish that the truth of my sexual orientation wasn't only available in bars and the internet. Even though there are a lot of gay people in London Ontario (which has a heavy conservative Catholic influence), I never see guys holding hands in public, because homophobia is still rampant.
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