UPC affirms support for LGBTQ community

CALGARY After being rebuffed by Calgary Pride, the interim board of the United Conservative Party has passed a resolution affirming the new party’s support for the LGBTQ community.

Organizers of Calgary Pride recently blocked the UCP from marching in the Sept. 3 parade because the party — formed in July following a unity vote by the former Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties — does “not yet have clear policy in support of the gender and sexually diverse community.”

On Wednesday evening, the UCP board approved a resolution saying the party affirms and supports the rights of LGBTQ Albertans under the Alberta Bill of Rights, the Human Rights Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and that the board will promote the inclusion of LGBTQ Albertans in the party.

UCP co-chairman Len Thom said the resolution came in response to Pride’s stance.

The party isn’t trying to lobby Calgary Pride, he said, but Thom is hopeful the resolution may prompt the organization to revisit its ban on UCP in the parade.

Calgary Pride did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The new UCP may carry some baggage on LGBTQ issues from the past.

In the 2012 election, a Wildrose candidate’s blog post saying that gays would be condemned to a “lake of fire” helped derail the party’s campaign.

This past summer, a Wildrose staffer came under attack from some party members on social media after he said he would attend Pride events in Edmonton.

The PCs faced a backlash in government over their handling of gay-straight alliances before passing legislation acceptable to all sides in early 2015.

However, the issue of parental notification around GSAs has arisen in the UCP leadership race.