Good and bad news on bigotry front

Three different articles in Thursday’s front section of the Star gave me both reason to hope and reason for great despair.

“Agent of change room,” about Jesse Thompson, the transgender young man who plays hockey and finally has the right to use the dressing room appropriate to his identified gender, gave me reason to hope. According to the article, the Ontario Junior Hockey League is going to do some sensitivity training amongst its coaches. Hockey has come a long way.

But two other articles indicate that bigotry is alive and thriving amongst some. Kellie Leitch, a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, has unleashed a maelstrom of potential racism amongst her party, asking for other candidates to respond. Some have responded negatively.

However, at least two have not responded at all, indicating to me, at least, that there is a recognition that within the party rank and file are those who believe in “Canadian values” and the exclusion of those who do not share those values — meaning, of course, immigrants and particularly those from Islamic countries.

Finally, Bob Hepburn’s article reporting on the book by John Laschinger explaining why Olivia Chow lost the mayoralty election suggests that amongst the right-wing (supporters of the Ford family), racist, misogynistic and anti-immigration sentiments were (and presumably still are) strong.

I think before we criticize Americans who support Donald Trump, we really need to look at ourselves very closely. While there is change in the air, there are those who will oppose it with all the vitriol they can muster. Stephen Bloom, Toronto