Ontario Liberals elect openly gay leader

[offog]

Yesterday evening the Ontario Liberal Party elected its new leader and Premier-designate, Kathleen Wynne. (The Liberals currently hold the Government in the province of Ontario.) Once Wynne is sworn in, she will be Ontario's first female Premier, and Canada's first openly gay Premier.

She inherits a government dealing with several scandals and a rocky economy. In the polls, Ontario Liberals are currently in third place.

At a press conference, Wynne's said “I’m not a gay activist. That’s not how I got into politics. I can be an example. . . . If I can help (gay) people be less frightened, that’s a wonderful, wonderful thing.”

I have mixed feelings about Wynne's comments. I admire the way she wants to be seen as a regular person, as opposed to being labeled "the gay candidate". But I wonder how much she'll stand up for GLBT people when it comes to things like anti-gay bullying. I hope she's not one of those bullying alpha-personalities who think anyone can overcome anything if they just work hard enough.

It kind of reminds me of my Mom's attitude towards feminists. She never acknowledged that if it wasn't for those "pushy women's libbers", my sister probably wouldn't be where she is - a math professor at a major Canadian university. Mom always thought that any woman could make it to the top if she just proved she could do the job.

I wonder if Wynne realizes that if it wasn't for those "in-your-face" gay activists, she would most likely would have to stay in the closet.

What do people out there think?