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You can't make this up folks.
The tiny township of Emo has a population of under 2000 people.
In 2020, an advocacy group known as "Borderland Pride" submitted a request for a resolution that Emo declare June as pride month, and for Emo to fly the Pride flag for a week. Emo refused to do either, and as a result, Borderland Pride commenced a human rights application against the township and the mayor personally.
While Emo refused to fly the pride flag, the human rights tribunal did not find that this refusal constituted discrimination, because, wait for it -- the tiny town doesn't actually have a flag pole.
However, the human rights tribunal did find the refusal to declare June as pride month constituted a violation under the human rights code, because in voting no, the mayor had stated the following during the relevant meeting during the flag discussion: “There’s no flag being flown for the other side of the coin…there’s no flags being flown for the straight people.”"
According to the human rights tribunal, because the mayor had made this comment during the flag discussion, it meant his "no" vote on voting for June to be pride month was hopelessly tainted with discrimination:
"[51] However, Mayor McQuaker’s remark during the May 12 council meeting that there was no flag for the “other side of the coin … for straight people” was on its face dismissive of Borderland Pride’s flag request and demonstrated a lack of understanding of the importance to Borderland Pride and other members of the LGBTQ2 community of the Pride flag. I find this remark was demeaning and disparaging of the LGBTQ2community of which Borderland Pride is a member and therefore constituted discrimination under the Code.
[52] Moreover, I infer from the close proximity of Mayor McQuaker’s discriminatory remark about the LGBTQ2 community to the vote on Borderland Pride’s proclamation request that Borderland Pride’s protected characteristics were at least a factor in his nay vote and therefore it too constituted discrimination under the Code."
In the end, the mayor was ordered to pay $5,000 to Borderland Pride for his no vote, and the township was ordered to pay a further $10,000 to Borderland Pride for unlawful discrimination. The mayor was further ordered to complete a human rights training course within 30 days.
