North Dundas Mayor Eric Duncan Announces he is Gay
The announcement was
posted to LinkedIn, though the actual post was in the fashion of a guest blog
post on bronzeandgoldblog.ca.
I have to admit, I'm
torn. When the story first hit my
newsfeed my initial reaction was something of an 'attaboy!' for being so brave
and bold to put himself out there and call a spade a spade, as it were.
Sharing an announcement of something so personal must require an awful lot of conviction and confidence as well as at a
little bit of resilience to not be concerned about whatever crap festival might
return to you.
There are so many nosy,
judgmental people out there that somehow believe they have a right and say in
how you live your life.. It is one of my
biggest pet peeves, but I digress...
Another part of me
however, wondered why this announcement was being so wildly latched onto. It's
been ripping up my feeds all day. So he
likes men? So do millions of other people
~ BIG DEAL. Would we react the same if
he'd announced that he preferred brunettes over redheads? Probably not. Now, tell me that his boyfriend or husband
has an interesting hobby or habit and then perhaps we'll have a story to talk
about (Chuckles).
While it might be
news to some, being gay certainly isn't new.
Not by a long-shot. The fact that
awareness has grown significantly and people are talking about it more doesn't mean
that it's any of your (or my) business.
Though that might just be me. I've always been a firm believer that so
long as nobody is getting hurt and you're all consenting adults, what goes on
in your bedroom is nobody's business but yours and the other(s) involved. As it should be.
I remember joking
with a friend long ago after a break-up, when a friend of mine had asked me to
hook him up with my ex. We'd both
laughed and laughed. We just knew that
wouldn't go over well. I remember
someone asking me if I was homophobic and being the cheeky gal I am I'd quipped
on something to the effect of not being able to fault the guy for liking the
same things I did. It's all about
perspective, right?
To be honest, I've
never really thought about it in depth. Friends introduce their husband, wife,
spouse, girlfriend, pet.. and it's all good.
My friends didn't pick out *my* spouse, and I'm not going to trade him in
based on their commentary, so why shouldn't that work in reverse? It's all about being happy and content in
your own bubble, isn't it?
I guess it shouldn't
be such a big surprise, we can't get through a single day without hearing about
one celebrity or another who has made up, broken up, or freaked out with some
kind of outlandish behavior. With so
many important things going on in the world,
who really cares how many boyfriends "Actress X" has had, or
who saw "Singer Y" with what perceived floosy. Life's too short, change the channel please.
Eric Duncan's
announcement doesn't take away from the many accomplishments he has made in his
life and career. To be elected to
council at 19, and go on to being Mayor at 22 having defeated the incumbent
two-term mayor with a whopping 72% of the vote.
He went on to become the youngest warden in SD&G's 162 year
history.
He was born at
Winchester Hospital and has lived in North Dundas his entire life. He'd later
purchase his first home in Winchester.
He currently serves
as Mayor for the Township of North Dundas, and served two terms as Warden of
the United Counties of SD&G. His resume shows a dedication that seems rare these days. He is an active volunteer in his community.
On a personal note
Eric was born in 1987, I was a senior in high school. Here we are 30 years later and I know many
folks that I grew up with that haven't achieved a single one of the things we'd
set out to do upon leaving high school.
I may be the odd
duck out, but I believe that it is these are stories and accomplishments that we ought to be talking about.
I read somewhere
this week that this was to be Eric's last year as Mayor. I don't know what the future holds for him,
but you can bet it will be filled with determination and enthusiasm.
No comments:
Post a Comment