And yet a festival as big, profitable and widely known as the Calgary Stampede gets federal funding. But that's OK, because it's not full of pinko homos, but good ol' boys in big hats and plaid shirts.

What's sauce for the goose, it seems to me, should be sauce for the gander.

It's not clear to me when that dichotomy developed but one can hardly expect the Harper government to condone homosexuality; that's not what they, er, stand for.

They probably think the gander has enough sauce already. Although the calgary stampede also sounds a bit brokeback if you ask me.

Thanks for that. Now every time I close my eyes I'm seeing Vivienne Westwood's "naked cowboys" image.

I disagree that it is OK. I hope the feds cut funding to the stampede as well. These festival/parade/etc's are pefectly capable of running themselves. Your assumption that it is because one group is gay holds no wieght. It is simply an assumption based on nothing.

Perhaps I misspoke... I in no way intended to convey that there are no homosexuals at Stampede. If any LGBT people in Calgary have taken offence at my comments I apologise unreservedly and suggest they complain to Tony Clement. At least he still has his job - Diane Ablonczy was unceremoniously dumped out of Cabinet for failing to deny funding to Pride last year.

But it is OK as far as this government is concerned - that's rather the point. I could understand if Clement's excuse (that they're cutting funding from big-city events in order to support a larger number of smaller events outside the main population centres) wasn't quite so transparently a load of complete bollocks.

For reference... http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/dsib-to...g/qq00175.html

But once again, prove that the cut in funding is related to being gay? All of those festivals in Novo's link should be very capable of running themselves without the feds support.

Prove that it's not.

What is the balance of probabilities? Given of course that the Harperists are unreconstructed homophobic religious nutjobs with not an iota of humanity in their collective conscience.

oh yes of course, I forgot that part.