Because someone’s missing spouse is apparently an opportunity to show off your ignorance.
While George Smitherman has broken down barriers as one of the first openly gay big-name politicians in Toronto and Ontario it is sad to see that so little has changed over the years, namely the media’s inability to cover the story of his husbands two day disappearance without improperly using the term “partner” instead of “husband” and trying to dig out some sort of drama or scandal from the parents of a missing man.
To title a story on any missing person as being about their so-called ‘on-again off-again relationship‘ — which, in the frame of the article, refers to their relationship before getting serious a decade ago — is so utterly tasteless , tabloid, and would most likely not be the case if this story were about a straight couple.
One basic rule to identify news from simple events is to spot the unusual. If a dog bites a man, it isn’t news. If a man bites a dog, however, it is. What is increasingly evident with the coverage surrounding Christopher Peloso’s disappearance is that the media coverage surrounding it from the start was due to the fact that George Smitherman was once the second in command of this province and almost held the top spot in Toronto, but that that continued coverage was due to the news media and the newsreading public having a sick hard on for the drama surrounding the personal lives of a gay family.
The fact that this is a gay couple and a gay family and a gay person missing is what makes the story a ‘man-bites-dog’ and that is totally unacceptable.
To the mainstream media: Trying not to be offensive and failing at it is still offensive.
On top of all that professional incompetence comes the deluge of hate filled tweets directed at a man and his family who, at the time these were posted, were most likely experiencing the most harrowing moment of their lives.
Read on to lose faith in humanity.
Maybe Smitherman shouldn’t have had a husband in the first place. That might solve a lot of his predicamentsss
— Ethan Laman (@Ethanlaman) September 11, 2013
Gay “husband” of former Ontario cabinet minister and Toronto Mayoralty candidate found in fetus position in a bush – http://t.co/rdNdsPWirA — Henry Makow (@HenryMakow) September 11, 2013
@TheTorontoSun Isn’t today only Tuesday. The guy hasnt been missing 24 hours. Did him and Slitherman have a bichy bich — chuck burke (@chuckmburke) September 10, 2013
#smitherman husband is missing lol gay faggot. Smitherman that name just agrevates me. Sounds like the name of a weasel and a cheat to me — ҳ̸Ҳ̸ҳ•$DeReK$•ҳ̸Ҳ̸ҳ (@goldglover1) September 10, 2013
Mrs. Smitherman has been found. Let’s go shopping! #smitherman — Mad Dug & Anthony (@pitch_this) September 11, 2013
@CP24 batteeee-bwoy — jimmy (@jahmackinemcraz) September 11, 2013
Fuck looking for this missing faggot, the world is better off without em. Why does Toronto and Canada condone Fagots bruh?
— #MODDLIFE #LIFEMODD (@FAM5IVE) September 11, 2013
Follow Travis on Twitter at @TravMyers.
