Editorial: Nothing justifies Mattai attack

Hamilton, a city with a redneck reputation, has a long way to go in becoming tolerant

Mar. 1, 2004. 12:57 AM

Sheryl Nadler
The Hamilton Spectator

You've been hearing about this for a week. Now it's my turn.

Last weekend, Ronn Mattai, owner of the Junction Cafe, was slashed across the face in a brutal and cowardly attack. Police say the attack happened because Ronn is gay.

For a week you've been hearing about what a great guy Ronn is.

How he's one of the businesspeople in this city who has a sense of style, a sense of charity and a sense of community.

A genuinely nice guy.

I agree, but there's more to it than that.

I was going to write this column all about my New Year's Eve at the Junction Cafe.

I was going to tell you about how when Jocelyn, Melanie and I found ourselves waiting for a cab at the restaurant at 1:30 a.m., Ronn insisted on driving us home himself.

About how this man left a room full of his own family and friends to make sure three strangers got home safely.

About how he then looped around and drove us back to their private staff-family party when we mentioned we were craving chocolate cake.

I was going to write about all that.

But now I need to say something else. For the record, I should note that some people don't believe this was strictly a hate crime. But there's no arguing that it's being perceived as one and there's good reason for that perception.

I keep hearing about how this vicious attack is an isolated incident. I don't think it is and I think it extends beyond the gay community.

Ronn is the second person I know who's been attacked in Hamilton because of sexual orientation.

The other guy is a colleague and friend who had the crap beaten out of him simply because he was standing on a corner talking to another man. Who was also beaten.

I know stuff like this doesn't happen every day. But I also know I have friends who've had insults uttered to them by passers-by who thought they were gay.

Or spoken to kids who've been picked on because their skin is brown or black.

And I myself have listened to people making Jewish "jokes" or slurs, thinking they were being clever or funny.

Now, there are a lot of people who have been speculating as to why the attack on Ronn happened, even though we don't know the circumstances yet. It seems any time a gay person is assaulted, physically or verbally, it's assumed they must've been asking for it somehow. Kind of like the way a female rape victim would be.

But let me tell you something. If a woman assaulted every man who stared at her breasts, there'd be way more slashings taking place.

Nobody ever deserves what happened to Ronn. Ever. Nothing can justify this.

There is a despicable level of intolerance in this city.

Ask anyone who's dared to show their gay or ethnic side.

And, yes, I know there's intolerance in every city. And I know gay bashings happen everywhere.

But I now know at least two people who've been attacked in Hamilton for being gay.

And for some reason, every person in this city isn't outraged.

For some reason, Police Chief Brian Mullan has to beg the public to please TRY to be tolerant. Believe it or not, Hamilton has a reputation and it's not all about steel.

It's about just this sort of thing.

The rest of the world thinks of us as a city of intolerant rednecks.

And today I don't know if they're all wrong.

Enough is enough.

Let's smarten up and move into the 21st century.

For 18 years, the Bob Morrow administration set a tone of intolerance in this city by refusing to acknowledge Gay Pride Week.

For 18 years, other cities advanced and evolved while we stagnated.

For 18 years, other cities learned that refusing to embrace diversity would hinder their growth. Eighteen years. An entire generation.

Ronn's alleged attacker is 19 years old. He would've been 16 when Hamilton's gay community marched in their first Pride parade.

Bob Morrow's never apologized for any of this.

I know it's not entirely the fault of the Morrow administration. Their policy reflected what they felt the city wanted.

But no one will convince me it didn't contribute to this city's homophobic attitude.

And now we find ourselves trying to catch up to everyone else.

As far as I'm concerned, that just means we need to try harder than everyone else.

We need to show the world we're not the place they think we are.

That we can be a safe haven for all people and cultures and races.

But first we need to become that place. God knows, we're not there yet.

snadler@thespec.com
905-526-3392