A First for Parliament : Canadian MP Comes Out of the Closet

For the first time in Canadian history, a member of Parliament has revealed that he is homosexual, surprising the public, delighting gay rights activists and provoking right-wing ridicule.

Svend Robinson, of the socialist New Democratic Party, made his announcement in Parliament on Thursday.

“We do not choose to be gay or lesbian and are not seeking special rights, merely the right to live openly in dignity without losing our jobs or homes or being subjected to violence,” Robinson, 36, said.

His honesty had consequences.

Robinson’s constituency office in Burnaby, British Columbia, was vandalized last weekend after reports that he was about to confirm longstanding rumors about his sexual orientation.

Premier Grant Devine of Saskatchewan, father of five children, expressed fear that Robinson’s statement would encourage young people to try homosexuality. Devine said his compassion for gays equaled that for bank robbers.

Pollsters said the declaration may damage the New Democrats’ chances in the next election.

But Toronto gay rights activist Russell Armstrong called Robinson’s decision a “quiet act of heroism.”

“He set a wonderful example for all of us who have to make that same kind of revelation in our lives,” Armstrong said. “I feel a kind of jubilation.”

The Minneapolis-born Robinson, whose family moved to Canada in 1964, explained in an interview why he chose this week to make his disclosure after a nine-year parliamentary career which made him the enfant terrible of Canadian politics.

“It was a difficult decision in both personal and political terms. I didn’t want to be perceived as a single-issue candidate or a gay member of Parliament, but rather as a member of Parliament who happens to be gay.

“For me as for any other gay or lesbian person, it is a liberating experience,” the legislator said.