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YouTube restrictions censoring LGBTQ+ voices

> Being gay is not inappropriate

Cazzy Lewchuk Opinions Editor

ntil recently, LGBTQ+ issues

were continuously silenced and suppressed by society. It was not until the last couple decades that these identity started to become acknowledged and accepted by mainstream society.

Today, many misguided individuals continue to oppose non-straight and non- cis people. They feel that being LGBTQ+ is immoral, unnatural, or offensive. It is almost universally agreed by science that sexual and gender orientations are entirely natural and not a choice. Discriminating against people for a natural behaviour that they cannot control and that does

not harm anyone is incredibly wrong. Sadly, LGBTQ+ people are not only discriminated against by general society in many areas, but law legalizes this prejudice or even restricts their identities. Denying the existence of millions of people's identities has very serious repercussions. Visibility can and does save lives. For people in tough situations, knowing there is someone else out there who understands and listens can mean the difference between life and death. While these identities are represented more now than ever before, the LGBTQ+ voice in society continues to be marginalized. Recently, YouTube announced new settings for “restricted content.” Among other things, this set many videos

featuring any sort of reference to the LGBTQ+ on restricted mode. It didn’t have to represent explicit sexual content, depictions of same-sex relationships

or stories of what it’s like to be in the

community were enough to get the setting.

After a massive public backlash, YouTube has begun fixing these restrictions. YouTube’s actions are awful, but are only a reflection of a society that censors anything gay. Things that are considered normal or appropriate by heterosexuals are seen as much inappropriate/explicit when homosexuals do it. It is a double standard. Same-sex relationships with no physical content are seen as sexual, and tame displays of affection (e.g. two men kissing) are viewed as more sexual than a

More funding and optimism. in the federal budget

> Social programs, industries receive boosts

Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist

he Canadian Federal Budget this

year caused a lot of anticipation. Some people thought that it would be a response to Donald Trump's State of the Union Address last month. The speech actually fulfilled more of the Liberal Party’s promises. It is the shortest Federal Budget speech that I have seen, with a running time of around 20 minutes. Before it was read, the speech was delayed by 35 minutes because some MPs were complaining that other MPs already received the speech while they were voting to proceed to it. Also, they were complaining that an MP tweeted a picture of the proceedings in the House of Commons, which is not allowed.

Then Minister of Finance Bill

Morneau read the speech. The Federal Budget mainly focused on benefitting the

middle class. He began by talking about the 150th anniversary of Confederation and the previous generations, which he described as: “Generations that built a country on the belief that with hope and hard work, they could deliver a better future for themselves, and for their kids and grandkids.” Also, he talked about people being unsure of the future because of the changes in technology. Next, he talked about how the Canada Child Benefit has helped a lot of families.

He gave an update on the government funding public transit projects and he said that the funding helped the maintenance of the SkyTrain. He also announced that 50,000 social housing units will be renovated to reduce the amount of people on the streets. Then, he talked about funding for education and skills training to show how innovative the country is (further details can be found in our News section). There was an announcement on

how the government will fund digital and clean technology, agriculture, advance manufacturing, bio-sciences and clean resources to “lead globally and create good jobs for Canadians.” The second half of the speech involved Morneau recapping the accomplishments that the government achieved in the past year, including their climate change plan, more rights for women, and more funding

for indigenous people and CETA.

The two biggest announcements

in the Federal Budget were that $11 billion will be used to fund a national housing strategy, which is something that a lot of people were waiting to happen, and could significantly reduce homelessness. Also, he announced that they will fund $7 billion in the next 10 years to build more child care spaces,

a move welcomed by the NDP. Finally, the opposition parties responded to

the speech. Conservative Finance critic

Photo Illustration by Mike LeMieux

man and a woman doing the same thing. Like them or not, the LGBTQ+ area part of society. We all know and interact with them, whether we know it or not. Suppressing and censoring these identities sends a message that they are abnormal and should not be exposed to society. It is societal segregation and is little different than censoring race-based culture (which also continues to happen frequently). LGBTQ+ individuals live their entire lives worried that someone in society whom they are trying to interact with will shun or hurt them for their identities. It is vitally important to promote a society of tolerance, acceptance, and support for the community. This starts by not considering those identities as abnormal.

Gérard Deltell asked Morneau why the deficit is bigger than predicted, and NDP ethics critic Alexandre Boulerice asked him when the government will help people get out of poverty. Conservative Immigration critic Michelle Rempel asked Morneau how they found the information that was in the speech. Morneau answered all of their questions with the same response, which is that the Canada Child Benefit helped a lot of families and the unemployment rate in the country is lowered. In the case of Rempel’s question, he said that he got the information from economists, which are projected and subject to change without notice. He adds that investing in various things will boost the economy, which will likely work in the next few years compared to when Harper’s administration cut funding for programs. The Federal Budget this year showed that the country is stable and that sunnier days are on the horizon.