Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson officially comes out as gay
Just a day before Pride celebrations in Ottawa officially kick off, Ottawa's Mayor Jim Watson has come out as an openly gay man.
Watson said on Saturday it was time to share his secret with the city after 40 years of worrying about how his constituents, friends and family would react.
"I've been thinking about it for 40 years … I've known I was gay since I was a teenager," he said.
"[The response has] been overwhelming. I had to recharge my phone twice today just to keep up with the tweets and the emails and the phone calls. People have been very very kind."
He broke the news in a column in the Ottawa Citizen.
He said he wishes he'd told everyone sooner.
"My hope is … hopefully it will make it easier for some young people who are having doubts about whether they should say anything," he said.
"My message is [for them] is: Don't be afraid to come out, don't feel rushed, but don't take 40 years either."
Watson said the reaction to his announcement has been mostly positive.
| by Anonymous | reply 28 | August 20, 2019 3:55 PM
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Didn't see this one coming. But interesting.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | August 18, 2019 2:04 AM
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He's fug so who cares. Just kidding. In solidarity we stand.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | August 18, 2019 2:12 AM
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[quote] Didn't see this one coming
Really?
In Ottawa apparently everyone already knew.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | August 18, 2019 2:16 AM
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people would do anything to save their political jobs...
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | August 18, 2019 4:04 AM
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Pathetic. Everybody on earth has known for years. His gay parties were infamous.
Hypocrisy of the first order. He's an old man and now he comes out. In fairness he never did anything to overtly harm the interests of gay people but, please, this isn't some recent discovery.
Fuck him.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | August 18, 2019 4:32 AM
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I think he actually had some good points in his statement.
He admits that he shouldn't have waited so long. He admits he missed out on certain opportunities to be truly himself.
I think his message is that other gays in the closet should learn from his experience not to wait so long and try to enjoy what following one's true self can lead to.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | August 18, 2019 4:39 AM
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Following Ed Smart's lead.
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | August 18, 2019 4:54 AM
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R10, I guess it's Elder Gay week.
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | August 18, 2019 4:57 AM
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So glad for him as someone who lives near Ottawa.
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | August 18, 2019 5:38 AM
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Is Shawn Mendes from Ottawa? LOL
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | August 18, 2019 5:54 AM
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R13, Shawn Mendes is from Toronto, but in an interesting coincidence, he's in Ottawa this weekend for his concert tomorrow.
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | August 18, 2019 5:57 AM
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Gross. No one cares about old ugly men coming out.
| by Anonymous | reply 15 | August 18, 2019 6:09 AM
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He never voted against pro-gay legislation and, as far as I know, he never married a woman or fathered children to keep up the facade.
So what if it took this poor man forty years to accept himself for who he is? I feel rather sorry for him actually. Unless of course our Canadian DLers tell us that he was always known to be a lech or a predator or something...
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | August 18, 2019 7:19 AM
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You saps... he's been gaying it up his whole life... his house parties were pretty legendary around Ottawa. Total glass closet. This is no Hallmark movie.
| by Anonymous | reply 17 | August 18, 2019 1:10 PM
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Why bother coming out this late? I just don’t get it.
| by Anonymous | reply 18 | August 18, 2019 1:13 PM
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Old and super ugly. Next!
| by Anonymous | reply 19 | August 18, 2019 1:30 PM
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Is he the Canadian Jim McGreevey? Is there a wife involved?
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | August 18, 2019 2:05 PM
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Good for him, but why can't it be the young hot mayors?
| by Anonymous | reply 21 | August 18, 2019 4:27 PM
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r21, Vote me in for mayor someday and there can be.
| by Anonymous | reply 22 | August 18, 2019 5:01 PM
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R20, no there's not a wife.
R18, his point is that it's better late than never. He's trying to show how younger gays can learn from the experiences of his generation by not staying in the closet so long and missing out on the opportunity to be yourself.
| by Anonymous | reply 25 | August 18, 2019 11:59 PM
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Ottawan here, looks like he was glass closeted. I just easily presumed he was, with how he behaved at Pride (not crazily or anything, just nearly at home instead of just enjoying it) plus other basic aspects of his life.
| by Anonymous | reply 26 | August 19, 2019 12:06 AM
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Good points in this opinion piece about those who are criticizing Jim Watson for waiting until he was 58 to come out.
Coming out is different for everyone. Watson sounds like a man who had trouble accepting himself and through himself into his work.
| by Anonymous | reply 27 | August 20, 2019 3:48 PM
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He's like Columbus, he told the world something millions of people already knew.
| by Anonymous | reply 28 | August 20, 2019 3:55 PM
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