#LoveWins concert postponed due to concerns in LGBTQ community
Posted March 10, 2018 5:07 pm.
Last Updated March 10, 2018 6:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A star-studded concert meant to support the LGBTQ community in the midst of the investigation into alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur has been postponed.
#LoveWins, billed as “part vigil, part celebration,” drew criticism from members of the LGBTQ community as being tone deaf.
Critics suggested it’s too early for a concert as police continue investigate McArthur, a 66-year-old landscaper charged with six counts of first-degree murder — all tied to the city’s gay village.
Some took issue with the use of the word “celebration” in promotional materials.
“We have actively listened to concerns from community members about the March 29, 2018 event,” the organizers said in a statement.
“Our intention was to bring the city together in love and healing after hearing from many people who wanted to come together in unity and strength. Unfortunately, the event created an unintentional division at a historic time in the LGBTQ2S community.”
The #LoveWins poster doesn’t mention McArthur by name but references “the series of killings that have rocked Toronto’s LGBTQ community.”
Those posters were pulled off the event’s Facebook page late Thursday.
The lineup featured performances by Carole Pope and members of the Barenaked Ladies, the Forte Toronto Gay Men’s Chorus and winners from CTV’s The Launch music competition series, among others.
Related stories:
‘Not a celebration’: Carole Pope on why she’ll play the #LoveWins concert
Some in LGBTQ community question concert linked to Bruce McArthur case
Toronto police chief seeks independent probe into missing persons investigations
