An artist wins prize «fight against homophobia»....

[Mister T 45020]

I've always tried to follow what goes on, culturally, in Québec. Seems i should be living in Montreal, where it is always bobbing with cultural events year-long.

As i read online papers today, i stumbled on the following article and thought i'd share it here; hopefully itâ??ll help move things in the right direction for same-sex couples who wish to have children .... It was published by Martin Beausejour in french via [I]La Presse[/I], and i ran it throught google translate. The original french article [URL="http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/regional/personnalites-la-presse/201305/22/01-4653203-ariane-moffatt.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_B2_personnalite-de-la-semaine_1786112_accueil_POS1"]can be found here[/URL].

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By publicly acknowledging her homosexuality and by being in the arm of her wife, pregnant with their twins, the young woman is fighting her way through prejudices. The artist has received the prize «fight against homophobia», from Fondation Emergence. Ariane Moffatt is the Person of the Week of La Presse.

Learning that she would receive the prize fight against homophobia, Ariane Moffatt had a brief moment of hesitation. "I actually asked if I deserved it, she says. My road is not comparable to that of several other recipients, but I think this statement symbolically emphasizes my career, sometimes difficult, and resembles that of many homosexual men and women. "

Ariane Moffatt is Quebec's first female artist to openly accept her homosexuality. However, the singer-songwriter says she has no desire to become a model, neither for the gay cause, nor for same-sex parents.

"Even if some form of responsibility that comes with the public spotlight, it is not in my nature, says the young singer 34 years. Straight or not, it does not change anything, I've always been rather quiet about my private life, and I'll stay that way. But if, by being myself and in sharing my journey, my doubts and my actions, it helps other people to take shortcuts in the process of acceptance, or on their way, I'm proud and very happy.

Ariane Moffatt does not hide it, the road was long until being acceptanced in the public eye. "I kept myself unnecessarily in an area ofâ??discomfort, in the shadows," she says today.

In accepting the award, last Monday, the woman thanked her partner, psychologist Florence Marcil-Denault, his family, but also the public. "The support from them was amazing! And everything was done in respect. Since the announcement of the arrival of the twins, I get so many comments both from homosexual parents and heterosexual parents who also have twins. It also is encouraging to be seen simply as a family. Attitudes are changing. "

Ariane Moffatt, however, admit that there is still some way to go. "One has only to read the comments received following the last campaign against homophobia to achieve it. Society believes is more open than it actually is. It is true that things are changing, but slowly, "she says.

With the arrival of twins, scheduled for July, the singer hopes to concentrate on family life, at least for a year. When reminded that it she has produced within six months the album MA during which what should have been another sabbatical, Ariane Moffatt can not help herself from laughing. "This time, we need to see if I can play the piano while holding a baby in each arm!".

For now, the artist fully savor her last concerts. Even if she is about to leave the scene, she will not return in the shadows. Ariane Moffatt now prefers to be in the light, full and true.