REAL Women, called ‘homophobic,’ to help choose Canada’s Diamond Jubilee medalists

An organization, some are dubbing as "homophobic," will be helping the Harper government choose which Canadians to honour over the next year.

According to the Globe and Mail, REAL Women of Canada, a socially conservative NGO, is one the 168 organizations handpicked by the government to help nominate individuals for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal — a prestigious award marking the Queen's 60th anniversary on the throne.

Snippets from the REAL Women website include opinions about "gay-friendly" schools, and lament the "highly sexualized gay agenda." According to Xtra News, the organization is also a frequent intervenor in gay rights court cases. To add insult to injury, no gay rights organizations were included on the government's list.

"It's kind of disturbing," Casey Oraa, vice-chair of Queer Ontario told Xtra.

"I thought it was interesting that you have this group that's on this list as a recognized non-governmental partner... who has homophobic leanings and advocates against rights, and you don't even have one organization whose exclusive purpose is to advocate for LGBT rights."

In response to the criticism, Gwen Landolt, an Ontario attorney and vice-president of REAL Women, said her grassroots organization is well-positioned to recommend outstanding volunteers for the medal and criticized those who'd say otherwise.

"They don't want anybody who has a differing opinion to have any voice in Canada in any area in any thing, at any time, in any place," Landolt told the Globe and Mail.

"We're involved with all sorts of people, and that's why they asked us, I think, to participate in this partnership program — only because of our experience dealing with Canadians... Their approach is anyone who disagrees with them should be oppressed, should be shut out of community. It's terrible intolerance."

Landolt added that REAL Women never applied and has no idea how its name got on the government's list.