Svend Robinson

Svend Robinson, politician and activist, has been one of the key figures of Canadian political life since his election as a New Democratic Party MP to the House of Commons in 1979. In 1988, he became the first MP to publicly declare that he was gay. No other Member of Parliament has made gay, lesbian and bisexual issues so clearly a part of his Parliamentary agenda. Robinson spearheaded the campaign for inclusion of sexual orientation in the Canadian Human Rights Act; fought to allow gays and lesbians to serve in the military; pressed the government for changes to pension legislation, the Immigration Act and the Criminal Code. He has stated that love is the essential ingredient in a successful MP. He defined love as encompassing "love and respect for the environment, love and respect for those who are dispossessed and powerless, and those who have traditionally been voiceless."

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