Is it just us, or was something deeply off about a hardline Conservative Christian seizing a photo op with the Shaw Festival?
On one side, we have a diverse, progressive cultural institution that has long championed inclusion, artistic freedom and celebrated perspectives that challenge the status quo.
Shaw Festival has built its reputation on bold storytelling, tackling themes that question oppressive ideologies — including the very ones Conservatives like Sam Oosterhoff cling to.
Shaw himself was an atheist who openly criticized religion, and his plays regularly pushed back against rigid moral dogma.
And it’s not just history — the Shaw Festival defines itself by these values today. Its website (https://www.shawfest.com/about/edi/) proudly states its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
In 2021, it even established a diversity, equity and inclusion task force to ensure a more inclusive culture, one that “nurtures and supports everyone working here.”
Shaw employs artists from diverse racial and sexual identities and stages productions that challenge right-wing ideologies that continue to create systemic barriers for marginalized groups.
Then on the other side, we have Sam Oosterhoff, a politician who has spent his career opposing LGBTQ+ rights, same-sex marriage and abortion access — aligning himself with groups that have compared abortion to the Holocaust.
He has fought against gender-neutral language in legislation and has been heavily criticized by the queer community for his regressive views.
And yet, here he is, grinning for the cameras at a $35 million funding announcement for Shaw Festival, as if he has the slightest understanding of what it represents.
Who from the Tories thought it was a good idea to let this theocratic lapdog stand alongside an institution that prides itself on diversity and progress?
And was the Shaw Festival aware he’d be there?
Likely not, because his mere presence runs counter to Shaw’s values statement, which promises to cultivate an inclusive, equitable environment.
We wonder what the Shaw Festival has to say about him being there.
Maybe we’re reading too much into it. But you’ll never see Oosterhoff standing beside this newspaper.
So yes, we’re thrilled that Shaw is receiving $35 million in funding — arts organizations need and deserve public support. But it was disturbing to see Oosterhoff pretending to stand for Shaw. Because he doesn’t. Not for a second.
It felt like a slap in the face to the very principles Shaw claims to uphold.
editor@niagaranow.com
