Ladies and Gents. Meet Gino or Steve or Ray or what ever his name is this week. Gino is a pick-up artist. Gino likes to target women over the age of 50.  Gino  is currently looking for an Educated, Activity 50+, Partner Walking, Biking, Dinning & Theatre.  For a good time email gino8@mail.com. If you are into Partner Walking , Dinning and Activity 50+ (what ever those things are), Gino is your guy.

Just when we thought that James Sears political career put Dimitri the Lover in it’s preverbal douche bag grave, when we stopped certain men from coming across the border to run conferences on how to mistreat women, when we finally thought that we could go a summer with out men cat-calling women… along comes Gino.

I’m trying very hard not not email or call Gino to set him up.  Setup a date with him and send him into the middle of nowhere. What I want to do is very immature, so instead I am making everyone aware that yet another pickup artist is on the loose. However, I am not stopping anyone else from doing so.

A month ago my neighbour saw his flyers appearing  on trees and poles in Roncesvalles. Within a couple of days they all disappeared. Then yesterday, we noticed new ones in the High Park area. I’ve noticed there are some blazing differences from his current flyer and the one from a month ago.  The flyer above, he is no longer specifying which gender he is interested in.  Maybe he is all about gender equality when it comes to his doucheness. Maybe he wasn’t having any luck with the ladies and decided to broaden his options?  Maybe he is an equal opportunity douchebag. Gino has also switched from listing his phone number (as you will see in the photo below) to now listing only his email.  Was Gino overwhelmed by all the attention his phone was getting from the ladies?  Was he tired of his phone ringing at 4 am?  Or all of the discouraging texts he was being sent?  Did your dreams not live up to their expectations Gino?  I wonder if his phone number is still in working order?

(photo credit Valerie Gow)

I don’t understand this mentality.  This desire to treat women like objects rather than human beings. The need to degrade them and treat them like dirt.  Haven’t we moved forward enough as human beings to realize this is wrong? How do men like Gino or Ray or Steve or what ever his name is, still think it is ok to act this way. As a society we should be moving beyond all of this, educating those who still think it is ok, that misogyny is ok. Respecting each other, loving each other. In the year 2016 we should no longer be living in a world that still has to deal with misogyny, rape culture, homophobia or racism. If we could put end to the above mentality, end homophobia and racism, events like Orlando would not be happening.

If you see these types of flyers, tear them down. If you see any type of propaganda that is about misogyny, racist or homophobic in theme, tear them down.  Speak out against it. Complain. Be verbal. Write about it. Educate those around you. Help bring an end to it. We should live in a world that we feel safe in.  Be able to go out at night and not worry about being attacked. Go to school and not worry about being raped. Show public affection and not worry about being beaten up and have derogatory words yelled at us. We shouldn’t be ashamed of the colour of our skin, our religious choices, our gender, our sexual preferences or who we are. People like Gino need to stop disrespecting women. We all need to start respecting each other.

Tear down the flyers, educate, love one another.