Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights of Ontario, In Sickness & In Health

In a sometimes angry, sometimes tearful delivery, a mid-30s guy wearing a wedding band says to the camera, "The love of my life is lying in a hospital room with machines and tubes everywhere."

He's shown sitting outside of a hospital room, with his head in his hands. "Car accident. But we promised we'd always be there for each other. The hospital won't let me visit very often and I'm not allowed to choose the course of treatment. I'm not considered family."

A female narrator injects, "There are all kinds of families." The text reads "A family is a family."

Though the delivery may have been a bit shrill for some, the ad and campaign touch on some very realistic discrimination issues lesbians and gays face in many places.

The man continues, "We're not considered family because we live in Ontario and we're gay. So he's in there and I'm out in the hall. I mean, 13 years... I'd say that counts."

Created to support Bill 167, which would have recognized same-sex relationships, this campaign was sent to every TV station, who declined to air them for free as Public Service Announcements. So the group raised $10,000 (Canadian) to air just this ad in the group on Toronto's progressive City TV, but it was only enough to air during late night for a few weeks.

The bill did not pass then, during the New Democratic Party leadership. However, in 1999 the Conservative government was forced by court challenges to introduce similar legislation which subsequently passed in the Federal government.