Windsor, Ont., mayor shocked by homophobic email

Shortly after speaking at an emotional vigil honouring victims of Florida's mass shooting, Drew Dilkens sat in front of his home computer completely stunned.

• Windsor LGBT community stands with with Orlando shooting victims

The towering mayor of Windsor, Ont., could only stareat the hateful message on his screen:

"Mr. Dilkens, I lost all respect for you and the police chief for attending that idiotic vigil for the queers shot it (sic) Orlando. I'm disgusted the city lowered their flags to half staff, no one asked me, I pay my taxes. I'm sorry I voted for you. Good shooting, Omar!"

Dilkensdescribed for CBC News the emotions he felt Wednesday when he got home.

"To have someone send anemailto say 'good shooting' to the person who actually committed the crime, I think, was extremely insensitive," he said.

Spreading the word

He said he has forwarded the email to police and will not release the person's name publicly.

Dilkens alsorefused to respond to author. Instead, he scrubbed the sender's name and forwarded the message to organizers of the vigil.

"It's worth sharing the mail with the community, so the community understands why [we hold] those types of vigils we had the other night," Dilkens said. "I thought itwas important."

The next day,he picked up the phone and called one of thevigil's organizers, Joe McParland. After what Dilkens said was an emotional discussion, he agreed to let McParland publish the email on his Biz X blog.

"When he attacked [Dilkens] personally, then ended it off with 'good shooting, Omar,' I said we need to show people why we were there Wednesday," McParlandsaid. "Even in a city as magnificent as Windsor is, that kind of hatred, that kind of thinking, still exists within people."