Rob Ford is sticking by his decision to break tradition and not march in this year's Pride parade.
"My family comes first," Ford told reporters after attending a grand opening of an Etobicoke business Thursday. "I've been getting a tremendous amount of support."
On Wednesday Ford announced that he would miss the July 3 parade because he would be spending the Canada Day weekend at his family cottage in Huntsville.
Ford said that his family has travelled to their cottage in Huntsville every Canada Day for the last 30 years, but the mayor was quickly criticized for choosing a family tradition over the long-standing tradition of having the Toronto mayor's march in the Pride parade.
Some of his colleagues said they were disappointed by his decision.
Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam suggested Ford was sending the wrong message to the gay community.
When a reporter asked Ford if he was homophobic on Thursday, he quickly rejected the allegation.
"That's just a bunch of nonsense," he said.
Ford's mother Diane then came to the defence of her son.
"We want to spend the weekend together plain and simple that's what it's about," she told CP24. "Both boys are in politics and it is very difficult to get us all together. That's all this is."
Ford's brother Doug, who is a city councillor, did hint the mayor could still make an appearance.
Doug Ford said he and his brother will attend the parade if they make it back to Toronto from their cottage in time.
"If we make it, we make it. If we don't, we don't," Doug Ford said. "And if we don't, people will know we are spending time with our families."
Huntsville is about 215 kilometres north of Toronto.
Past mayors David Miller, Mel Lastman and Barbara Hall all attended the Pride parade, going as far back as 1995.
With a report from CP24's Sue Sgambati
