On the final weekend of Toronto Pride for 2011, we attended the Trans March on Friday evening. In its 3rd year, the march has grown wonderfully, with the main slogan remaining “Trans Rights are Human Rights”. It’s a fantastic feeling to see a group, sadly so ostracized in our society, cheering and expressing their pride. We were thrilled to witness it again.
For those that weren’t lucky enough to attend (e.g. Rob Ford – more to come about that below), here are some great pictures of the event, and not to mention, some fantastically creative signs:
Now, as some of you already know, this year’s Pride events have been marred in the controversy surrounding Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford. Despite his homophobic, racist and elitist outlook on life, the mega-city of Toronto voted him into office last Fall. Unsurprisingly, he exclaimed recently that he would not be attending any Pride events. It’s unfortunate that he can’t put aside his personal beliefs for one day to participate in an event that brings about 1 million visitors to the city (hello tourism dollars!) and is undoubtedly one of the biggest pride festivals in the world. Let’s see if he changes his tune by the time World Pride comes to Toronto in 2014…
Here’s a fabulous t-shirt that echos the thoughts of many Pride Week participants:
For the silver lining, however, I suppose it’s a relief that the public at large is guaranteed not to see Rob Ford in a speedo this Pride long weekend 🙂 But, just for fun, here’s what that may look like (viewer discretion is advised):
Happy Pride everyone!
Mindy & Ligeia 🙂 🙂