Toronto Pride parade brings fun tinged with sorrow over Orlando
People take part in the annual Pride parade in Toronto. (Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press)-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves a rainbow-coloured Canadian flag as he marches in the annual Pride parade in Toronto on Sunday. (Mark Blinch / The Canadian Press)
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, left, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Toronto Mayor John Tory wave to spectators. (Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press)--Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders, marching in the parade, waves to onlookers. (Mark Blinch / The Canadian Press)
Sunday, Jul. 03, 2016
“Pride is political,” shouted a protester atop the Black Lives Matter float at Sunday’s Pride parade in Toronto, and this year it would have been hard to disagree.
The annual celebration of the LGBTQ community took over a portion of downtown Toronto on Sunday in a rainbow-clad display of defiance just weeks after a homophobic shooting rampage claimed dozens of lives in a gay Orlando nightclub.
Justin Trudeau’s raucously received appearance marked the first time a Canadian prime minister has marched in the parade, a milestone that prompted some to reflect on the progress North American society has made on gay rights in recent years.
Mr. Trudeau said the Florida tragedy is a reminder that “we can’t let hate go by … We have to speak up any time there is intolerance or discrimination.”
This year, the parade’s fun-filled atmosphere vied with moments of poignancy, sorrow and anger, as the historic tension at Pride between politics and partying tilted in favour of the politically minded.
Standing along the parade route, Lance Rawlings said that he felt the Prime Minister’s attendance was a blow against homophobia.
