Hot Pink Shorts

This year’s Pride Parade attracted more than one million people to downtown Toronto, making it the largest in both the city and country’s history.  The weather was out of control gorgeous and the boys were, well, the same.  The 31st annual went off without a hitch, despite its highly politicized lead-up (see drama avec QuAIA and the Mayor Ford controversy).

Former mayor David Miller was there to march, but regrets came from the aforementioned Mr. Ford (Huntsville was calling), Ontario Conservative leader Tim Hudak and even Premier Dalton McGuinty.  The NDP, Liberals and Greens all had representation by their national party leaders, but the federal Conservatives were notably lacking.  Notwithstanding these downfalls, thousands of spectators lined up with their rainbow flags, as marchers owned Yonge Street to the hymns of Gaga and Madge.  Overall: major success.



Amidst our nation’s Pride season and as we lead up to Vancouver this month, it’s well worth taking a look at some outside perspectives (that’s if you haven’t already).  Our very own Ken Coolen’s “Beyond Gay - The Politics of Pride” takes a look at the relevance of Pride on an international scale.  More than just a parade, this documentary considers everything from parties to protests, examining pride as both a celebration but also a global fight for human rights.  Big Gay Ken tells the story well.