How drag is breaking down barriers in the climate fight
Drag queen Pattie Gonia is bringing style and sass to the climate fight. Through her TikTok account and community events, she aims to show why 2SLGBTQ+ people need to be involved in protecting the environment.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘We will not go anywhere': Toronto Pride celebrations continue despite financial woes
The Toronto Pride Parade will wind through the streets of the Ontario capital, with thousands expected to attend. Participants run with a multinations pride flag during the Toronto Pride Parade, Sunday, June 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO — A Toronto-born drag king says he has performed in Pride festivals worldwide, but there is one thing that keeps bringing him back to the city. 'There's so many different people that come from all over the world to Toronto Pride because it feels like everyone is welcome,' said the artist who performs under the name Krēme Inakuchi. But a major shift in corporate support now looms over the future of the largest Pride festival in North America. Pride Toronto said Wednesday it's facing a $900,000 funding gap due to sponsors pulling out and the rising costs of running the festival. Executive director Kojo Modeste linked the corporate withdrawals to backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States under President Donald Trump's administration. Though this year's Pride won't look much different than usual, Modeste said next year's festival is likely to be scaled down as a result of the shortfall – a move that will threaten its reputation and status. Google, Nissan, Home Depot and Clorox are among the companies that decided not to contribute funds this year. Google said its employees will still be marching in this year's Pride parade on June 29, while Nissan Canada and Clorox said they still support diversity and inclusivity initiatives. The Home Depot Canada said it 'continually reviews' its non-profit giving and decided not to contribute to this year's event. 'These companies that are pulling out, it just shows that they were never really with us to begin with,' the drag king said. For him, a smaller festival isn't something to be afraid of, but rather an incentive to increase solidarity within the LGBTQ+ community. 'We've been actually calling for Pride Toronto to divest from certain companies that are not supporting queer people all over the world, including people in Palestine,' he said. While not all queer organizations are facing the same financial woes as Pride Toronto, some community members say they understand why Pride events have become unaffordable. 'I think the organization has grown and grown, and then the budget gets bigger and bigger and you realize that it's getting to the point where it's just not going to be functional anymore and I think we might be there,' said George Pratt, chairperson of the Church Wellesley Village BIA. While Pride Toronto hosts some of the city's largest Pride events, it isn't the only group behind the celebrations. The Church Wellesley Village – commonly known as The Village – is a vibrant neighbourhood in downtown Toronto historically known for its ties to the city's LGBTQ+ community. This year, it's hosting Pride celebrations the weekend before Pride Toronto's main events, known as Village Fest. 'I can't say we're going to see an immediate impact this year because for Pride for years people have flocked to Church Street before and after the parade and it generally is a wonderful time for everybody,' said Pratt, although he acknowledged rising costs for smaller Pride events as well, especially when it comes to security. But other LGBTQ+ community organizers say Pride Toronto's loss of corporate funding still cuts into the spirit of public celebrations. 'Seeing the erosion of funding for queer culture is also an erosion of the confidence of every individual queer kid who's looking to figure out if this is a place that they can feel safe and cared for,' said ted witzel, artistic director for Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, a queer theatre based in Toronto that's also running Pride events this year. The theatre itself still has 'deep support' from corporate and government partnerships that are fundamental to queer organizations, witzel said. 'The origins of queer performance are truly grassroots, but with investment from our communities, from donors, the government and corporate partners, we've been able to scale the work that happens in queer arts organizations,' witzel said. 'We've come from the grassroots and we know how to go back to the grassroots. I will not go anywhere and we will not go anywhere.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2025. Vanessa Tiberio, The Canadian Press
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Young musicians are embracing the art of punk rock posters
The telephone poles scattered across downtown St. John's make up a museum of the city's musical past. Every layer of paper posters reveals another month, another handful of local bands. The young punk rock scene is keeping the do-it-yourself tradition alive— at a time when artificial intelligence can produce a graphic with a simple prompt. Caleb Butt is one of the artists going back to the subculture's roots. "I like to help out in any way in the music scene because I love it so much here," he said, sitting on a Bannerman Park bench. "One of those ways is making posters, which I've recently gotten into," said Butt. He started by making posters to advertise shows his band, Twin Rinks, is playing. Butt likes to experiment with collages anyway, so he decided to bring the medium to a wider audience. "It's one of the things I'm really passionate about," he said. It's easy to use the internet for marketing, says Butt, but alternative music is about pushing back against the norm. Young people are more drawn to physical media these days, he said. It's easier to look back to musical memories that way. "It doesn't get, like, lost in all the content people have been putting out," he added. Stephen Chislett of Paradise appreciates the work. A drummer for hardcore bands himself, Chislett digitally archives posters from shows he's been to. "There's always a source of pride whenever you kind of see your band's name on a poster," he told CBC over the phone on Thursday. "I think that people who take the time to actually, you know, design and make a nice looking poster to reflect what kind of music is going to be played, I think that matters a lot," said Chislett. The drummer's favourite posters are the ones where the artist evidently had fun creating it, where the pen scratches and marker lines are visible. Chislett says it is important to use social media as a marketing tool, but it's more fun when musicians leave a trace around town. "I really do like to see [posters] being printed out and kind of taped around poles around town," he said. "I'll see old ones from months ago that are still up and maybe there was one that I went to, and I get to think back fondly on that show." The medium is oftentimes an opportunity for people to flex their creative muscles, even just starting out. That was the case for Mike Feehan, a St. John's illustrator known for his artwork in Star Trek comic books and the award-winning Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles. But it all started over a decade ago in his DIY days. "I remember one of the first shows I went to, someone said to other people that I could draw," Feehan said. "Someone gave me a Sharpie and people started asking me to draw pictures on their arms and things like that." "I kind of made a name for myself as the kid who drew," he said. That kid who drew used posters as a way to evolve his style while helping out his friends who were in bands at the time. Then he started doing work for touring bands, and it spiralled from there. Some of Feehan's favourite designs included a surfing mummy, and another one with a giant robot hanging out with punks in a junkyard. "[A good poster has] things that'll grab people's attention, especially when they're walking down the street," he said. Feehan is happy to see that people are still drawing and designing posters by hand, saying that's what it's all about. "I just think that art and punk rock and hardcore, really go hand in hand," said Feehan. "It's not something to be dismissed," he said. "It's definitely something that should be embraced."
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
National Music Centre celebrates Black Music Month Saturday with live performances, free admission
Black Music Month is being recognized with a special event at the National Music Centre. Ian While speaks with Calgary rapper K-Riz about it. Black Music Month is being recognized with a special event at the National Music Centre. Ian While speaks with Calgary rapper K-Riz about it. The National Music Centre honours Black Music Month Saturday, June 14 with live performances and free admission. 'We need to share the stories and we need to share the legacies of black music,' said Calgary rapper K-Riz, who is hosting the event. The Rondel Roberts Band, Jackie Art and Skinny Blaiz are among the performers at the celebration of Black music, curated by former MuchMusic personality Master T. 'To be working with him is an honour. He's an icon here. I don't think hip hop and R and B would be where it is without him,' K-Riz told CTV News. 'The event is open to everyone. So, everyone will get to see what we have to offer.'
