Toronto officials raise Progress Pride flag at city hall to kick off month of festivities
Toronto officials raised the Progress Pride flag at city hall on Monday to kick off a month of festivities celebrating the city's 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Mayor Olivia Chow said it's more important than ever to support Toronto's 2SLGBTQ+ community. Chow was joined by Coun. Chris Moise, chair of the Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Advisory Committee, and city staff.
"It's not a choice. It is who we are. It's in the city's DNA that we will always support the LGBTQ community," Chow said in an interview after the flag-raising.
"We know that when we come together, we're stronger. We will not be divided and we'll stand shoulder to shoulder with the community and supporting it every way. I invite all Torontonians to enjoy Pride Month."
Those involved, including drag performer Sanjina DaBish Queen, said Pride started as a protest and it's important to support the transgender community.
"The light just needs to be on trans people right now. It does. We're very important to the community. We're important to this world. And we just want to live. We just want to breathe."
Pride Toronto recently reported two of its largest sponsors, Home Depot and Google, have said they no longer want to sponsor the festival, but executive director Kojo Modeste said the withdrawal of support won't affect this year's festivities.
"We already have contracts that we are obligated to. Where we might feel it, it's next year. But I do believe that all three levels of government will come on board. We're going to have more sponsors."
City representatives said they'll continue to support Pride in Toronto in whatever ways they can.
"At the end of the day, it's their loss," Chow said. "And if American companies want to pull out from supporting Pride, we will step in, Canadian companies will step in, the government will step in."
Throughout the month of June, Pride events will be held across Toronto.
Pride culminates with the festival weekend that runs June 27 to 29. That includes Toronto's Pride Parade, which is the second largest in the world.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
42 minutes ago
Ahead of WorldPride, US Park Police, NPS close off key Pride gathering spot
There are no known credible threats to the nation's capital as tens of thousands gather in Washington this weekend to celebrate WorldPride, Capital Pride's 50th anniversary, officials told ABC News. But despite that, the U.S. Park Police and National Park Service have temporarily closed Dupont Circle Park, long the site of unofficial Pride parties and gatherings in the city, and that decision is drawing objections. Preparations for the international celebration have been years in the making, and at least one party promoter already advertised an event in the park before the closing was announced. After a debate between federal officials, city police and LGBTQ+ activists, the U.S. Park Police announced the park would close from 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, through approximately 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 8. Closing the park, federal officials say, is part of a broader federal security plan amid what they say are concerns about crowd control and potential disruptions. In recent years, the space has seen several incidents that that officials say prompted concern from law enforcement. According to authorities, in 2019, a person was arrested after gunshots caused crowds to flee. In 2023, the park was vandalized, resulting in $175,000 in damage to the historic fountain. In 2024, a group of minors was found drinking, smoking marijuana and fighting in the park. They later ran into nearby businesses and reportedly stole items. In a letter obtained by ABC News, the U.S. Park Police wrote that the closure is necessary to "secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences." Both the U.S. Park Police and the Metropolitan Police Department cited unsafe conditions and property damage during Pride weekend festivities in 2019, 2023 and 2024. MPD initially requested in April that the park be closed for Pride weekend. However, MPD Chief Pamela Smith, the first African American woman to lead the U.S. Park Police in its 200-year-plus history, attempted to get the closure rescinded after public backlash, saying, "D.C. is no stranger to high-profile gatherings. We have a proven track record of hosting them safely and successfully, and this year will be no different." But the U.S. Park Police and the National Park Service denied the request. The agencies said the request "does not provide any remedy or solutions to the significant amount of criminal activity and resource destruction that has historically been committed in Dupont Circle Park during DC Pride weekend, or the large strain on law enforcement resources that would be remedied by a park closure with anti-scale fence." MPD will have an increased presence throughout D.C. during WorldPride and Capital Pride. It will coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions and activate special units to assist with crowd management and traffic. Police will also increase patrols in high-crime areas starting this weekend through the end of August. "MPD, alongside all of our district agencies and public safety partners, have been working for many months to plan for these large-scale events that are happening this summer, and our joint planning efforts have included site visits, tabletop exercise, intelligence coordination and layered security strategies tailored uniquely to these events to ensure that we can keep our city safe for World Pride 2025," Smith said. "We have been planning for over a year." Days after WorldPride, the nation's capital will host a June 14 military parade marking the 250th anniversary of the Army, though officials said there aren't any known credible threats for that event either. That Army parade will be the sixth National Special Security Event that Washington has hosted this year. "There's no place more experienced than the District of Columbia in executing these large-scale events," Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah said last week.
an hour ago
By The Numbers: The origins of Pride Month
A look at the numbers behind the significance of the month of June for LGBTQ+ Americans.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
As some seek to make Pride divisive, Giants sustain commitment to LGBT community
Going back to their original 'Until There's a Cure' Day in 1994, the San Francisco Giants have a long history of supporting the local LGBTQ+ community, and their annual Pride game is a staple of the schedule each June. In most years, Saturday's game wouldn't be all that newsworthy; it's just one of many days celebrating different groups that help make up the team's fan base, including numerous ethnic heritage nights, faith days and veterans events. This year, however, in an atmosphere of scrubbed diversity programs and canceled corporate sponsorship for Pride celebrations, the Giants' Pride Day is back and bigger than ever, with the proceedings now encompassing the Mission Rock side of McCovey Cove. From 10-11:45 a.m., the Giants will hold 'Pregame in the Park' at China Basin Park, with music by DJ Livv, drag performances hosted by Bobby Friday and Mercedez Munro, face painting, Story Time with Drag Queens and treats from Castro staple Hot Cookie. At 11:45 p.m., fans can parade together to Oracle Park for the pregame festivities and game. 'We're extending the party out,' said Roscoe Mapps, the Giants' chief diversity and inclusion officer. 'This will allow many more people to attend and opens it up to the neighborhood and more of the community.' San Francisco has been in the crosshairs in recent weeks, from President Donald Trump's suggestions about reopening Alcatraz as a prison, to threats of withdrawing funding to the state because of a transgender athlete competing at the state high school track championships, to plans to remove Harvey Milk's name from a John Lewis-class U.S. Navy ship. SF Pride and the Frameline film festival have lost sponsors and struggled to find new ones. 'Every heritage and culture night is pretty exciting and matters to all of us,' Mapps said. 'That said, I think this year does carry a different kind of gravity — it's very overt that the community is being told that they don't belong and that there are actions that are trying to erase members of the community. 'It's not very subtle. It's certainly not harmless. So we want to make sure that there is no question about Oracle Park, we want to make sure when fans come in cheering the Giants, they feel safe, they feel seen, they feel like it's home, like it's always been since 2000 — so fans can feel like themselves and feel a sense of community that day. It's just a reflection of who we are and our values.' The Giants will give away a Pride Day bucket hat to the first 15,000 fans Saturday, and the players will wear the same Pride hat they did last season; no Giants player ever has refused to wear Pride gear, though last year infielder Nick Ahmed added a bible verse to his hat after briefly considering not wearing it. 'It wasn't anything about judging anyone else for their beliefs or what they do,' Ahmed told the Chronicle, adding that he had just wanted to prompt a conversation about faith. There are no plans for extra security measures Saturday, according to the Giants, and Mapps said the team has not received any pushback about the event, nor have any sponsors dropped out. There have been rumblings that some other pro sports teams might modify or even do away with their Pride events, but to date no MLB teams have announced any changes to Pride games. Every team but the Rangers schedules a Pride Day. This year's Pride month is additionally meaningful for many around baseball. In past years MLB's ambassador for inclusion, Billy Bean, attended as many of the Pride games as possible, but in August, Bean, a former Dodgers outfielder, died of acute myeloid leukemia at the age of 60. 'This year feels a little different,' Mapps said. 'It's our first Pride season, all of us, without him, and few people understood better than Billy how powerful it is to have visibility. He certainly knew the power of people hearing his story and meeting a queer athlete and MLB executive. 'I think the weight is carrying the torch for some of us, making sure that we do it right, and that we continue to make sure that not just LGBTQIA fans feel comfortable, but that LGBTQIA kids feel comfortable playing baseball as well.' Gates will open at 11:05 a.m. for Saturday's game against the Braves and pregame festivities will start at 12:40 p.m., including the addition of the Seattle Mariners' Pride Ball, hand-stitched using rainbow thread to symbolize the way baseball brings communities together, according to the Giants. The ball, used for the first pitch at Safeco Field on Wednesday, is traveling to ballparks across the country throughout Pride Month. In addition, a special Giants' Pride flag will be unfurled in center field. There are Pride food and beverage items as well, including a souvenir Fastball cocktail at the Skyline Bar and Murph's Pub, rainbow popcorn at concessions near Section 103 and 140, and a Pride souvenir soda cup at all concessions with fountain soda. There are also four new Pride merchandise items available at the team store.
