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CBC
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
A quick guide to navigating Pride weekend in Toronto
Social Sharing Pride month's grand finale — the pride parade — is happening on Sunday. And as the final weekend of the month approaches, Toronto will be filled with events celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community. As the largest Pride celebration in the country, these events attract millions of visitors to the city every year. Pride Toronto says this year's ceremonies include a focus on the transgender and non-binary community, and that it's important to use Pride as a platform for visibility, education, and advocacy. This year's event also features a 99 per cent Canadian lineup of performers, organizers say. Here are some of the highlights in the city this weekend: Friday, June 27: Opening Night: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. TD Main Stage - Nathan Phillips Square - 100 Queen St. W. The weekend kicks off with opening night, and Pride Toronto says the celebration will include a lineup of some of the best 2SLGBTQI+ dance artists in the world. Sober Pride: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Paul Kane Parkette - 58 Wellesley St. E. This year, the festival says it's proud to host an event that embraces fun and celebration without substances. StreetFair: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. StreetFair is taking over Church Street from Bloor to Dundas and this year, and Pride Toronto says it's bigger than ever with more than 200 stalls. It's expected to include a carefully curated selection of unique shops, food and activities. Trans Rally and March: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Charles Street Riser (March Rally Point) - 620 Church St. Pride Toronto says this event offers a powerful space to honour trans, non-binary and two-spirit identities while raising awareness and advocating for trans human rights. According to the website, the day begins with the Trans Community Fair that showcases trans community groups, and closes off the night with the Trans Afterparty at the Community Stage. New Ho Queen // All In: Asian Pride: 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. Mill Street Wellesley Stage - 15 Wellesley St. E. New Ho Queen is returning to Pride Toronto's Wellesley Stage for Asian Pride. Pride Toronto is encouraging people to come dance and celebrate queer Asian artistry, resilience and self-expression with local performers and DJs. WATCH | How this LTC home is celebrating Pride: How one long-term care home is celebrating Pride Month 3 days ago Duration 2:04 Saturday, June 28 Family Pride: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Church Street Public School - 83 Alexander St. Pride Toronto says Family Pride offers a vibrant environment where parents, caregivers and children under 12 can connect, play, and celebrate together. The weekend event is expected to be filled with live music, storytelling, arts and crafts and family-friendly entertainment, all designed to create a welcoming space for 2SLGBTQI+ families. Dyke Rally and March: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Charles Street Riser (March Rally Point) - 620 Church St. Pride Toronto says attendees can start the day with inspiring speeches, performances, and sign-making prior to the march. Starting at 2 p.m., attendees will march through the streets of Toronto. Youth Pride: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Church Street Public School - 83 Alexander St. Pride Toronto and the SOY Youth Advisory Committee are bringing back another year of showcasing youth excellence through singing, dancing and drag performances. Sunday, June 29: Pride Parade: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Rosedale Valley Rd. and Park Rd., west on Church St., south on Yonge St., to Nathan Phillips Square. Toronto's Pride parade kicks off at 2 p.m., with over 25,000 marchers and more than 250 groups expected to participate. Pride Toronto says the event isn't just a parade, but also a vibrant display of strength, pride and solidarity. Two-spirit and Indigenous Pride: 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Rogers Community Stage - 78 Gould St. Pride Toronto encourages attendees to come together with two-spirit community members for a gathering following the Pride Parade at its Community Stage. The event includes a two-spirit artist market and honours Indigenous culture and 2SLGBTQI+ identities through art, connection and celebration, organizers say. Closing night: 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. TD Main Stage - Nathan Phillips Square - 100 Queen St. W. Pride Toronto says you can dance the afternoon away to house, disco and Pride bangers for closing night. DJs will be spinning the tunes to keep attendees moving and grooving all afternoon long. The City of Toronto also has its own list of events which can be found here.
The Guardian
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Political parties banned from Pride events after UK gender ruling
The UK's largest Pride organisers have suspended political party participation in their events in 'unequivocal solidarity' with the transgender community. In a joint statement, the organisers of Pride events in Birmingham, Brighton, London and Manchester said the move was a 'direct call for accountability and a refusal to platform those who have not protected our rights' after the UK supreme court ruling last month. The highest court in the UK ruled that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer only to a biological woman and to biological sex. Five judges ruled unanimously that the legal definition of a woman in the act did not include transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates. The UK government said the ruling brought 'clarity and confidence' for women and those who run hospitals, sports clubs and women's refuges. The Pride organisers said: 'As the organisers of the UK's largest Pride events in Birmingham, Brighton, London and Manchester, we come together today in unequivocal solidarity with our trans community. 'We are united not only in message, but in purpose. At a time when trans rights in the UK are under growing attack, our resolve has never been stronger: we will not allow progress to be undone. 'We will not stand by as the dignity, safety and humanity of our trans siblings are debated, delayed or denied.' The organisers called on the UK to be a 'global leader in human rights and equality', adding: 'We need every political party to stand unequivocally with every member of the LGBTQ+ community, and to centre the voices of trans people in policy, practice and public life.' The organisers want protections for trans people under the Equality Act, access to NHS gender-affirming healthcare, a reformed gender recognition certificate process and funding for trans-led services and support organisations across the UK. Fourteen national LGBTQ+ charities wrote to Keir Starmer seeking an urgent meeting to discuss what they describe as 'a genuine crisis for the rights, dignity and inclusion of trans people in the UK' after the supreme court's ruling. Gender-critical campaigners said the ruling was as a 'huge reset' that left them feeling 'vindicated and relieved'. Susan Smith, a co-director of the campaign group For Women Scotland, which brought the case to the supreme court, said: 'Gender reassignment is a protected characteristic, and it is still protected. But saying that women were just some amorphous collection of people and it was an identity anyone could have, it was really downplaying the very real and different issues that affect men and women.' Maya Forstater, who founded the campaign group Sex Matters after she won an employment tribunal that found she had been unfairly discriminated against because of her gender-critical beliefs, said the ruling brought 'relief, vindication, happiness and pride'. She said the court judgment was about 'recognising rules and reality'. 'If you're a man, you can call yourself what you like, you can dress how you like, but you cannot work in a rape crisis centre, you cannot go into a woman's changing room,' she said.
