A look back at the evolution of Pride

This year’s Pride celebrations were initially planned with the goal of honouring the history of the struggle for equality in Toronto. However, following the mass shooting in Orlando that took 49 lives at a gay nightclub, Pride’s focus seemed clearer than ever. Pride was born from a system of violence against the LGBTQ community, and the recent attack at Pulse nightclub proves that the road ahead is far from being obstacle-free.

Here’s a look back at the evolution of Pride in Toronto.

THE PAST

The first appearance of an organized gay rights celebration in Toronto was in 1970, 11 years prior to what many think was the beginning of Pride in the city. The commonly held belief is that Pride originally began after the bathhouse raids of 1981, but the reality is that small groups of gay men and lesbians organized protests and small get-togethers in 1970 at Hanlan’s Point on the Toronto Islands. The gatherings soon grew to larger annual celebrations and what would become the first Pride Week in 1974. The City of Toronto would not formally accept and acknowledge Pride until its 21st anniversary.

A turning point did come in 1981 following the bathhouse raids. 306 men were arrested after several men’s saunas were raided by Toronto police -- the largest mass arrest since the October Crisis of 1970. The city and the police defended the raids under “bawdy house laws.” Dubbed “Operation Soap,” the citizens were made to stand in the streets in only towels, and many were named and outed in the media. The next day, over 3,000 people marched in protest, shutting down Yonge and Wellesley streets and raising significant unrest.

These events brought national attention to the queer liberation movement, and would spin off into other events like the “Dykes in the Street” march a few months later, and eventually the annual celebration we now know as Pride. For more than a decade, the City of Toronto would refuse to recognize Pride in any official capacity. This changed in 1991, when the city would officially give acknowledgment of the event. It is estimated that 8,000 people attended the events that year.

In 1995, Barbara Hall made history as the first mayor to march in the parade. She had formerly served as part of the legal counsel for those arrested in Operation Soap 15 years earlier. Hall’s decision to march would become a tradition observed by every mayor, until Rob Ford boycotted the event in 2011 in favour of an annual Canada Day weekend family trip to the cottage. The same year, he avoided the Pride flag-raising at city hall and instead took a tour of the Air Canada Centre. Ford declined to join the festivities again the following year.

Ann Rosenfield is a long-time activist in the LGBTQ community. She has worked for both Rainbow Railroad – a charity that helps queer people escape countries where they are persecuted – and various AIDS awareness organizations. She has seen Pride parades in North America since the 80s and was in San Francisco when AIDS hit the country in 1982.

“In 1982, there was a celebration of sexual freedom and fun. The floats were handing out emery boards, a crude joke about sexual intercourse and dry skin on your hands. In 1983, they were handing out condoms and there was a lot less laughing.”

The first time Rosenfield celebrated Pride in Toronto was in 1993. She says it was vastly different than it is today. “There were no sponsors. It wasn’t a bunch of big banks getting behind the cause like it is now. It was much more grassroots and the ‘we’re here, we’re queer, get over it’ mantra.”

She also mentions how Pride Toronto was a “hyperlocal” event, only being attended by the gay men and women who were able to be out and proud. Straight people didn’t start attending the parade until the late 1990s, she says.

Her son, Theo Rosenfield, attended the first Pride of his adult life in 2011.

“I haven’t been going to Pride for a long time, but I have been there long enough to see how it’s changed, even in five years.”

Pride has given him a safe space, he said.

 “I saw my first drag queen at Pride and it changed my life,” Rosenfield said. He now performs drag as a queen named Atmos Fierce and he says it’s one of the most important aspects of his life. He says it’s one small example of the how Pride can provide a safe space for LGBTQ youth.

THE PRESENT

Pride in Toronto has evolved from a small political protest to one of the largest LGBTQ celebrations in the world. In 2014, Toronto won the vote to host World Pride, becoming the first place in North America to do so. The event saw a five-hour parade with 12,000 people marching and almost 300 floats. According to reports by the organizers, the event brought in more than a million people to the city and almost $800 million into the local economy.

Kathleen Wynne – Ontario’s first openly gay premier -- made history in 2013 as the first premier to walk in the parade. She will return for this year’s parade with Mayor John Tory, Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, and notably, Justin Trudeau who is making history himself as the first sitting Prime Minister to participate in the parade. This year also saw the first time a Pride flag was raised on Parliament Hill.

This year’s events were planned with a focus on the legacy and history of queer and LGBTQ champions and their struggles. The theme is “You can sit with us,” a cheeky homage to a famous quote from the film Mean Girls, meant to demonstrate inclusivity and acceptance of all.

Both Ann and Theo Rosenfield worry that Pride has lost its political radicalism – a common worry in the LGBTQ community.

“It’s become more like a St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” Theo Rosenfield says. He expresses concerns that it’s just more of a party than a political protest. He also worries that LGBTQ youth have lost a respect and knowledge of the history of their community.

However, with the events that unfolded in Orlando on June 12^th, the mother and son both believe the queer community has been reinvigorated. Pride Toronto has dedicated this year’s parade to the victims in the Orlando shooting and beefed up security at the event.

The night of the shooting, thousands showed up for a vigil and memorial for the victims of the massacre at Toronto’s Barbara Hall Park. Other vigils have been held across Canada and the U.S., and a renewed conversation has been launched across all media platforms about gun control and LGBTQ rights.

THE FUTURE

Pride Toronto’s commitment to advancing change and acceptance has become more relevant than ever. Gay nightclubs are often considered one of the only safe spaces for queer people, especially queer people of colour, and so it was no surprise that the Orlando shooting forced people to question how far the movement has actually progressed.

Hashtags #GaysBreakTheInternet and #PridePortraits exploded in popularity following the Orlando shooting. Both are attempts from the LGBTQ community to showcase photos of themselves or with their partners to demonstrate they are not afraid – and that they are proud to be out and broadcast the celebration of their identity in the face of consistent adversity.

Mathieu Chantelois, executive director of Pride Toronto, says the mass shooting in Orlando is a tragedy that cannot defeat the queer community. “We will march. We will dance in the streets,” he said in a press conference in the days after the shooting. “Love conquers hate.”

The community has certainly taken to that mantra.

Businesses and nightclubs in Toronto’s Church-Wellesley Village have doubled up on the amount of rainbow pride flags hanging from their windows. City Hall lowered its rainbow flag to half-mast to honour the victims in Orlando. It’s a far cry from the City Hall that refused to recognize Pride only 25 years ago, and an extremely far cry from the City Hall that authorized police raids on queer safe spaces in 1981.

LGBTQ people still suffer increased rates of suicide, face significant prejudice from outside their community, and gay men still face discrimination when giving blood. Many people of colour who identify as LGBTQ cite intersectional prejudice – being discriminated against because of their racialized identity and their sexual or gender orientation simultaneously. These are only a few of the many things Pride is still working to change and will be the focus of many future events.

Ann Rosenfield said she's looking forward to the next steps.

"I've been around long enough to see how Pride has changed, and I know we still have a lot of work to do in regards to trans rights, gender fluidity, and recognition of non-binary identities, which are our new frontier."