The pride flag has been raised outside Toronto police headquarters for the first time, despite an ongoing controversy over the exclusion of uniformed officers from the annual pride parade.
The Toronto Police Service held a special ceremony on Thursday morning to mark the occasion.
The ceremony was not open to the public but was attended by Deputy Chief Jim Ramer and members of the police service’s LGBTQ Community Consultative Committee.
“It is a historic moment for the city, for Toronto police and for the community,” Const. Chris Attwood told CP24 following the ceremony. “It shows support and inclusion and that everyone can come together and celebrate the month.”
“I am so very proud to be a member of the Toronto Police Service and to be here when they raised the flag for the first time ever,” Staff Sgt. Sam Silvaggio added. “I have been participating in pride-related events since 2008 and this is a first for us.”
During last summer’s Pride Parade, members of Black Lives Matter- Toronto halted the parade until organizers signed off on a list of demands, which included a ban on uniformed officers and police floats in future parades.
At Pride's annual general meeting in January, the majority of those who attended voted in favour of adopting all of Black Lives Matter- Toronto’s demands.
Though Pride Toronto has since clarified that police officers are welcome to march in the parade so long as they are not wearing their uniforms, the ban continues to draw the ire of the Toronto Police Association and some members of city council.
Speaking with CP24 on Thursday, the TPS’s LGBT liaison officer admitted that the ongoing debate has been “a bit of a struggle” but is an important one for both the LGBTQ and policing communities.
Both Pride Toronto and the Toronto police have previously said that they are engaged in active discussions regarding the role of the police in future pride parades.
“It is an opportunity for us to hear those voices and to hear both sides,” Const. Danielle Bottineau said. “If people are willing to work together to move forward I think that is what the focus needs to be.”
