PRIDE - Complicated

There should be some sort of disclaimer here about being LGBTTIQQ2S inclusive.

Today was the PRIDE Parade in Toronto. Most years I’ve gone on my own to support the community, cheering loudly for PFLAG and the community organizations that support same-sex life partnerships. This year it was a bit more of a family affair with my mom coming into Toronto for the weekend - mom, D and a long time family friend and I all stood on Bloor near the parade start (taking advantage of the shade and the raised pedestals on the Xerox building).

Over the years the crowd has changed from mainly supporters… now its supporters, gawkers, corporations, families out for a day of entertainment and what I like to call twitterers. It doesn’t have that fun “we’re here, we’re queer – get used to it” vibe these days… the best way to describe the 2007 parade was corporate and convoluted. Sure mom thought the whole thing was excellent but to be honest $3 waters that you can’t take into or out of the concert areas and the crush of people was enough to make me feel like the event wasn’t for the community anymore.

While walking down Church after the parade today some of the TNT boys were enjoying exercising their exhibitionist streaks, not minding the buzz of cameras clicking or the hoards of people stopping to stare… but I was more than a little distressed when one woman smacked her 8 year old son upside the head, hustled him off telling him “not to look at that nastiness.” First if you bring a kid to the PRIDE parade it’s not just balloons, bands and placards it’s people taking a bit of time to share their true selves with the rest of the world; and second there’s going to be a lot of stuff that will need to be explained in a respectful way to kids. If you’re going to hit Church Street afterwards it’s going to be up close and personal, these are teachable moments but they’re not all going to be easy – the worst thing anyone can do is let make judgments on what everyone else should be doing and how they should be acting. It’s a parade about accepting everyone as they are and I just want to sometimes yell “GET WITH THE PROGRAM PEOPLE!!!” Anyway I’m still trying to keep it from bothering me.

I loved, loved, loved the queer ballroom & swing dancing (who the heck says it always needs to be the same guy leads/girl follows thing?) on the community stage, the vendors (as usual) were an odd assortment of ribbon tiaras, glass dildos & leather fetish gear and the community tents were from a huge diversity of organizations (yea elementary school teachers!!!). Though none of us purchased any merchandise or picked up any pamphlets… though I heard that some parade marhers were handing out copies of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which I think is awesome, who couldn’t use a brush up on that little document?

PS: If you were wondering about LGBTTIQQ2S, it means Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Transsexual, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, 2 spirited, Straight/Supportive… which I’ve decided just doesn’t work! In the interest of space, sanity and clarity the new term is INCLUSIVE (use it, spread it around).